By SAM LANCE
Class of 2026 shooting guard Jirehn Mitchell doesn’t have a ranking on industry websites just yet. But the 6-foot-4 guard from Duncanville (TX) and the Houston Hoops Nike EYBL AAU program, believes his recruitment is about to take off.
“I think things are about to happen for me,” Mitchell told ZAGSBLOG. “I had a great summer. I’ve been in the gym. So now it’s just keeping my head down and continuing to work and put God first.”
This summer, Mitchell contributed to the Houston Hoops 16u program, averaging 6.8 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game in 20.8 minutes per contest. At Peach Jam is where Mitchell really hit his stride. He averaged 11.3 points in three games before sustaining a wrist injury that kept him out the rest of the tournament. Houston was 3-0 with Mitchell and lost their only game without him.
Mitchell is now completely back to 100% and has been attending camps like the UTSA camp in early September.
“I have a really high motor and I play hard,” Mitchell said of his game. “That’s probably the first thing that you notice. And then second, I’m going to hit shots. I think I shoot the ball well. So those are things you’ll notice seeing me play.”
As far as Mitchell’s recruitment goes, he is currently hearing from Arkansas Pine Bluff, New Orleans, Rice, Sam Houston, UT Rio Grande Valley and UTSA. The two schools most involved are Sam Houston and UTSA. Mitchell has taken one lone unofficial to UTSA. He doesn’t have any visits planned yet for the fall.
He broke down the two most predominant schools in his recruitment below:
Sam Houston: “I like that they’re in Houston. It’s not too far from home. I like the coach as well. They’ve had players that come from Duncanville. So it’s just close to the school and they know the coaching staff here at Duncanville.”
UTSA: “I think it went great. I love the school environment, the school culture. We went to the football game so I thought that was pretty fun. It just feels close with them. And they are also in the American conference. So that’s a big conference. It just feels so welcoming to be there. My family is also in San Antonio, so that works too.”
Kansas is considered to be Mitchell’s “dream school.”
“I saw one game a while ago,” Mitchell said. “I forgot how old I was. But just the crowd and just how the stadium was rocking.”
Mitchell isn’t the only athlete in his family. His father, James Mitchell, was a two-time state champion quarterback at Duncanville and now coaches football at the high school. Jirehn has learned a lot from his father when it comes to competing.
“I would say the biggest thing I’ve taken from my dad is just keeping that mentality,” Mitchell said. “Be strong and no matter what get it done. Just keep that confidence.”
Mitchell also has an NBA bloodline. His cousin is Reggie Theus, who played 10+ seasons in the league.
An interesting fact about Mitchell is he likes to stream on Twitch in his free time. He mainly streams NBA 2K and the new EA College Football 25 game. Kevin Durant is Mitchell’s favorite NBA player.
“Jihren is a hardworking, humble, very coachable player that does all the little things to help the team be successful,” Houston Hoops 16u head coach Stephen Woods said. “For us, his role was a 3-and-D guy. He has good size and rebounds well too.”
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