Ford Winning the Recruiting Wars

ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis University head coach Travis Ford announced today that Hasahn French (Middletown, N.Y./Commonwealth Academy) and Jordan Goodwin (Belleville, Ill./Althoff) have signed National Letters of Intent to attend the University and play basketball for the Billikens. They will have four years of eligibility beginning with the 2017-18 season.

French, a 6-foot-7 power forward, is rated as a four-star prospect by ESPN and is ranked 138th overall by Scout.com. Among power forwards, he is rated 18th by Scout.com and 24th by ESPN.com.

Goodwin, a 6-foot-4 wing, is a four-star prospect on Rivals.com and ESPN.com and is No. 57 on the ESPN Top 100 recruiting rankings for the 2017 class. Scout lists Goodwin as the 52nd-best recruit nationally (10th at the power forward position) and the state of Illinois’ top player at his position.

“We are very excited about Hasahn and Jordan joining the Billiken family,” Ford said. “They bring an extremely high level of competitiveness, toughness and skill level, and they have competed at the highest level in their school ball and AAU ball. Hasahn and Jordan have proven themselves to be winners as well as two of the top players in the country. I expect both of them to come in and make an immediate impact.”

French, a native of Middletown, New York, attends prep school at Commonwealth Academy in Springfield, Massachusetts. He played AAU ball for the PSA Cardinals out of New York City in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).

This summer on the AAU circuit, French averaged 7.9 ppg and 8.3 rpg while shooting 54.2 percent from the floor over 16 games. He helped the Cardinals to a 14-2 record in those games, including a 4-1 mark at the Nike Peach Jam.

“Hasahn is a physical presence and has a very high skill level,” Ford said. “He knows how to use his physical strength to his advantage and is not afraid to mix it up inside or outside. Hasahn can handle the ball, he can shoot it and he can post up. His AAU team was impressive over the summer, and I thought he was the MVP of their team. He’s a winner, has high character and is highly competitive. Hasahn will make an immediate impact for us.”

Goodwin, who is in his senior season at Althoff Catholic High School in Belleville, Illinois, helped the Crusaders to the Class 3A state championship last season. He averaged 18.6 ppg, 4.9 rpg and 1.7 apg as a junior.

A member of the St. Louis Eagles, Goodwin averaged 16.4 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 3.7 apg and 1.5 spg during the Eagles’ run in the Nike EYBL. He was a third-team All-EYBL selection.

Goodwin also stars on the football field for Althoff. Last season, the tight end helped the Crusaders to a Class 3A state runner-up finish. This year, they are 11-0 and currently in the playoffs.

“Jordan is a player I fell in love with the first time I saw him play,” Ford said. “I love his competitiveness, that he’s a winner and that he’s a leader on the court. He impacts the game from an offensive and defensive standpoint more than anyone I’ve seen. Jordan can score, pass and handle the ball. On defense he’s a disrupter. Jordan just loves to compete and will truly be a difference-maker for us.”

Editor: This is a press release from slubillikens.com and cover photo vtwitter.