After Productive Summer, Jordan Mathews Ready To Take Visits

While the 2013 recruiting cycle has been very fluid and full of surprises, there has been one name that we have consistently mentioned since the 2012 season came to a close. Jordan Mathews has held the attention of the Bulldogs staff all throughout the summer and he has also garnered the looks of programs from across the nation. Mathews spent his entire summer playing in the most elite hoops events in the country. We recently caught up with Jordan and he expressed just how busy he has been.

"I started out the summer at the Kevin Durant Skills Academy, then went to the LeBron Skills Academy, then we went to Peach Jam, then to the Las Vegas Live period, and I finished up at the Adidas Nations event," Mathews explained.

While Mathews did admit that he was a little drained by the end of the July Evaluation Period, it did not stop him from having some incredible performances. In fact, Mathews was so impressive during July that he was invited to the Adidas Nations Event in Long Beach. Mathews said that the entire summer was a great learning experience and a few things stuck out.

"Peach Jam was a great tournament. In the first two games I scored 27 and 20 and really played well," Mathews said, "The Adidas event was also a great learning experience. We should have won that last game but I learned a lot and just had a great time."

One of the highlights for Mathews was getting to play with and become friends with some of the biggest names in college basketball.

"I've become really close friends with Gonzaga's Elias Harris. He was at the Durant and LeBron camp and we spent quite a bit of time together. He talks to me about Gonzaga a lot. I also talked to guys like Kyle Wiltjer from Kentucky and Peyton Siva from Louisville," Mathews said.

Jordan has some officials set up. Find out where he will be after the jump....

While Mathews was about 100x busier than any typical high school student, his recruitment and the interest he is getting from schools is proving the hard work paid off. Mathews rattled off some schools that have been coming at him the hardest.

"LMU, Gonzaga, Marquette, Cal, UConn, UTEP, Wake Forest...a lot of schools have been coming hard lately," Mathews explained. "I don't have any favorites and no one is really standing out, I'm just trying to work on getting better and stronger right now."

Although he did not claim any favorites, it does sound like he has a plan for how he will be making his college decision and has set some dates for his official visits.

"I plan on taking some visits and then will likely decide in the spring," Mathews said. "I will be visiting Wake Forest on September 15th, Gonzaga on September 29th, and Marquette on October 12th, I am also planning on taking a visit out to Cal."

As we have learned over the past few months, Gonzaga has a unique connection with Jordan.

"My dad (UCLA assistant coach Phil Mathews) has been close friends with Donny Daniels his whole life. They are really, really close and true best friends in life," said Mathews. "It helps having him there (at Gonzaga) as it is sort of an anchor for me to have someone that I know so well."

With visits to four elite universities around the corner and numerous others knocking out the door, there is no doubt that Mathews will have plenty to think about over the coming months. We will continue to keep you updated as his recruitment progresses and as he kicks off his senior season.