Rashad Vaughn has decided to attend Findlay Prep in Las Vegas, Nev., for his senior season of high school, his mentor Pete Kaffey confirmed July 9.
Vaughn, a coveted Gophers recruit and the No. 7 recruit in the class of 2014 according to Rivals.com, starred at Robbinsdale Cooper High School in New Hope, Minn., the last three seasons.
“Rashad went and saw Findlay Prep, and he liked what he saw,” Kaffey said. “It was a matter of the team he has coming back [at Findlay]. He knows that he’ll be pushed.”
Vaughn has continued his dominance in the AAU circuit this summer and has received high praise from scouts.
“He adds a lot to our program with the level of intensity he brings and his ability to score,” Findlay assistant coach Andy Johnson said. “We’re really excited to have him in our program.”
Vaughn’s father, Troy Vaughn, said June 19 that Huntington Prep in Huntington, W.Va., was the frontrunner.
Huntington Prep head coach Rob Fulford also assumed his team was the favorite less than a month ago.
“I’ve never lost a kid that I’ve wanted,” he told the Minnesota Daily in mid-June. “If we want them here at Huntington, we usually get them.”
Johnson said Vaughn will have to compete for a starting spot at Findlay, but he said Vaughn’s talent speaks for itself.
“Based on his ability and his work ethic, he has a great chance to have a great impact,” Johnson said.
Troy Vaughn said June 19 that his son’s decision to enroll in a prep school does not take the Gophers out of contention to land the talented shooting guard.
Kaffey reiterated that point July 9. He said only time will tell if this was the right decision, but he is confident this move will make Vaughn a better player.
“I feel like at the end of the day this is where he wanted to be,” Kaffey said, “and that was the decision in the end.”