LSU Basketball’s 2016 Recruiting Class: A Bright Future
By Andrey Burin
Kieran Hayward – SG (St. Joseph’s College—Sydney, Australia)
The first recruit on our list (by alphabetical order) is Aussie shooting guard Kieran Hayward. Immediately evident from his highlights is extraordinary athleticism. When the entire first minute of a highlight tape is composed of nothing but soaring alley-oops, chase down blocks, and dunks in traffic—and the subject of the tape is a SG best known for his shooting!—you know you are watching a uniquely gifted athlete.
The ease, creativity, and swagger with which Hayward throws it down lends a feeling that his mix-tape should be set in the crowded and raucous gyms of a traditional basketball hotbed like Baltimore or Los Angeles instead of the modest, small gyms featured in his reel.
The popularity and success of fellow countryman Ben Simmons may be a part of the reason that Kieran has latched on to the LSU program, and he will hope to continue a trend of talented players from the “land down under”. At 6’5″ with Pogo sticks for legs and a solid jump shot, Hayward has the potential to join Australian stars like Andrew Bogut, Matthew Dellavedova, and now Ben Simmons in the NBA.
It remains to be seen exactly how his game will translate to the NCAA level, but Kieran had great success in several U.S. AAU tournaments and looks to be a key contributor over the next few years.
Next: Branden Jenkins