Houston secured a commitment from South Jones High School power forward Triston Hawthorne on Sept. 17, adding the top-ranked player in Mississippi to its 2027 recruiting group. The 6-foot-7, 190-pound prospect is ranked No. 80 overall in the class and 15th among power forwards by the 247Sports Composite. 247Sports lists him as Mississippi’s top player.
Hawthorne was offered by Houston, Ole Miss and Mississippi State, the three Power Four programs that recruited him. He visited Houston on Aug. 20, followed by trips to LSU on Sept. 5 and Harvard on Sept. 8.
The report describes Hawthorne as an athletic rebounder and defender with a 7-foot-2 wingspan. He averaged 10.8 rebounds, 4.0 offensive rebounds and 4.3 blocks per game. His offensive game is less developed, though he has been effective near the basket and in the dunker’s spot, where he takes most of his shots.
He shoots about 60% from the free-throw line. Hawthorne joins center Derek Daniels and guards Oneal Delancy and Darrell Davis in Houston’s class. All four prospects are ranked among the nation’s top 100 by 247Sports, which currently lists the Cougars’ group as No. 1 nationally.
The report was written by Maanav Gupta for si.com.
