Etiwanda alumni Jahmai Mashack picked by Memphis Grizzlies in second round of 2025 NBA Draft | Sporting News

Jahmai Mashack, a senior wing at Tennessee and before that a star for Etiwanda High School, was selected 59th overall by the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday in the 2025 NBA Draft.

Mashack started all 38 games for the Volunteers, which made the Elite Eight in March Madness, recording career-highs of 6.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.7 steals, 0.5 blocks, 20 made three-pointers, 45.4% FG, and 72.3% FT.

He was named National Defensive Player of the Year by Field of 68 and a finalist for both Naismith Defensive Player of the Year and the Lefty Driesell Award, which is also for the nation's premier defensive contributor.

Mashack's mark of 1.7 SPG certainly stands out, but it was particularly his on-ball defense against both guard spots, small forwards, and even some bigger wings and forwards that earned him national recognition and made him an NBA prospect.

In fact, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic recently wrote, "Mashack was the best defensive player in college basketball this year and might be one of the best perimeter defenders on the planet right now.

This is not an exaggeration." Mashack stands just 6-foot-4, but with his 6-foot-8 wingspan, impressive lateral quickness and strength, and off-the-charts motor, toughness, and instincts, there's little question that he could quickly be a defensive asset at the NBA level against lead guards and smaller wings.

If everything you've read sounds Lu Dort-esque, don't forget that Dort is another strong guard who's a hair under 6-4 with a 6-8 wingspan.

No.

59 was the final pick of this year's draft due to the New York Knicks forfeiting a pick because of a tampering violation in 2022 when they signed Jalen Brunson away from the Dallas Mavericks.

Before Mashack was a Vol, the Fontana native was a star for Southern California juggernaut Etiwanda in Rancho Cucamonga, and helped lead the team to two of its strongest seasons ever.

As a junior in 2019-20, he was a Swiss Army Knife and proverbial glue guy playing amongst one of California's premier senior cores, which included current Minnesota Timberwolf Jaylen Clark.

Etiwanda went 30-4 and finished ranked No.

8 in the country by MaxPreps.

As a senior during the pandemic-delayed 2021 spring season, Mashack only got 16 games but he made the most of them, leading the Eagles to a 14-2 record and their first ever CIF Open Division regional title and statewide No.

1 finish.

He thrived in a leading role, averaging 16.3 points, 10 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.8 blocks, and 2.5 steals per game and upping his level of play in the postseason en-route to earning State Senior of the Year honors from Cal-Hi Sports.

A 4-star prospect ranked No.

57 in the Class of 2021 by 247Sports, Mashack picked Tennessee out of 14 D-1 offers, including Arizona, Texas, and Oklahoma.

Mashack was considered a fan favorite with an easy-to-like game among not only the Etiwanda and Inland Empire crowd, but also among the majority of fans, media, and scouts in SoCal and beyond who watched him.

He sacrificed touches and shots as a junior to make his mark with defense, energy, and timely scoring instead of volume scoring to round out one the nation's top teams.

And as a senior, he confirmed that he could be "the guy" at an elite level averaging more than 16 points and five assists on a national title contender while dominating even more on defense and doing serious work on the boards against taller opponents.

Even during Etiwanda's epic 2021 playoff run, there were a couple occasions in which prolific scoring and/or playmaking were not what Mashack's team needed from him to win.

And he had no trouble taking a backseat role on offense while somehow bringing even more energy than usual to the less glamorous parts of the game.

It was exceedingly rare to see a top-100 recruit with ball skills and NBA ambitions play so adaptably and unselfishly, and for those very reasons, he established himself as a consummate winner that early in his career.

That tag sure as heck stayed with him at Tennessee, and it's the biggest reason he has a serious chance to stick in the NBA.

RELATED: Former Corona Centennial, Sage Hill, Fountain Valley star Carter Bryant drafted by San Antonio Spurs.

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