Lehigh lands 2016 Cali. point guard Jordan Cohen

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Lehigh added to its 2016 recruiting class on Tuesday night with a verbal pledge from Campbell Hall (Cali.) point guard Jordan Cohen.

A 6-foot-1, 165-pound point guard, Cohen picked Lehigh over offers from Bucknell and Army. He's the second player to commit to head coach Brett Reed for next year, joining Christian Brothers Academy (N.J.) forward Pat Andree.

"I picked Lehigh because I know it will be a great fit for me," he told CoBL. "The academics, first of all, are amazing. From the basketball perspective, I know the Lehigh program is on the rise and I think I can definitely contribute to the team."

Cohen hails from Tarzana, Cali., a suburb of Los Angeles in the San Fernando Valley.

As a junior, playing alongside UCLA freshman Aaron Holiday--younger brother of the NBA's Jrue and Justin--Cohen helped the Vikings to a 27-10 record, including a 6-4 record in the Gold Coast League. They made it all the way to the CIF State Division IV Regional Finals, where they lost 58-54 to Crespi.

Evan Barnes, who's covered Cohen for his job as prep sports reporter for the Los Angeles Daily News, described him as a "very good, smart player," and "solid shooter" who "improved his game as the season went on."

Lehigh is coming off a 16-14 season that saw the Mountain Hawks go 9-9 in Patriot League play, but the future certainly looks bright in Bethlehem. Head coach Brett Reed has the reigning Patriot League Player of the Year in Tim Kempton, a 6-11 junior with an NBA pedigree, plus the returning Rookie of the Year in point guard Kahron Ross.

Ross' presence might mean that Cohen will have to come off the bench his first two years at Lehigh, but he's excited to be joining a program on the rise since beating Duke in the NCAA Tournament back in 2012.

"I really think we can do great things in the Patriot League and even in the NCAA Tournament," Cohen said.