Road to the Allstars: Meet Provine High School Point Guard Jarod Gathrite aka J12

Jarod Gathrite, a 16 year old baller from Provine High School was selected 3 times as a middle school All-Star. He's not very tall but loves to dunk. He's more interested in basketball than girls. He's laser focused. We sat down yesterday for an exclusive interview with the high school star who simply goes by "J12."

Yes, this sophomore could easily be voted in by fans to be a Mississippi Basketball All-Star on Tuesday, March 11, 2025. To vote, simply go to www.PlayersMS.com. Here is his story

J12 describes himself as a very focused young man who works very hard for his coaches and his family. "I work hard everyday to succeed because the ones who passed away and wanted to see me be great. I work hard because they can’t come watch me play so I make every practice count 110% everyday of the week!" Jarod said.

His favorite social media app is Instagram. His favorite song is "West Side Connection by Rod Wave" His favorite music artist? Of course it's also Rod Wave because "he talks about life," Jarod said.

But when it comes to getting locked in his zone, he loves any song by the Baton Rouge Boot rapper NBA Youngboy. I guess Jarod be on demon time.

Jarod's celebrity crush is JuJu Watkins. His favorite color is green. Jarod says his favorite food is "seafood." Yes, that includes shrimp, crawfish, fish, and anything else. But his favorite restaurant is 'Did somebody say McDonalds!' Yes, he keep them in the clutch.

Before we get more into this interview, let's do a quick drip check. We asked Jarod to step onto the red carpet with his favorite fit and rate it 1-10. Jarod didn't rate this picture but here it is:

What do you rate this fit 1-10?

• Write an answer

The Road to the All-Stars Series highlight players across the state leading up to the All-Stars. The Mississippi All-Stars is the only all-star game sanctioned by the NCAA. Any 9-12th grade student athlete that goes to any public or private school in Mississippi can be a state all-star.

All-Stars are selected by the fans. The all-star vote is Tuesday, March 11, 2025. The Top 200 athletes with the most votes will be recommended to the Mississippi Association of Players also known as MAP. MAP will review the recommendation from the fans and invite the Top 200 Best Basketball Athletes in Mississippi to the Mississippi Basketball All-Stars Draft.

At the draft, the 2025 Mississippi Basketball All-Stars will be selected live. The All-Star Draft is Saturday, March 29, 2025 in Downtown Hattiesburg beginning at 7pm. Tickets are $75. Seating is limited. Tickets will be available once the All-Star Draft List is released. Tickets are expected to be sold out quickly.

Now, let's hop back into our exclusive interview with Jarod Gathrie. Road to the All-Stars highlight 2 profiles for each player that we think are very important. We highlight their social media profile and we highlight their player profile. Let's start with Jarod's social media profile. Don't forget to follow his social and check out his content. Let's Go!

Social Media	@	Followers
Instagram	cantguardd.12	8.1k
TikTok	cantfuardd_.12	428
X (Twitter)	JarodGathrite2	37
Snapchat	n/a	n/a
Facebook	n/a	n/a

When it comes to love, Jarod doesn't know how to answer that question. So we asked him about what his future wife looks like. He said, "I don't have a type as long as they stick around for the basketball tournaments and travel I have. I want them to understand what I'm trying to purse in life for me and my family!"

Jarod does has some specifics when it comes to his dream car! He prefers to whip around in the Chrysler 300. Although he don't have a whip right now, he does know how to drive.

Although he thinks Deshawn Dillion is the best player in the state, we asked Jarod how would he rank himself in the top 100 players in the state? He think he's at least in the top 25. "I know my capabilities as a player and understand the game," Jarod said. So let's take a look at Jarod's player profile.

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Players Profile

Position: Power Forward/ Shooting Guard

Stats: 10.1 ppg, 3.0 asst per game, 4 RB per game

School: Provine High School

Classification: Sophomore

Height: 5'7

Weight: 135lbs

Rankings: none Source: none

Awards & Honors: Middle School District All-Stars (3x), National Honor Society, District Honor Roll

Greatest Talent/Advantage: Jumping and have a nice shot.

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Reflecting on this year's season, Jarod said his best game this season was against Florence. "The first was a little bit off that game and I stepped up and brought us all the way back from a 13 point lead that Florence had," Jarod said. Flip that to his worst moment this season, he will never forget how hard they fought in the playoffs against Natchez. "We went to 2 overtimes and we lost by 3!"

Nevertheless, Jarod says his shooting is decent. On a scale of 1-10 he ranks himself an 8. That's 2 points from being perfect. He also gives himself an 8 out of 10 when it comes to his dunking talent. An 8 for a sophomore is crazy work. Not bad for 5'7 10th grader. He thinks his greatest competition is, "Nobody for real. Me and my team as a whole beat ourselves."

Reflecting on him as an athlete, if he could improve on anything, it would be time management, "I don't just play basketball, I do band, football and track!" He does admit his greatest weakness is ball handling. Jarod said, I'm working on it!" which could be dangerous for any defender trying to defend him.

Finally, let's wrap this interview up with a few serious questions about Jarod's future. Here's some questions and answers that we think you'll find very interesting. If you think you know Jarod, you really don't have a clue until you read the last part of our interview below. Let's go!

If you could tell anything to a college coach or recruiter what would it be? 

Watch me work.

How important is it to you to sign a NIL Deal & why? 

It's very important because it'll help me buy my parents a house or car. I just wanna see them and me in a better position.

List the colleges you ever visited or been to in your life? What is your #1 dream school? 

Southern Miss, Jackson State, Mississippi Valley, Georgia Tech. My number 1 college is Duke.

List your top 10 schools you would like to play at? 

Jackson State, Jones College, Holmes, Co-Lin, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Georgia Sate, Southern Miss, Duke, & Arkansas Sate.

Where do you see yourself next year? 

Still progressing and getting better.

Who or what motivates or inspires you to play the game? 

My people who is not on earth anymore cause I know they've wanted me to win so I'll continue to try winning and contributing.

What do you wish to achieve by playing this sport? 

State Championship.

Being a Mississippi All-Star is the highest honor and award you can receive as a student athlete. Why do you deserve to be a state All-Star?

I trained hard since I was 3 years old and I've been playing since then never gave up always was being pushed and having the love for the game I know I am dedicated to this game and my hard work pays off.

That's a wrap. Hope you enjoyed our Road to the All-Stars with Jarod Gathrite from Provine High School. Overall, Jarod is a very inspiring young athlete who has the potential to go far in his career both in high school and in college. He is a great addition to anyone's team.

If you would like to support Jarod or any other basketball players in Mississippi, vote for your favorite players to be a Mississippi All-Star on Tuesday, March 11, 2025 by going to www.playersms.com.