John Wall Holiday Invitational (Part 1 of 2) Free
The Glaxosmithkline Invitational also known as the “Glaxo” is one of the premier high school basketball tournament in the United States. This year Washington Wizard point guard and Raleigh native John Wall has come on board and it is now…
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Continue ReadingThe Glaxosmithkline Invitational also known as the “Glaxo” is one of the premier high school basketball tournament in the United States. This year Washington Wizard point guard and Raleigh native John Wall has come on board and it is now renamed The John Wall Holiday Invitational. The tournament is held in Raleigh at Broughton High School over the Christmas holiday and like every year before it showcases some of the best basketball players in the country. Here are the teams participating this year.
Hillcrest Academy (Arizona)– Led by Arizona recruit 7-footer DeAndre Ayton, the number one ranked player in the country for the 2017 class.
Tampa Catholic High School (Florida)– Tampa Catholic is led by the #2 small forward in the country, Kevin Knox. He has cut his list to five recently, a who’s who among college basketball programs. North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky, Duke, and Florida State.
University School (Florida)– University School features two top 10 sophomores nationally in 7’1″ Balsa Koprivica & 6’8″ Vernon Carey Jr.
Thornlea Secondary School (Canada)– Thornlea features prospects 2017 6’5 SG Sean Miller-Moore (offers from Niagara, Central Connecticut, Southern Utah and Vermont), 2020 PG Cashius McNeilly (offers from St. Bonaventure and Sienna), and Jordan Henry. Drexel recently offered 2017 F Scott Hitchon.
Jay M. Robinson High School (Charlotte, NC)– The defending NCHSAA 3-A state champs. Robinson is led by PrepHoopsNC top 2017 recruit Lavar Batts Jr., a strong point guard who has committed to VCU and Will Wade.
Northwood Temple Academy (Fayetteville, NC)- Northwood Temple is led by Old Dominion commit Michael Hueitt Jr. one of the best shooters in the country, 2018 Immanuel Bates has improved tremendously over the past year, and coaches have taken notice, just this past week he picked up offers from Clemson and Tulane. At a legit 6’10 with long arms, he blocks shots at a high rate and rebounds the ball well, he also is becoming more comfortable with his back to the basket offensively, 2017 Point Guard Jeremiah Morris may be one of the fastest guards that I’ve personally seen in a very long time, throughout the workout he was blowing by defenders and getting inside at will. Defensively he gets after as well, constantly applying pressure to opponents, at this point he has multiple D1/D2 offers and we can expect that to grow as the season goes on, 2017 Forward Chance Chavis played well throughout the open gym session, rebounded and made plays around the rim. He will be one that D3 schools will want to keep a close eye on throughout the season as he can be a solid role player for teams at that level.
Cox Mill High School (Charlotte)– Returning leading scorer and rebounder, PrepHoopsNC #1 2019 recruit Wendell Moore will be asked to do a lot for this team. He makes his teammates better because he plays the game the right way! Expectations for him will continue to be out the roof, he has to prove that he is one of the top players in the country on a nightly basis. Carrawell can be the X factor for this young team, he has big play ability and can be a lock down defender. Francis Sio has been a program player for 4 years that shows up and out work the man beside him. Francis will be asked to play many roles throughout the season. Newcomer Tyzhaun Claude a transfer from Goldsboro will help solidify the post area for the Chargers. Colin Noone had a really good summer shooting the basketball and being a leader. Joel Hall may have been the biggest surprise up from JV, he exemplifies a true teammate in all areas. Undersized playing the 5 position over the summer, he out worked other bigs for rebounds and loose balls. Cody Cline and Jalen Bynum will compete for minutes at PG.
Cannon School (Concord)– Cannon School returns one of the top players in the state with 6-foot-8 Jairus Hamilton who has nearly 20-plus Division One offers including North Carolina, California, Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and many others. Cannon School finished 5-5 in the conference and 18-12 last season but has added 6-foot-5 Qon Murphyfrom Hough High School where he was an all-conference selection. Cannon School also features Phillip McKenzie, a 6-foot-5 wing who can defend four positions on the floor. He has a offer from Houston Baptist. Covenant Day transfer senior point guard Percy Johnson, who played with Team Charlotte this summer has a offer from Pfiefer.
Broughton High School (Raleigh)– The leader on the boards for Broughton High School will be Jack Holloway, a 6’5 Senior. Jack will be perhaps the teams leader on and off the floor…he’s the kind of player coaches love.2018 wing Jessup Lowe-terrific shooter and smart player
2018 wing Tyler Palmer-all-around smart basketball player, floor general, good shooter
2018 PG Jalen Finch-quick, athletic player maker, and strong ball handler. A player to watch will be 2020 guard Carson McCorkle. McCorkle is ranked as the 5th best prospect by PrepHoopsNC for the 2020 class. All four of these players saw significant minutes last season, so despite a couple of significant losses to transfer, there is also a lot to look forward to with key returners.