Recruiting Report: Jaylen Dillard (2017)
Most guards would struggle transitioning from being the top player on an average team to being just another guy on an elite team. However, for LC Bird senior guard Jaylen Dillard, the situation couldn’t be working out more perfectly for…
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Continue ReadingMost guards would struggle transitioning from being the top player on an average team to being just another guy on an elite team. However, for LC Bird senior guard Jaylen Dillard, the situation couldn’t be working out more perfectly for him.
Coming from Clover Hill where he was the leading scorer the past two seasons, Dillard stepped into a backcourt that returned three starters, including Harvard commit Mario Haskett and point guard Johquin “Pinky” Wiley who have started there for the past two seasons.
Despite being a shot making and scoring specialist, Dillard was welcomed with open arms by the Skyhawks players and coaches, many of whom he played with growing up, and he’s wasted no time getting acclimated early.
“It feels good, when you have the core guards that have been here for so long, and the bigs have welcomed me in, it really isn’t hard to fit in here,” Dillard said. I’m just going to keep working and be ready when my number is called.”
The 6’2” wing guard joins a backcourt of Haskett, Wiley and 6’5” utility guard Cam Henry who also started on last year’s LC Bird team that lost in the state championship. While they all can shoot and score it, Dillard is the only one that isn’t a true ball handler or creator, so he’s thrived as a floor spacer and shot maker. He’s playing less with the ball in his hands than ever, but his team leading 16 points per game and 46% shooting from deep shows that he can fill it up without needing to dominate the ball.
It’s something that Dillard has had no problem changing.
Dillard was named MVP at the Reebok Crossover Showcase in Hampton.“The role for me is different, but I think the coaches do a great job getting the ball into the people’s hands at the right time when they really need it, and just let them make the play” he said. “That’s what we really preach here, and when it’s my time and when my number is called I just have to step up and make the play.”
Despite his big time play for the Skyhawks, Dillard was under the radar for many scholarship level programs before the season with a lot of ODAC schools hoping that he would slip through the cracks. While there’s still a chance that may happen, he’s seen recent interest from scholarship level programs such as Maine, VMI, Lincoln, Chowan, Virginia State, Virginia Union, King College and even a few JUCOs like Richard Bland.
Other than his ability to shoot it, Dillard’s underrated defensive ability is another reason that he’s been able to step on the floor immediately for LC Bird. Because he doesn’t have to handle the basketball and create plays offensively, he’s able to guard one of the top scoring threats on the other team and expend energy chasing them around. It’s something that both his team and Dillard take very seriously.
“As a team, we go into every game trying to build confidence and lock up defensively,” Dillard said. “Offensively, me personally I just want to stay aggressive, but that comes from my teammates like Pinky Wiley and Mario [Haskett] pushing me and finding me when I get it going, and same for them.”
Dillard is a great addition to a Skyhawks team that returns four starters from last year’s 5A runner up team, and while they may not be as talented as they have been in the past, they have a ton of balance and depth in the backcourt and finally have a healthy front court with the return of 2018 Tyrek Williams from a leg injury last year. Still, Dillard and crew know that they have work to do, because nothing is just going to be given to them.
“We have to continue to better ourselves on defense, continue to execute in our sets and just continue to grow as a team and continue to work and get better everyday in practice.”
Be sure to keep an eye out for Dillard and the Skyhawks, currently 7-0 and ranked #3 in the latest Vantage Hoops Top 30 Power Poll ranking.