Prospect Spotlight: Michael Aiken (2021)
The local freshman class has looked really good as a whole in the early part of the 2017-18 high school season. Michael Aiken, a class of 2021 guard at Thurgood Marshall, is one freshman that caught our eye at the Dunbar Holiday Showcase. Despite his team’s loss to St. Mary’s Ryken, the impressive lead guard recorded 15 points, 3 steals, 3 assists, and 2 rebounds. Aiken still has plenty of work to do, but the early returns look promising.
“My game is aggressive,” Aiken said of his overall playing style. “I’m a defensive-minded player. I provide crafty play on the offensive end, and I like to get my teammates involved.”
The first thing we noticed about Aiken is that he is a pesky on ball defender. He’s very adept at using his low center of gravity to stay close to defenders, and has quick hands.
“The most improved aspect of my game is being a leader,” Aiken stated. “One thing I do most people don’t see about me is how vocal I am on the court.”
It’s still early, but it looks like Aiken is off to a good start in the classroom. He says he has a 3.12 GPA at the moment. Aiken says he needs to continue to work on his overall game, but we already love the intangibles he possesses for the point guard position.
What can Aiken bring to a college program down the road?
“I think I bring leadership, the ability to score, and aggressive play on defense throughout the whole game.”