Jack’s 17U Southern Standouts (Part 3)
It is always one of the top events of the year for us guys in Virginia, as teams from all over the commonwealth and neighboring states ranging from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania and West Virginia. With the amount of write…
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Continue ReadingIt is always one of the top events of the year for us guys in Virginia, as teams from all over the commonwealth and neighboring states ranging from the Carolinas to Pennsylvania and West Virginia. With the amount of write ups so many of us are doing, I thought I would just give multiple standouts that I saw from each age group. Here’s a look at part three of my 17U standouts, including players from Virginia, North Carolina and a couple guys from the northeast as well.
Jahn Hines | 6’3” WG | Team Loaded 757
He’s been with this Loaded 757 group since he was in 15U, and Hines has earned the right to be the go-to guy with the way he competes and gets after every game. He has a good frame, he’s a sneaky athlete and he has a well-rounded skill set on the offensive end, and all of those things are even better with his motor and all-out style on both ends. He can catch-and-shoot from deep, he’s become a better ball handler and he takes the most of his opportunities as he settles less and finds his way to the line more.
Jordan Lewis | 5’10” PG | Team Loaded 757
Lewis is a guy that I’m sure many of the smaller schools will be all over early, and the way that he plays will make a lot of old school fans of the game happy. Lewis has a tremendous feel for the game, he puts his players in the right situations to succeed and he sets the tone on both ends of the floor as a good defender and floor general. While he’s best getting others involved, he’s also shown that he has a good middle game with an array of floaters and pull-ups, he gets to the free throw line and he has improved in his shooting ability as well.
Ade’ Jenkins | 6’8” PF | Team Loaded 757
The amount of improvement you see from Jenkins both from a physical and skill set standpoint has him looking like an intriguing prospect. He isn’t the most athletic or quickest guy, but if you’re a team that plays a half court set he’s a guy who can score it in a number of ways and he takes a lot of space up in the paint. He can shoot the midrange jumper when he’s set, he can catch and finish around the basket and he can carve out space on post ups and box outs. He still has room to improve as well.
Dayron Sharpe | 6’9” PF | Garner Road
The UNC commit was obviously one of the most impressive prospects in attendance, and he impressed even with all of the hype that he came into this with. He faced multiple division one caliber bigs throughout the tournament, and when he turned it on the paint he made it a nightmare for those other guys. He’s physically dominant with a strong upper body, but he’s also quick with his ability to spin and move side-to-side both with the ball in his hands and when rebounding. He showed great hands and great footwork in the post, he pursued the basketball well and rebounded at a very impressive rate and his body continues to get better every time I see him.
Justin Thomas | 6’6” WF | Garner Road
A hybrid forward out of Village Christian in NC, Thomas only holds an offer from ECU but in my opinion he’s going to see a lot more coming through to him here soon. He has tremendous size on the wing, he’s a natural athlete who gets up and down the floor and finishes above the rim and he has the frame and athleticism to be a versatile and high level defender at the next level. He moved well without the basketball, made the right play for the most part and showed many tools that make him a possible high major wing.
Jonas Aidoo | 6’9” PF | NC Red Storm
Aidoo was one of my favorite guys that I had “found” this weekend, because I had never heard of him before and he could be a division one big man if he goes to the right system or possibly gets another year. At 6’9”, Aidoo has terrific length and he uses it well as a shot blocker and to get deflections on the defensive end. Offensively, he’s more perimeter oriented and he’s a guy who is great in pick-and-pop situations as he’s a knock down shooter from deep and a good passer as well. He won’t be every coach’s cup of tea but he’ll be a guy that some coaches will love as he has a unique skillset most guys his size don’t have.
DJ Thomas | 5’6” PG | NC Red Storm
Thomas is in no way, shape or form the biggest guy on the court, but that doesn’t seem to matter as he sliced through the defense getting by bigger guards and finishing over 6’9” guys who are committed to UNC. The available guard put up big numbers during the high school season according to sources from North Carolina, and he was in his bag as he showed great quickness, a competitive chip and the ability to score in a number of ways including high arcing floaters and step back midrange jumpers off the bounce. He was fun to watch and hard to guard for sure.
Kam Farris | 6’1” PG | Wright Way Skills (MA)
It was my first time getting to watch the Vermont native, and while I had heard about him and his stellar play in the HGSL I was a little skeptical about him going up against shoe circuit level competition. I was flat out wrong with my first impression and came away with a better one, this kid can hoop! Farris is a smooth scoring guard who isn’t overly explosive but he has a good handle that allows him to get to his spots and he can score from all three levels efficiently off the bounce. While he had to score it because he was the best player on his team, he still showed good instincts and feel on both ends of the floor and made plays for others as well. He picked up recent offers from Murray State and Dayton and should see similar level schools flocking to him all summer and next year at Tabor Academy.
DJ Woodbury | 6’3” WG | K-Low Elite (PA)
The Philadelphia wing has a very Philly style game, as Woodbury attacked the rim relentlessly and had some sauce to his handle that made him tough to guard. He isn’t the biggest or strongest guy, but he stayed in attack mode and got into the body of bigger defenders who either had to foul him or give up space for layups. He showed the ability to catch and shoot, and while he had somewhat of an erratic game he got after it on both ends and scored it in impressive ways throughout the weekend.