6’3 ’20 Kellen Tynes (Rothesay Netherwood)
Through two games at the Hoops and Dreams showcase, few players have been better than Tynes. He’s been the ultimate leader and overall decision-maker for this group, consistently setting up the offense, getting others involved, and scoring whenever he desires. Tynes is smart, sharp, and plays with a phenomenal pace to his game. He understands how to dictate the action on both ends of the floor and displays no glaring weaknesses with his game. Tynes is the heart and soul of this team. He’s currently severely under-recruited, but that’ll likely change over the next few months.
7’0 ’22 Tyler Faiui (Rothesay Netherwood)
The appeal should be fairly obvious with a prospect like Faiui, who possesses elite physical gifts and is truly just beginning to scratch the surface of his long-term abilities. He moves extremely well for his size, displays soft touch around the basket, and highlights some impressive flashes of footwork in the post. Faiui plays hard at all times, rebounds effectively on both ends, and already does a pretty nice job of protecting the rim. He has all the tools to become a phenomenal talent, especially with continued work and additional strength.
6’5 ’20 Jaden Scriven (Fayetteville Academy)
There’s a lot to like about the way this Fayetteville Christian squad competes, especially behind the two-way leadership of Scriven. He’s strong, mobile, and very athletic with quality versatility and creation skills, which has continued to make a matchup problem for opposing wings/forwards. Scriven is too strong for most wings and moves too well for most forwards. He’s a game-changing rebounder, despite his lack of elite size, and utilizes his body as well as anyone. Scriven was nearly unstoppable when looking to attack the rim and had the necessary vision to make plays for others at a solid rate.
6’5 ’21 Jayden Doyle (Freedom Christian)
It should come as no surprise but Doyle continues to shine as the quiet, leader by example with this loaded Freedom Christian squad. His combination of IQ, skill, and athleticism make him a constant matchup problem for opposing wings. Doyle creates for himself and others extremely well, showing a clear willingness to seek out the best possible play. He’s crafty off the bounce and scores with phenomenal efficiency from all three levels. Doyle is a rangy defender with strong two-way rebounding instincts and the ability to make his presence consistently felt in transition. As said many times before, Division I coaches need to start heavily pursuing.
6’9 ’20 Jemal Davis (Liberty Heights)
Few teams in North Carolina can match the amount of raw talent that Liberty Heights possesses, and Davis is a massive part of that. He’s probably underrated in the bigger scheme of things, but a long, athletic, 6-foot-9 post prospect has an obvious place at the Division I level. Davis embraces his identity on the block, able to consistently secure position despite a lack of strength, get separation, and utilize his blend of touch and footwork around the basket. He’s also a very reliable two-way rebounder and rim-protector that moves exceptionally well for his size.
6’7 ’20 Dominique Davidson (Liberty Heights)
There are so many players that college coaches should absolutely love on this Liberty Heights roster, especially Davidson. His motor and desire to do anything possible to provide his team with an edge seems to shine on every possession. Davidson is an exceptional rebounder that utilizes his body very well to secure position and clear out space. He finishes above the rim whenever possible but also displays solid craftiness as a penetrator and within the post. Davidson should collect at least a handful of offers during this season.
6’6 ’23 Thomas Watkins (Cape Fear Academy)
Despite being the youngest prospect on this Cape Fear Academy squad, there’s a lot of obvious appeal with Watkins. He’s just a freshman but already has an impressive frame that’ll continue to fill out over the coming years. Watkins operates effectively within their offense and displays some quality flashes of skill. He’s truly just beginning to scratch the surface of his long-term abilities and will certainly be one to keep an eye on going forward, as he could be special.
6’7 ’20 Ivan Misic (Cape Fear Academy)
There’s a lot to like with Cape Fear Academy, which certainly includes Misic and his terrific amount of polish. He’s long, wiry, and displays a quality amount of face-up skills, allowing him to cause mismatches against opposing forwards/posts. Misic shoots it well from midrange and beyond the arc, can put the ball on the floor to attack, and has pretty nice vision—especially for his size. His recruitment should pick up over the course of this season, as he has all the tools to succeed at the next level.
6’5 ’21 Beez Kilby (GRACE Christian)
There are a lot of appealing prospects within this roster, but Kilby is arguably their main unsung hero. He consistently fills in the gaps on both ends of the floor, playing hard, fighting for extra possessions, and taking advantage of easy scoring opportunities whenever available. Kilby rebounds very well, makes hustle plays, and doesn’t force the action on either end of the floor. He should continue to be a pretty integral part of their success this season.
6’5 ’20 Linwood Grandy (Wayne Country Day)
There is so much talent on this Wayne Country Day roster, and Grandy is as valuable as anyone. Already a noted athlete, he’s only continued to expand his game over the last few months. Grandy knocked down three-pointers at a respectable rate while consistently doing a strong amount of everything on both ends of the floor. He’s strong, physical, finishes through any amount of contact, and possesses nice defensive versatility. Grandy is a definite scholarship-level prospect that could play in a variety of different roles and systems at the next level.
6’3 ’21 Jaden Cooper (Wayne Country Day)
In terms of prospects that college coaches should be closely monitoring for Wayne Country Day, Cooper has to be atop the list. He’s long, smart, athletic, and simply knows how to carve up the opposition while running a team with poise. Cooper loves to attack the midrange area for pull-ups but also attacks the basket extremely well and shoots the ball at a quality rate from beyond the arc. He’s above average in every facet of the game and simply has that “it” factor to his game. Cooper is another prospect whose recruitment should take off this season.
6’6 ’20 Reggie Raynor (Northwood Temple)
It would be impossible to watch this contest and not mention the stellar two-way play of Raynor, who continues to set the tone and lead on both ends of the floor for this group. He’s long, explosive, and shot the ball extremely well across the weekend. His ability to defend multiple positions, be a leading rebounder, and control the action on offense has been phenomenal so far this season. Raynor is a Division I talent.