By: DeAjai Dawkins
2022 6’4 Po’Boigh King (Team Eat 2022)
Po’Boigh King entered this event with high praise and it’s easy to understand why. The 6’4 sharpshooter is one of the most dangerous shooting threats in the state, rivaled by few. Once a burly frame, King has slimed down into a more athletic frame with better conditioning. In my opinion, he’d be a top 2 player on the floor in almost any contest he could play in this weekend. High major shooter with an improved body and budding slashing capabilities.
2024 6’5 Zion Blevins (Chapmanville)
Zion is a very natural scoring talent with the growing confidence to expand on his ball-handling. He caught my attention with a pair of contested turnaround jumpers, the first coming from the low-post while the second came in transition. He’s shown the ability to knock down the open 3, and has shown me enough mid-range prowess for me to soon be comfortable labeling him a true 3-level scorer. The only factors deterring me from giving him this label right now, is a desire to see him assert himself more at the rim. I believe 3 remaining years of high school eligibility could seriously pay dividends for this prospect.
6’5 2025 Addison Newkirk (CP3 2025/Greensboro Day School)
He is in a prime position to develop into a very promising prospect entering his freshman season at Greensboro Day. Newkirk has extremely promising positional height/length for his age, standing at 6’5 in shoes. The release on his jumpshot is fundamentally sound and looks even better when the shot is falling. If he’s left open, those instances aren’t very rare. I think Newkirk is in an excellent position to succeed, considering he’s yet to play a single high school game and is already a legitimate varsity-level perimeter option.
6’3 2024 Lucas Strickfaden (CC Elite 2024/Pine Lake)
He is developing nicely as an off-guard. Strickfaden is a productive, offensively gifted talent that is growing in confidence. He’s shot the ball well and has incorporated a bit of slashing into his arsenal. I think he’s still undergoing significant portions of his physical development, which could ultimately translate to something special in a season or two. With the addition of explosiveness/assertion, we could witness a noteworthy remaining 3 years for Strickfaden.