by: Ethan Reece
This past week Phenom Hoops went out to cover the Triad Blue Chip Summer League at TW Andrews High School in High Point, NC. The league has been held annually for 6 years now and features a good variety of the abundance of great prospects the Triad area has to offer between both public and private schools. This article will take a look at the standouts from the first part of the week:
2023 DJ Jackson (TW Andrews)
With the abundance of big-time prospects in Greensboro and Winston, it’s common a great prospect can be overlooked in High Point. I’ve done it all spring and I’ll continue to vouch for DJ and all he brings to the table. This is a high-activity guard with skill, size, and a dog mentality to get after it. He’s learned over the years how to play bigger against posts, and run the high post with his mid-range, but is truly a longer PG who will impact the game without scoring. He’s due for a lot more attention and a special senior year full of accolades and success.
2023 Kahlif Barnes (Piedmont Classical)
Regardless of his scoring output, Kahlif has a skill that every coach should be recruiting, elite rebounding. As the saying goes, board man gets paid, and rebounding naturally translates as you move up levels. Kahlif has a unique physical stature unmatched in this area, making him a man amongst boys with an instinctive crashing rim presence and he actively looks to attack the rim and practically tear it down. He’s ready to beat n bang with the best of them in college already and will be a key component to the Bobcat’s success next year.
2025 Dalton Johnson (Piedmont Classical)
The backcourt taking over the helm after graduation is going to be young, but Dalton (aka Dynamite) is more than ready to handle the pressure. He’s carrying his rhythm of a successful spring into this summer and really showed out against some big-time names this week taking on the highly regarded GDS backcourt. He’s a smart, patient ball-handler who’s already familiarized with a slew of defensive schemes and how to play and attack them. He should have easy money getting downhill and dishing to Kahlif Barnes and is simply a guard that controls the game with a high AST:TO ratio.
2023 Julius Reese (Greensboro Day)
With all the attention defenses are bound to give Jaydon Young, I see the opportunity for Julius to step up and quietly be the leading scorer in a lot of games next year. He has a build, unlike any other guard I’ve seen, really being able to play bully ball and force the issue with either the smaller guards who attempt to match up or the bigs who will be slower than him. He has a good patient mindset to execute the offense at a high level, making the extra pass and giving others looks, and should get more attention for all the little things he does that lead to winning.
2023 Will Otto (Greensboro Day)
A point guard’s impact should be felt on all levels, and GDS’s new addition is doing that. The good thing about how he plays is that he’s not ball-dominant and keeps in constant motion. He knows how to work the offense, feeling when to apply pressure, pull it out, or reverse the ball, and picks his spots nicely using his quickness to attack closeouts and get to his go-to pullup, hitting shots at a high clip while cutting off defenders with his body. He’s proving to seamlessly fill in and lead early this summer.
2027 King Gibson (Positive Day)
It’s gotta be a special performance when an 8th grader stands out amongst some of the top HS prospects in the Triad. But what King displayed is deserving of recognition, he absolutely owned the court for a full game. He’s a long guard with an already high feel for attacking and how to take advantage of his athleticism, slashing through the defense and finishing. He showed his dog mentality, making a play seemingly at every turn, and was everywhere making things happen, including punching numerous dunks and catching lobs.