by: Ethan Reece
The Triad area is no stranger to high-level prospects, great teams, and entertaining seasons of basketball. However, with the abundance of great players in Greensboro and Winston, it becomes very easy for certain players and teams in a place like High Point to get lost in the scuffle. I recently got the chance to watch TW Andrews play all week long at the Blue Chip Summer League and they truly impressed me. As the beneficiary host, they drew matchups with local private schools like High Point Christian, Calvary Day, Piedmont Classical, and Greensboro Day. Not only did they compete, but they handily outworked their opponents at times, showing the ability to play bigger with a small ball lineup, get out and run, as well as execute in the half-court over and over again. Here’s a look at what makes this team work and why I think they’ll be one to watch next year:
2023 DJ Jackson
There’s honestly not much left for me to say that I haven’t already in terms of DJ’s game. Both in our events with NC Rise and with Andrews, he’s been the undisputed leader on the court, making plays however and whenever needed from various positions. His true position is at the point, but he seamlessly fills other roles, playing much bigger than his size, particularly in terms of finishing in the lane and defending the post, as well as spotting up for shots in the high post or outside as the team’s best shooter. He’s got great length to accompany his energy and toughness and brings a winner’s mentality that will keep his team in every game no matter the matchup.
2023 Keshawn Gunthrop
After DJ, Keshawn has proven to be the next voice of influence as a leader and with what he brings offensively. All their guards balance ball-handling duties, and he can handle the decision-making as much as any with a knack for being in the right place in the right times to optimally take advantage of what the defense gives with his wiry frame and strong finishing approach driving to the basket. Like the others, he provides good defensive activity and switching capabilities, as they interchangeably handle assignments as a team with their help side, and he just plays with a sense that makes him seem in multiple places at one time on the court.
2024 Corey Pate
Probably their most avid and best defender, Corey is going to make a living next year turning the opposition over and pushing the break. All of their guards have good length and activity, but Corey just seems to get to every pass thrown his way, jumping the passing lanes with instinctual timing and explosive bursts to immediately get out into transition and take advantage of his open court speed. There’s not much chance of catching him when he breaks free, and he shows no sign of hesitation when others go up to contest his drives. He could be one that always has it going even with an off night offensively because of his defensive presence starting things and creating easy opportunities to see the ball go in the hole.
2023 Tyriq Little
The three guards mentioned before him play the lead role in scoring, but there’s no arguing that Tyriq is just as, if not more, important with what he brings to the offense. He’s a star in his role, being the versatile fourth guard in their starting lineup. He comfortably and quietly leads as a floor general, knowing when to pull the ball out and set things up to pace the offense, sees the floor to set others up and make the extra pass or ball reversal, and does the dirty work on defense, sitting down and moving his feet. It’s not a flashy role people will talk about, but every successful team has a guy that does this, it’s an under-the-radar skill to want to play the way he does.
2024 Jalen Umstead
The only true big in their rotation, Jalen has proven he can be used no matter the style of play they want to attack with. He more than held his own against highly regarded posts that were a head taller and shows a soft finishing touch with useful footwork to make post moves and score with his back to the basket. He also showed he can step out with confidence to know down some threes, utilizes his length to battle on the boards, and with a pick-up in his aggression, he could be a game-changing anchor down low worth his weight in double-doubles.
Filling out the rest of their roster, they have a deep enough rotation to give guys rest if they want to play really fast with their pressing run-n-gun approach. Guards like 2023 John Shearin and JD Davis both proved useful in stepping up as the leaders of the second unit, constantly looking to push the ball and slip ahead for easy ones, and got downhill early before defenses set up, attacking with a pass-first mindset to find others. In my opinion, JD being the lone sophomore on the roster has the chance to be a real sparkplug off the bench to get the rest of the guys rallying and energized. Their other two posts, 2023s Kaven Smith and Marcus Pringle, are slightly undersized but were heavily efficient in making their opponents earn every little thing. They caught bigger guys off guard with their aggression, patience with their moves, and sturdiness guarding the post keeping guys from getting position. I personally love smaller posts that make the big guys look bad for underestimating them, and these two will be doing that on a regular basis next season.
Obviously, it’s early, but their play this past week was impressive even for summer ball. They’ve been steadily building to this point and seem ready to capitalize on their senior-heavy core. The roster complements the coaching and play style with each guy able to take advantage of their strengths, and they have good chemistry with a chip on their shoulder to prove things. They wanted those private schools this past week and they took it to them. I will not be surprised at all when they’re still playing in late February next season, put these guys down as a sleeper in the 2A West.