By: Cooper Hart
6’4” ’24 Xavier Peaks (Jordan)
Peaks has been solid all weekend long, providing defensive versatility and constant rim pressure on offense. He’s a great athlete and understands how to use that to create havoc all over the defensive side of the ball. The wing duo of him and Javier Ortiz is going to be one of the better defensive tandems in the east this winter. He runs the floor and gets to his spots well, at his best when working the baseline as a corner shooter, dump off option, and lob threat. His + + athleticism can’t be understated as he’s a hard guy to stop when he’s already in the air.
6’5” ’24 Jordan Patton (Chambers)
Patton was one of the most consistent producers all weekend, seemingly never having an off game. He’s a solid wing with good strength and a polished all-around scoring arsenal. He’s a knockdown shooter that’s lethal off 0-2 dribbles. His consistency and production are almost to a point where it would be surprising if he didn’t go for an efficient 16-24 each game. He achieves this consistency by using a simple, no-fluff approach. An approach that makes it so that he doesn’t waste any possessions by doing too much or taking a bad shot. It should be expected that Patton is quietly one of the most productive players in Charlotte this year.
6’5” ’25 Jackson Powers (Davie County)
Powers shined as a low-maintenance interior presence, rebounding the ball at a high rate, protecting the rim well, and scoring with touch around the rim. He has a good understanding of his identity, never trying to do too much and always playing to his strengths. His touch around the rim is simply fantastic and his footwork continues to impress. Powers is slowly growing as a shooter, growing comfortable stepping out more often. He’s got good mechanics and as the shooting volume and efficiency continue to increase, his stock should see a jump as well.
6’7” ’25 Julian Johnson (Lake Norman Charter)
Johnson has been increasing his stock each week over the past month or so, and today was no different. His biggest strength is simply that he knows what his role is and how to be productive within it. He has a high motor and is fluid for his size. His instincts, specifically on shot contests and rebounds, are great and he gets a lot of extra possessions for his team because of it. His low-maintenance identity makes it easy for him to produce in high volumes within the flow of offense, oftentimes going unnoticed until he’s already in scoring position. Because of his high floor and possible ceiling, he should be one to watch over the next couple of years.
Fayetteville Academy Backcourt
2025s Jadyn Cooper & Isaac Tatum have been the unsung heroes of the weekend for FA. They both have polished scoring arsenals but are fully bought into running the offense and commanding the action as opposed to getting theirs. They each are good at creating separation off the dribble and have shown this weekend that they can also read the second line of defense and make the next pass. They keep the ball moving and rarely let it stick to them. They could each play for other teams and be ball-dominant scorers but are instead running a team with plenty of talented wings and bigs. This newfound role and playstyle should only help both of their recruitments in the long term as colleges can use them as initiators and scorers.