By: Kevin Moses
John Gaines
Twitter: @john_ggg11, Instagram- Johng_11
Height: 6ft, 150
Class of 2027
School: Sayre School, KY
Gaines is a proficient playmaker with a high IQ and sick handles that allow him to shake free of the defense to create shots for himself or his teammates. John is a strong triple-threat scoring option with a smooth touch from outside but is explosive off the bounce and can get to the rim at will. And with those slick handles and a dose of his fierce athletic ability, John loves to dazzle us with acrobatic passes. Another strength is that scrappy defense, intense with active hands helping him get steals and fuel the fast break turning that defense into transition buckets quickly.
John plays for Vision Elite ’27 and his goals for AAU are to make a deep run in the New Balance Finals in July and win at least 2 or more of the tournaments we play in this year. John also wants to bond with all of my teammates to create stronger chemistry while we are out on the court while focusing on improving his shot, pull-up game, and overall strength. John feels that if he elevates these three things he can help his team win more games and lead them to victory at bigger tournaments. What fuels his fire the most is probably just letting his grit. impact every game. John hates losing, it is a terrible feeling nobody wants to feel whether you lose on a buzzer-beater or get blown out by 30. John feels like every player should be focused on winning and doing everything in their power to win. And if you lose it should fuel your fire even more. Dive for those 50/50 balls, use your strength and speed, and have a winning mentality, not a losing one. John believes in keeping your chin up and has learned this during this year’s school season, you cannot change what happened in the past, it already happened so focus on how you are going to impact the rest of the game. When players on the opposing team see you hang your head or they can tell you are off, they are going to try and get in your head even more, and try to use it as an advantage. So show no negativity in your game, smile, and be grateful that you are out there. Every player on earth has bad games no matter what sport you play. Don’t let that affect you.
The most motivating thing for John is that last year during the AAU season, he was not an option for my team and teammates noticed his confidence level was not very high, so he wouldn’t get the ball as much or perform like he needed to. Now with some confidence built, John believes that he can be a main guy for his team making plays and scoring at will are the things he will focus on to strive during this AAU season. And it’s already paying off as in this event John averaged 19 points, 3 steals, and 1 assist per game as he led his team to a 4-0 undefeated record in a loaded venue @VEAHoops Cam Jackson Showcase in Ohio. John’s goal going into next season will be to be able to shoot the 3. He can already shoot it pretty well, but wants to become an ELITE shooter which he will work most on this summer. John also just wants to keep making plays for his team and not just myself. Basketball is a team game meaning all 5 players on the floor for your team need to be active and ready. John wants to limit mistakes and make the right pass.
A coach can expect John to put the work in to become a great player and help out whatever team he is playing for. His high motor never stops, and he flies up and down the court with ease creating plays for his team. John keeps his teammate’s chins up when they make a mistake because he believes getting back on defense and getting a stop is more important than hanging your head and jogging back. John is a hungry leader in pursuit of greatness on that court with a passion not just to elevate his game but be an inspiration through the energy and hustle he brings to his team. His ultimate goal is D1, but feels his game needs improvement and so does everyone. John sees himself as D2 or D3, at the moment, but can promise you he is going to work his tail off to get to that D1 level by the end of his high school and AAU career. John also believes if he gets in the weight room more and grows a couple of inches, which he can hopefully do, he will be a serious threat.
