Lincoln Charter has been one of the most successful programs over the last three or four seasons, and rightly so, considering their team is as well constructed as any in the state. Kody Shubert plays an extremely vital role on this team, but one could argue that Jackson Gabriel is their X-factor. Simply put, this team controls basketball games when Gabriel is consistently hitting three-pointers. The 6-foot-2 guard has always been regarded as a strong shooter, but he deserves to be considered among the best in North Carolina.
On the floor, Gabriel knows his role exceptionally well and forces defenses to respect him from 30-feet, since he’s always a threat to let it fly. He has a quick release and nearly unlimited range on his shot, meaning he rarely needs to take a bad shot. Gabriel is willing to take defenders off the dribble if his jumper isn’t falling and has gradually improved his ability to finish inside the paint. The backcourt pairing of Gabriel-Shubert is incredibly dynamic, but Shubert typically has the ball in his hands, so it’ll be interesting to see if Gabriel takes on more ball-handling responsibilities next season. If he doesn’t, that’s fine, as Lincoln Charter has Levontae Knox ready to play as the lead creator.
We’ve seen various players with a skillset similar to Gabriel have great success at the next level, but he is without a Division I offer for now. Which is surprising, because every team in the country can utilize shooting, but that basically means Gabriel will have to add another wrinkle within his game to get recruited at the level he deserves. Watch for the Class of 2019 prospect to have a huge summer with Team Denver-NC.