Each and every year there are some kids that are getting recruited at the regional level take that next step and see their stock rise from a national perspective. Unfortunately with the COVID-19 Pandemic a lot of these kids won’t have the opportunity to be seen at their respective events by college coaches, scouts, or media. Typically the local evaluators have the opportunity to get an early look at kids primed to see their recruitment take the next step during the scholastic season. Here are some 2021 prospects that could see their recruitment pop once things start getting back to normal. There are currently 3 players in North Carolina in the 2021 class that have already broken out at the national level by most standards. Those guys are Carter Whitt (Leesville Road/Team Thad EYBL), Dontrez Styles (Kinston and Team CP3 EYBL), and Eric Van Der Heijden (Millbrook/Team Wall AAU) so they won’t be included in either edition of these articles.
6’3 Terence Harcum: (Granville Central High School/Garner Road 3SSB)
Harcum is one of the best pure scorers in the HoopState regardless of class and he’s showing that he should be looked at as a MM+/HM level prospect due to the manner in which he gets his buckets.
Harcum has been THE guy at Granville Central since he stepped foot on campus as a freshman and that’s allowed him to play through his mistakes and ultimately become an elite go to scorer. He’s a confident offensive player in all aspects, using his soft touch from the perimeter to open up the rest of his offensive arsenal.
Defensively, you have to guard him as soon as he crosses half-court due to his shooting range and his ability to either stop and pop off the bounce from the mid-range or beyond the arc to go with his finishing ability at the rim make him one of the most well rounded guards in North Carolina.
When he’s with his Garner Road team in the summer, Harcum excels at gelling with other talented players, showing that he can be the guy that runs the team, or an off ball threat with his catch and shoot ability.
Currently holding scholarship offers from Elon and Winthrop, Harcum’s recruiting is still at its early stages, but expect that list to grow considerably when college coaches get the chance to see this uniquely talented scoring guard as soon as these kids can get back on the court.
6’5 Bryce Harris: (Greensboro Day School/New Heights NYC UAA)
Harris made the move to HoopState powerhouse Greensboro Day for his junior season from New York and showed that he can be a valuable piece to a winning basketball team right away. Harris had to play a lot of the season out of position but he bought in and found a way to be a really productive piece to the puzzle.
Harris is a high quality inside/outside scorer with the ability to create offense for himself from all three levels. He showed that he can attack smaller players on the block and take bigger guys out on the perimeter where he’s shown the ability to raise up from deep or slash to the rack using his strength and explosiveness.
Harris has an incredible frame for a wing player, he’s strong and that helps him overpower opposing perimeter players when he’s matched up with them. After GDS graduated a bevy of contributors throughout their lineup, expect Harris to have a huge senior season as one of the primary options on the offensive end.
Harris currently holds offers from NC A&T, UNCW, Merrimack, Rice, Siena, Elon, Howard, Bryant, Stonybrook, and Lafayette but there are a bevy of high major programs really intrigued with the versatile skillset Harris brings to the table.
As Harris’ role continues to expand at GDS, expect some of that interest to translate to offers and Harris to showcase his unique game to the masses.
6’9 Will Felton: (Millbrook High School/Garner Road 3SSB)
Felton was the most productive post player in North Carolina this season, there’s simply no other way to state it. His ability to produce every single night at a high level in one of the best public school conferences in the state is remarkable.
He’s a throwback power forward, possessing excellent footwork and touch on the block out to 14 feet and is a sensational rebounder on both backboards. There’s simply a place for a kid like this on so many different rosters due to the value he brings on the glass.
On a loaded Millbrook team that was widely considered one of the states best, Felton stood out as the primary option, he averaged 19.8 PPG to go with 11.2 RPG on 69% FG shooting. Those numbers are an indication of why his recruitment should be looked at beyond in-state low/mid majors.
To put things in perspective, Felton had 23 double doubles in 27 games, that kind of productivity cannot go understated, especially when considering that Felton is far from a finished product.
He currently holds offers from UNCW, High Point, Elon, Appalachian State, and Hofstra. As Felton continues to physically develop and add to his offensive arsenal, there’s no question that high majors throughout the southeast will be more and more intrigued with the double double machine.
6’5 Jayden Doyle: (Freedom Christian Academy/Team Curry UAA)
Doyle is another HoopState newcomer and he made an immediate impact as a do it all wing guard for Freedom Christian this season. His ability to finish above the rim in transition for momentum swinging plays is what catches your eye early on when watching him, but he brings so much more to the table as a prospect.
Doyle is a capable ball handler at 6’5 to go with a smooth shooting stroke, making him a versatile threat on the offensive end. Doyle also exhibits great energy and tendencies on the defensive end where he is a good on ball stopper.
He currently holds offers from Western Carolina and Howard but that list should expand considerably due to the unique ability he possesses on the offensive end of the floor. He had ACC schools monitoring him closely throughout the year and now that summer ball is likely taken away, those same schools will have to track his senior year at Freedom Christian really closely.
He should certainly have more than two offers at this point, so expect some more in-state low-mid majors to pull the trigger on Doyle who is proving to be a really intriguing prospect. He brings a lot to the table as a wing guard each and every time out.
6’3 Elijah Jamison: (Louisburg High School/Team Loaded NC Adidas Gold)
Jamison is one of the most prolific scorers to come through NC in recent memory. His ability to put up monster numbers and win games at the 1A level is impressive to say the least.
Some of the knocks on Jamison have been who he’s playing against in high school but all of those questions are typically answered when people view Jamison in a travel ball setting. Jamison is an efficient volume scorer that can impact the game even when he’s not putting up 25+ shots per game. He can imitate offense and make decisions with the ball in his hands, he’s an incredible rebounder for a guard, and a super engaged on ball defender.
Jamison’s offensive bag is deep, he loves getting to his spots in the mid range where he raises up for a jumper or floater in the lane to go with his ability to finish through contact at the rim and hit deep 3s off the dribble or catch. He’s incredible from the elbow where every time the ball leaves his hands it feels like its going in.
Elijah averaged 29.7 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 3.8 APG for Louisburg this year which is absolutely ridiculous at the high school level. He holds offers from James Madison, Elon, UNCW, and Ole Miss.
That offer list should grow considerably among mid majors around the country and as Jamison continues to show growth in his game he could see more high majors jump into the mix as well.
6’9 2021 Jordan Wildy: (Winston-Salem Christian School/Garner Road 3SSB)
Jordan is a prospect that we got to see a lot this past season as he was with Moravian Prep’s national team before announcing his transfer to Winston-Salem Christian to play with Coach Antonio Lowe.
At Moravian, Wildy saw his role change throughout the year, going from basically a reserve at the start of the season to an impact guy during their title run in the Phenom HoopState Championship. He showcased the kind of skillset people are looking for in modern day forwards by shooting the ball and protecting the rim.
That event is actually where Wildy showed his full bag of tricks as an inside/out scorer with great shot blocking ability on the defensive end. In their semi-final matchup against Word of God, Wildy hit big shot after big shot, cementing his status as one of the best stretch big prospects in North Carolina.
He loves the corner 3 and he doesn’t telegraph his game at the offensive end, simply taking what the defense gives him. Those performances gave Wildy the confidence he needed to take that next step.
Wildy currently holds offers from UNCW, UIC, Elon, La Salle, and Western Carolina where he was once committed before he reclassified down to 2021. If Wildy can continue bulking up his wiry frame and deepen his offensive arsenal, expect that offer sheet to rise and more high major schools to become intrigued with the versatile forward.