At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, over one hundred players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked and underrated, and today’s edition will highlight Jayden Beloti of Apex Friendship.
Typically, being the running mate for a high-level Division I prospect naturally leads to a flurry of offers and interest. However, that has yet to be the case for Beloti, who has been undeniably reliable and productive alongside Nick Farrar for the last few years. He’s the type of player that could find success at a variety of levels, given his versatility and overall feel for the game. Beloti already possesses an excellent inside-out identity, which allows him to regularly cause and exploit mismatches, and works well in virtually every basketball setting. He mixes it up offensively, defends multiple positions, and simply knows how to affect all facets of the game.
Beloti is a prospect we’ve seen throughout his progression over the years, including most recently at our All-American camp, where we stated:“Moving onto a player that was a consistent two-way leader and matchup problem during camp, Jayden Beloti. He’s a strong-bodied wing/forward prospect that has the all-around ability to control a game on both ends of the floor. Beloti is smart, patient, and understands how to make plays for himself and others with relative ease. He’s great at getting downhill and applying pressure towards the rim, both as a scorer and playmaker. Next in his development process is working on the consistency of his three-point shot, as it would make him basically unstoppable on offense. Coach Senyo on Beloti: “Jayden is extremely talented on the offensive side of the court. He gets to the basket with ease and has an array of dribble-drive moves that leaves his defender in the dust. He had plenty of highlight-reel dunks. He also has a great first step and spin move. Jayden’s jumper is solid with good mechanics. He excels at fast-break opportunities with great quickness and speed. His use of changing speeds makes him special.” Beloti was easily one of the more impressive performers from camp, which should have college coaches buzzing for the next calendar year.”
At this point, there’s really nothing to explain Beloti’s lack of recruitment—seeing that he legitimately has all the tools to succeed at the next level. He has received numerous offers from JUCO programs and will likely become a priority on the transfer market after the ensuing season. Only time will tell where Beloti will end up but now would be the right time for even more college coaches to start tracking the two-way wing.