1. The college coaches came out to watch Concord (N.C.) Cannon School vs. Asheville (N.C.) Christian at Greensboro (N.C.) Day on Friday night.
Cannon School features both senior combo guard Austin Swartz and junior shooting guard Isaiah Henry, so some college programs were there for both. NC State coach Kevin Keatts and assistant coach Joel Justus were locked into the game. The fact that Keatts was there, might show that NC State isn’t giving up on Swartz.
However, Indiana coach Mike Woodson and assistant coach Kenya Hunter, and UConn assistant coach Kimani Young, were definitely there for Swartz. Assistants from Tennessee, Georgia, Georgetown, Clemson, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Miami (Fla.) and Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes and an assistant coach were also at the game.
Unofficially, Henry had 26 points and Swartz had 22 points in a narrow win. Swartz has the gift of making three-pointers and he’s a quality passer. As one assistant coach remarked, offense comes easy for Swartz. He can play point guard in a pinch but I still think he’ll be used off the ball in college. His defense is solid, and it will be interesting to see how well he finishes in college.
Henry had perhaps the dunk of the day, catching a body. He’s got a strong frame — he is the younger brother of former Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry — and knows how to make plays. He’s a year older than his grade, which is an advantage at the moment, but part of the evaluation process. He has offers from Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Georgia and Clemson, among others.
I think NC State will eventually offer him and he’d be in the Casey Morsell kind of role, but the transfer portal has made it tougher on prep players who aren’t no-brainers.
Henry was at the Nike Elite Top 100 Camp and measured in at 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds and had a little over 6-6 wingspan. If he played football like his older brother, he’d project as a outside linebacker.
2. Some of the college coaches stuck around to watch junior center Zymicah Wiklins of Arden (N.C.) Christ School vs. North Raleigh Christian. Keatts watched the first half and Justus the full game.
Christ School, the defending NCISAA Division 4A champs is much taller than a year ago, with about four guys at least 6-7. Former Raleigh Word of God and Charlotte Northside Christian coach Erasto Hatchett is an assistant coach with the Greenies now.
Wilkins looked like a player who just joined a new team. He played his first two years at Rutherfordton-Spindale Central High, and has been with Team United traveling team in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Part of the appeal of going to Christ School is playing with his cousin, point guard Keenan Wilkins.
Wilkins checked in at 6-7 and 238 pounds and had a 6-8 wingspan at the Nike Elite Top 100 Camp in Saint Louis earlier this month. He is usually a walking 18 points and 10 rebounds type, but with Christ School, he didn’t get his usual amount of touches and didn’t show his expanding outside game.
Like Henry, I think NC State will eventually offer him. I’m not sure how much they’ve watched him play the last two years, and that is part of the impact of the transfer portal. I know the Wolfpack and the majority of other colleges never made the trip to Rutherfordton-Spindale Central, which is near Forest City, N.C. So, it would have been this spring with Team United 16s if anywhere.
Wilkins has had a productive last week with offers from Illinois, Iowa, South Carolina, LSU, Appalachian State, High Point, to go along with previous offers from Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Morgan State.
NC State contacted him after June 15, the first day to contact the class of 2025. Wilkins, Henry, Sadiq White of Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park, Colt Langdon of Raleigh Millbrook, Preston Copeland of Raleigh Christian and Jackson Keith of Southern Durham (N.C.) High, were all contacted. Denton (Texas) Guyer junior point guard Jordan Lowery, who is ranked No. 66 overall by Rivals.com, was contacted due in part to he might be moving to a high school in the state. Montverde (Fla.) Academy athletic wing Bryce Heard, who is originally from Chicago, Ill., was also contacted.
3. Justus was grinding until the bitter end at 10 p.m., and one of the by-products was getting a thorough viewing of reclassed junior wing Jaylen Cross of Greensboro (N.C.) Caldwell Academy, who played against Concord (N.C.) Academy.
A year ago, Cross made his mark playing with Greensboro (N.C.) Northwest Guilford and Team United 16s traveling team, where he was the first wing off the bench, backing up Cam Scott and Jaxon Prunty, who are both playing for Lexington (S.C.) High.
Cross made the move back to 2025 at Caldwell Academy and has emerged with CP3 16s. He plays with fellow wings Zacch Wiggins of Greensboro Grimsley and Zion Collins of Raleigh Word of God on CP3 16s.
I’ve watched Cross probably play 5-6 times between Team United 16s and CP3 16s over the last 14 months, but never with his prep team. It’s good to get a viewing of players in their comfortable environment, and they should deliver.
Cross had three three-pointers to open the first quarter and he finished with 15 points, and sank the game-winning free throw with a smidge over six seconds left.
Cross showed his motor is intense and he’s a better passer than expected with Caldwell Academy. He isn’t quite a combo guard, but Caldwell Academy has a share the wealth passing game on offense, and it allowed Cross to show off that part of his game.
Cross was also at the Nike Elite Top 100 Camp and measured in at 6-2 1/2 and 183 pounds and had a little over 6-6 wingspan.
Cross has offers from East Carolina, College of Charleston, Appalachian State, Albany and Hampton. Not the exact same kind of player as former Greensboro Day wing Jaydon Young, but he could have a similar kind of recruitment. Young ended up signing at Virginia Tech and had a blend of high majors and mid-majors in the end.
Cannon School features both senior combo guard Austin Swartz and junior shooting guard Isaiah Henry, so some college programs were there for both. NC State coach Kevin Keatts and assistant coach Joel Justus were locked into the game. The fact that Keatts was there, might show that NC State isn’t giving up on Swartz.
However, Indiana coach Mike Woodson and assistant coach Kenya Hunter, and UConn assistant coach Kimani Young, were definitely there for Swartz. Assistants from Tennessee, Georgia, Georgetown, Clemson, South Carolina, Notre Dame, Miami (Fla.) and Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes and an assistant coach were also at the game.
Unofficially, Henry had 26 points and Swartz had 22 points in a narrow win. Swartz has the gift of making three-pointers and he’s a quality passer. As one assistant coach remarked, offense comes easy for Swartz. He can play point guard in a pinch but I still think he’ll be used off the ball in college. His defense is solid, and it will be interesting to see how well he finishes in college.
Henry had perhaps the dunk of the day, catching a body. He’s got a strong frame — he is the younger brother of former Clemson defensive end K.J. Henry — and knows how to make plays. He’s a year older than his grade, which is an advantage at the moment, but part of the evaluation process. He has offers from Virginia Tech, Georgetown, Georgia and Clemson, among others.
I think NC State will eventually offer him and he’d be in the Casey Morsell kind of role, but the transfer portal has made it tougher on prep players who aren’t no-brainers.
Henry was at the Nike Elite Top 100 Camp and measured in at 6-foot-3 and 207 pounds and had a little over 6-6 wingspan. If he played football like his older brother, he’d project as a outside linebacker.
2. Some of the college coaches stuck around to watch junior center Zymicah Wiklins of Arden (N.C.) Christ School vs. North Raleigh Christian. Keatts watched the first half and Justus the full game.
Christ School, the defending NCISAA Division 4A champs is much taller than a year ago, with about four guys at least 6-7. Former Raleigh Word of God and Charlotte Northside Christian coach Erasto Hatchett is an assistant coach with the Greenies now.
Wilkins looked like a player who just joined a new team. He played his first two years at Rutherfordton-Spindale Central High, and has been with Team United traveling team in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Part of the appeal of going to Christ School is playing with his cousin, point guard Keenan Wilkins.
Wilkins checked in at 6-7 and 238 pounds and had a 6-8 wingspan at the Nike Elite Top 100 Camp in Saint Louis earlier this month. He is usually a walking 18 points and 10 rebounds type, but with Christ School, he didn’t get his usual amount of touches and didn’t show his expanding outside game.
Like Henry, I think NC State will eventually offer him. I’m not sure how much they’ve watched him play the last two years, and that is part of the impact of the transfer portal. I know the Wolfpack and the majority of other colleges never made the trip to Rutherfordton-Spindale Central, which is near Forest City, N.C. So, it would have been this spring with Team United 16s if anywhere.
Wilkins has had a productive last week with offers from Illinois, Iowa, South Carolina, LSU, Appalachian State, High Point, to go along with previous offers from Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Morgan State.
NC State contacted him after June 15, the first day to contact the class of 2025. Wilkins, Henry, Sadiq White of Charlotte (N.C.) Myers Park, Colt Langdon of Raleigh Millbrook, Preston Copeland of Raleigh Christian and Jackson Keith of Southern Durham (N.C.) High, were all contacted. Denton (Texas) Guyer junior point guard Jordan Lowery, who is ranked No. 66 overall by Rivals.com, was contacted due in part to he might be moving to a high school in the state. Montverde (Fla.) Academy athletic wing Bryce Heard, who is originally from Chicago, Ill., was also contacted.
3. Justus was grinding until the bitter end at 10 p.m., and one of the by-products was getting a thorough viewing of reclassed junior wing Jaylen Cross of Greensboro (N.C.) Caldwell Academy, who played against Concord (N.C.) Academy.
A year ago, Cross made his mark playing with Greensboro (N.C.) Northwest Guilford and Team United 16s traveling team, where he was the first wing off the bench, backing up Cam Scott and Jaxon Prunty, who are both playing for Lexington (S.C.) High.
Cross made the move back to 2025 at Caldwell Academy and has emerged with CP3 16s. He plays with fellow wings Zacch Wiggins of Greensboro Grimsley and Zion Collins of Raleigh Word of God on CP3 16s.
I’ve watched Cross probably play 5-6 times between Team United 16s and CP3 16s over the last 14 months, but never with his prep team. It’s good to get a viewing of players in their comfortable environment, and they should deliver.
Cross had three three-pointers to open the first quarter and he finished with 15 points, and sank the game-winning free throw with a smidge over six seconds left.
Cross showed his motor is intense and he’s a better passer than expected with Caldwell Academy. He isn’t quite a combo guard, but Caldwell Academy has a share the wealth passing game on offense, and it allowed Cross to show off that part of his game.
Cross was also at the Nike Elite Top 100 Camp and measured in at 6-2 1/2 and 183 pounds and had a little over 6-6 wingspan.
Cross has offers from East Carolina, College of Charleston, Appalachian State, Albany and Hampton. Not the exact same kind of player as former Greensboro Day wing Jaydon Young, but he could have a similar kind of recruitment. Young ended up signing at Virginia Tech and had a blend of high majors and mid-majors in the end.
