Name: Shawn Walker Jr Class: Freshman “2019” Height/Weight: 6’3” 150 High School: Northeastern High School (Elizabeth City, NC) Position: Point Guard AAU Team: Boo Williams Projected Level of Play: Division 1 Video Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPreZJ-exqg
Shawn Walker Jr. has all of the makings of a potential big time prospect. Early signs show that he’s a winner. Only a freshman for his Northeastern High School team, he’s already making a huge impact while running the show for one of the deepest high school teams in NC averaging approximately 10 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 2 steals. A lengthy 6’3” point guard, Walker has had some really solid games against some very strong competition, showing some serious poise and savvy. It’s extremely early to project exactly what level of Division 1 he will eventually play at, but do not be surprised down the line to see him become one of the most highly coveted players from the area in a long time. He has elite potential.
Strengths:
Poise – For a guard to be so young and poised is a promising sign. Doesn’t get sped up and shows a ton of patience with every movement. Due to this, he operates very well in a variety of offensive sets, whether it be a slowed down half-court offense, in transition or in an up-tempo offense. Much of the same bodes for him on the defensive end, as he shows a sound understanding of team defensive concepts and communication. Possesses a very high basketball IQ.
Skill – Although he’s just a freshman and has a few more years after this season to continue working on his game, most of the skill necessary to play at the next level is blatantly already there. He handles the ball very well with both hands, shows excellent footwork defensively and is seemingly getting stronger, faster and quicker each and every game. Shows a good repertoire of crossover moves, hesitations, spin moves, floaters, step-back jumpers and throws very good lob passes and entry passes to the post.
Size for Position – Standing at 6’3’ with long arms, he’s able to see over most defenses and make some great passes that most guards can’t pull off. He’s also able to cause some havoc defensively against opposing guards using his length and from being aggressive on defense. As said before, he’s only a freshman so he may not be done growing.
Areas for Improvement:
Free Throw Shooting – While he is not a bad free throw shooter, there is some room for improvement. As the seasons go by, he will start to get to the free-throw line more and more due to his ability to get in the lane and handle the ball. Becoming a better free throw shooter will make him so much tougher to guard, as teams will not want to risk putting him at the line.
Muscle – Being that he is extremely young and only a freshman, it’s only expected that he doesn’t have a ton of weight. As of right now, bigger and stronger guards can move him out of position and make his drives in the paint tougher by getting really physical with him. With some added muscle over the off-season, expect his recruitment to really heat up maybe even as early as this coming summer.
Photo Credits: DailyAdvance
Video Credit: MrSTDaGhost (YouTube)
Well by now I’m sure that you have already heard about the Trinity vs. Village matchup Tuesday night, the environment was absolutely insane with fans being turned away at the door due to overcrowding inside. Fans sat on bleachers, chairs, stood in corners and some even sat on the floor just to see this matchup, As one coach mentioned to me ‘‘ this is what high school basketball is all about!!’’ The game was a great matchup with Village and Trinity going back and forth up until the 3rd quarter where Village would make a run to stretch the leads to 11 points, But Trinity would make a comeback and cut the lead to 4 at the end of the 3 rd quarter. In the 4th Quarter the two teams would go back and forth up until the final minute when Trinity would come up with multiple steals and Scores to take the win at Village Christian. It was very impressive to see the amount of talent that was on the floor, so with out further ado let’s take a look at some of the prospects that stood out to me:
Trinity Christian:
Zo Tyson, 6’9, 2015 Center (High Point Commit)- To see the progression that Zo has made over the past few years has to make you smile, this young man has worked hard and will be an asset to the High Point Program. Zo was very active on both ends of the floor, on the defensive end he challenged and blocked shots at high rate as well cleaning up the glass for rebounds. He’s one of those players that does the dirty work and the small things that may not get a ton of publicity but at the end of the night you love him if he’s on your squad. What may have impressed me most was how well he played on the offensive end, Zo has become comfortable playing with his back to the basket, he has used a short jump hook shot for a while now that goes in with regularity. Zo was also outstanding on the offensive glass getting rebounds and put back dunks for Trinity. However there was one move in particular that impressed me, in the 2nd half he was guarded on the baseline and looked as if he had no where to go, instead of forcing a bad pass he took one dribble and knocked a beautiful fade away jumper. Very impressive performance for this young man in the win for Trinity
Dennis Smith Jr. 6’2, 2016, Point Guard- As most people know, Dennis Smith Jr. has gone from being an unranked PG to being ranked the #1 PG in the class of 2016 by ESPN.com and numerous other scouting services. Smith has very good height for a PG and uses that height along with his IQ and outstanding athletic ability to help his team. Smith Struggled shooting the ball through three quarters but still made plays and passes that would help his team stay in the game and eventually take the lead. Smith has a very competitive nature, you can see that he absolutely hates losing and will do anything possible to help his squad win. The 4th quarter is when Smith really put his stamp on the game, he got to the paint time after time, finishing layups and drawing fouls to get to the line. Smith has the potential to be an outstanding player at the next level if he continues to progress, I would love to see Smith improve his shooting so that he’s knocking down the perimeter shot with consistency.
Cameron Campbell, 6’2, 2016, Guard- An impressive showing for this young man, he showed outstanding ball handling and decision making throughout the game. What impressed me the most was his perimeter shooting, although he didn’t knock down a high amount of threes you can tell that he absolutely is a shooter. Has good elevation on his shot and good form, knocked a huge three pointer in the 4th quarter to help Trinity gain more momentum
Joey Baker, 6’6, 8th Grade, Forward- The key word with Joey Baker is POTENTIAL; he’s only in 8th grade but is logging solid mins on a varsity squad that is a target for its opponents on a nightly basis. Although he didn’t have a big scoring night, he competes and It’s easy to see that he has a natural feel for the game and will be a player that coaches around the country will come to see in a few years if he continues to progress. Can already shoot it from outside and with added strength will be able to play inside the paint as well.
Village Christian:
Michael Hueitt Jr. 6’2, 2017, Guard- If you have known me the past few years then you know that I’ve been a believer of the young man Michael Hueitt Jr. He has the potential to be an even better player than he already is now if he continues to work and progress in a few areas. To make it plain and simple he’s is one of the best shooters in the state this year and is averaging close to 20 PPG.This young man brings a ton of intensity on a nightly basis and is a fan favorite, All Hueitt needs is just a small amount of space to get his shot off and he knocks it down on a regular basis. On Tuesday he showed that not only can he knock down the trey ball with regularity but also the midrange shot and even can throw it down when he gets in transition. One area that I would love to must see more from Hueitt is on the defensive end, he has a very long wingspan and can develop into a defensive specialist, If you haven’t added Michael Hueitt Jr.to your ‘Players to Watch’’ list , you definitely should because he’s worth the price of admission without a doubt. It also should be noted that Michael Hueitt Jr. was my ‘‘Hand Down, Man Down’’ award winner last season.
Kwinton Hinson 6’4, 2015, Wing- I saw Kwinton two years ago at the Eastern Regional Championship at Crown Arena, you could see that he was a talented player but was young and his body would still need some work. Well lets forward to Tuesday night, Kwinton has a college body already and was very impressive, especially in the first half. He knocked down shots from the Perimeter and Midrange as well as getting to the basket when he wanted; although he scored 16 Points I was more impressed with the 12 Rebounds that he pulled down. With his height and frame he’s definitely an asset to a program, he is the type of player that can pull down a rebound, push the ball the full length of the court and make a play. Kwinton has a very mature game but I would love to see him get him a little better handling the ball; however he definitely was impressive and looks like he will have an outstanding senior season.
David Strother 6’2, 2016 Guard- David played a solid game , he handled pressure very well throughout the night, This young man knows how to keep defenders guessing by using a variety of moves and fakes , especially when bringing the ball up the court. On the defensive end he read the opposition very well and came up with numerous steals, offensively he has a nice floater that he uses once he gets into the paint and his jump shot is improving as well. David is one of those players that may not jump out at you but he knows how the Point Guard position is supposed to be ran.
Juwuan Wright, 6’5, 2015, Forward- Village was definitely undersized in their matchup with Trinity so a big night from Juwuan was needed. Although he didn’t have his best night offensively, he was very active throughout the night, especially on the glass,
He finished the game with 10 Rebounds and 8 Points. One attribute that I def like about Juwuan is the intensity and enthusiasm he brings to his team on a nightly basis. No matter how big the opponent he’s def not backing down for anyone, is progressing on the offensive end and will be very dangerous if he’s add more midrange/perimeter shooting to his game.
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