Player: Jarvis Hayes Jr.
Class: 2027
Height: 6’4
School: Woodward (GA)
AAU: Atlanta Xpress
With the amount of coverage and national media outlets covering travel basketball this summer, there are plenty of prospects that you have already heard about and are well-known in the Class of 2025 and Class of 2026. This is why we are starting our trend and diving more into finding some of the rising talent in the Class of 2027 and 2028; finding the upcoming talent in the coming years that you will be hearing more about.
Reviewing some film from this summer, we were able to check out Atlanta Xpress. A very intriguing program that has produced some strong talent, we recently had a chance to check out 2027 6’4 Jarvis Hayes Jr. Hayes is a rising prospect that you will want to check out and gather more information on. He is coming off a strong start as a freshman at Woodward High School in Georgia, averaging around five points per game and contributing nicely to the team that finished 26-6 overall. But playing with Atlanta Xpress this summer, Hayes is taking advantage of the opportunity to show more of his talent.
Diving more into his game, I was impressed with his overall impact on both sides of the court. He plays well off the ball offensively, finding open spots and making plays in a variety of areas. With the ball in his hands, he shows a nice feel in knocking down shots with a high arc, smooth release, and uses his length well to rise up over defenders from multiple levels comfortably. But he also excels well in using that same length to create off the dribble and finish at the rim along with touch. Hayes plays well within the offense, taking what is given, making good decisions in finding other teammates, and showing his capability to be an effective scorer with his jumper and release.
Furthermore, when talking about his game, you have to respect the impact he has in other areas outside of scoring. His athleticism allows him to help on the boards and his willingness to make plays on the defensive end are impressive as well. Hayes is more than willing to compete defensively and make strong defensive plays, chasing plays down in transition, and being a versatile piece on the court.
Hayes is the son of now Georgia State assistant coach Jarvis Hayes, who played at Georgia, won the SEC Scoring title, and was voted the SEC Player of the Year. He was then selected 10th overall in the 2003 NBA Draft and played multiple seasons in the NBA as well as overseas.
There is a lot that Hayes offers on the court, and I’m eager to see how he develops and adds more to his game. But watching the film early on, he has the background to succeed and be a big-time prospect in the Class of 2027.