6’9″ 2018 Jaylan Gainey Commits to Brown
By Rick Lewis
Back in 2016, we wrote, 'Jaylan Gainey is a Diamond in the Rough.' Just think, in 2015, Gainey was a young 6'5 freshman weighing 135 pounds. He is young for his age and has only been playing organized basketball since the eight grade. Now, he is 6'9 and sports an enormous 7'2 wingspan, but more importantly carries an even more impressive 4.2 GPA and his combination of athleticism and academics makes him a perfect fit for Brown University. He selected a school that fits his needs both on the hardwood and the classroom.
Fast forward to his performance at the prestigious North Carolina Top 80, where Gainey was matched to go against the top players in the state. Gainey again showed that incredible upside, “Jaylan Gainey is another young prospect that you will be hearing a lot about in the future. As we have often stated, 'it's not where you start that matters, but where you finish,' and this is custom made for Jaylan. Jaylen is a long, quick and athletic face up four that is going to create havoc on both ends of the court at the high school and collegiate level. Coach Carrier stated, 'Jaylan is very active especially with his shot blocking ability. He runs the court extremely well and finished so well in the paint.' In addition, Jaylan is so crafty and has terrific footwork in the post and has impeccable timing on his shot blocking ability. The next step in his development is to add more muscle to his frame and watch out. What you see now is not the finished product, but when you do, watch out for this promising young prospect.”
We've always been impressed with his feel for the game and like many young players with his size and length, his defensive game was more advanced than his offensive game. He uses his length extremely well and had impeccable timing in blocking shots. On the offensive end of the court, he sports a soft shooting touch with proper shooting technique and mechanics. He has the ability to step out and consistently hit the 10-15 foot jumper. While Gainey will need to add additional strength, his upside and potential is through the roof.