I made the short drive up I-85 North to The Cannon School (13-9) as they hosted Providence Day (10-11) and it was an exciting matchup featuring some of the best young talent in the state, if not the country. It was a tightly contested battle throughout the first half with 6’3 2021 Jarvis Moss keeping Cannon alive early with his flamethrower from beyond the arc (3-3 from deep in the 1st quarter) and 5’11 2021 Cyncier Harrison of Providence Day working with 6’6 202 Jacolbe Cowan in some ball screen action leading to easy buckets. In the 2nd half it was all Cannon, turning a game that was tied at 30 a piece at the half to a 75-53 blowout win. Let’s take a look at some of the standout performers!
6’3 2022 Jaden “Silk” Bradley: Cannon School (23 Points)
Bradley is one of the hottest names in the 2022 class and for good reason, he has the nickname “Silk” due to his extraordinary smoothness around the cup and the effortless nature in which he attacks. In transition he already possesses such an incredible feel for the action surrounding him, almost always making the right decision and doing so at such an early stage in his basketball career. His perimeter game is coming along extremely well, he’s smooth with his mid-range pull-up and is starting to get more and more comfortable from distance, going 1/2 on the night from beyond the arc. He is well advanced in his ability to work with ball screens, using his shiftiness to get the defenders on their heels, making excellent decisions in those situations. He is tracking to be one of the top guards in the country in his class, and currently holds offers from Georgia Tech, Georgetown, and a few others.
6’6 2022 DJ Nix: Cannon School (18 Points)
It’s always refreshing when a young player gets off to a slow start, but still continues to attack and stay aggressive. That’s exactly what Nix did in this one, he started the game off 1/5 from the field, but continued to shoot the ball, get downhill, and get to the free throw line. It shows a level of maturity and confidence that a lot of young players don’t have at this point. At 6’6 with a strong frame, Nix has a lot of skill to his game, capable of knocking down catch and shoot 3s, with developing touch around the basket, if he grows another couple more inches he already possesses the skill level to be a versatile 4-man and if he doesn’t he shouldn’t have a long way to go in order to become a smooth 3 level scoring wing. As he adds consistency and efficiency to his game, Nix will be a hot name among college coaches. All he has to do is continue to work, and stay relentless.
6’3 2021 Jarvis Moss: Cannon School (16 Points)
Moss is an absolute sniper, he carried this Cannon School offensively in the 1st quarter, and continued to knock down some shots throughout the rest of the contest. He moves incredibly well without the ball, and isn’t afraid to let it fly with defenders closing out. His length is really impressive for a 6’3 2 guard, allowing him to guard larger wing guys at this point in his basketball career. As he develops confidence with his handle, he’ll start to really be able to create for himself due to the respect he demands from the opposition with his ability to light it up from beyond the arc.
6’2 2020 Drew Patterson: Providence Day School (14 Points)
Patterson is a smooth, versatile combo guard that can play both guard spots at a high level. When the ball is in his hands he’s looking to score, using his swaggy handle to create for himself, and whether it’s getting to the basket, pulling up in the mid-range over the defender, or pulling up from three. He’s a good spot-up three point shooter, and plays the game with a high IQ. His demeanor on the court is relatively emotionless, but don’t get me wrong he’s going to come at you with everything he’s got. Unfortunately in the 2nd half, he and his Providence Day teammates struggled to muster up anything offensively, but this is still a really talented group with Patterson and others at the helm.
5’11 2021 Cyncier Harrison: Providence Day School (19 Points)
Harrison is another smooth guard in NC’s 2021 class, showcasing his bag of tricks on a night to night basis is simply what he does and last night wasn’t anything different. The smooth lefty loves the mid-range pull-up and it works for him at a high rate. He can get do his spots just about whenever he wants, comfortable taking and making contested shots. The next step for Harrison is making his game more efficient and improving his passing ability, he possesses an incredible set of tools and once he harnesses his talents a little more, he’s only going to become even better. Providence Day is in good hands with this backcourt and they should earn more respect throughout the rest of this season.
Other Notable Performers
6’6 2020 Jacolbe Cowan: Providence Day (12 Points)
Smooth strong bodied big, excellent footwork, great touch on the block, definitely one to watch for D2’s in need of a big skilled 4-man.
6’9 2022 Christian Reeves: Providence Day (4 Points)
Didn’t play until garbage time but showed flashes of what’s to come, smooth footwork on the block. Still has a lot to work on but keep him on your radar, he’s going to make some major noise really soon!
6’4 2022 Harrison Alexander: Cannon School (8 Points)
Played a nice role as he’s settling back into the rotation, shoots the ball with a lot of confidence. Will be another one to keep on your radar as a smooth perimeter oriented wing.
6’5 2020 Tyler Alexander: Cannon School (8 Points)
Another smooth big bodied 4-man with excellent vision out of the high post. A next level player that can boost his stock with a strong end of the season leading into a big summer for the Jr Big.
