By; DeAjai Dawkins
2021 6’0 Mustapha Shah
Boo Williams Carolina 17U is one of the more complete teams I’ve watched today at the #PhenomSpringTipOff, and Mustapha Shah deserves recognition in that credit. The rock-solid lead guard possesses a blend of athleticism and vocal presence that captured my attention fairly early. His defensive disciple and dedication to creating disruption on that end is what I feel will keep him on the floor at the next level. He’s a capable scorer at the high school level, has shown the ability to facilitate, but in my opinion, his best quality is his sheer presence. When he’s on the floor, this team operates like a well-kept machine, and Shah is the motor that just doesn’t break down. Coaches need selfless leaders like Shah, those who step up to accomplish any task asked of them.
2025 6’4 Zacch Wiggins
Zacch Wiggins has been watching his older brothers set positive examples for years. His older brother Joshua has committed to continue his career at Fayetteville State, and his older brother Aaron is crafting himself into a legitimate NBA prospect as a standout Maryland Terrapin. Without the family pedigree in the mix at all, Zacch gives you reasons to pay attention. Only in the 8th grade, he already stands at a solid 6’4 with developing muscle tone to compliment it. His athleticism has him playing above the rim early in his career, and the way he runs the floor in transition makes him an extremely capable fast-break target. I find it hard to imagine many scenarios where Wiggins doesn’t continue developing on an elite path and continues to separate himself from a majority of his peers.
2024 6’3 Bishop Boswell
There are very few underclassmen guards in the state of North Carolina with the advanced physical makeup of Bishop Boswell. The South Meck guard is coming off of a noteworthy freshman campaign with a team that was talented enough to make a deep state playoff run. Boswell has gained a reputation in my eyes of showing legitimate flashes of the elite guard potential that has Division I colleges interested now. Already holding an offer from Houston, Boswell’s muscular build on his 6’3 frame makes him a tough cover for guards of the same age, as a majority are simply not physically equipped to keep him uncomfortable. He’s able to attack the rim and kick to open shooters, finishes at the rim through contact fairly consistent, and shoots the ball from the perimeter at a fairly impressive clip. The simple next steps for him will be solidifying himself as an elite prospect in even one of these categories. I can completely understand why some colleges have made it a priority to key in on Boswell early, who knows what kind of prospect we could be looking at in a couple of years.
2024 6’6 Isaiah Sutherland
Isaiah Sutherland is another athlete that has strongly benefited from his sheer physical presence amongst his peers. Since I began watching Sutherland a year ago, he has always been a towering prospect, standing around 6’5 when he was in the 8th grade. Now, as a 9th grader coming off his first season at Northside Christian Academy, Sutherland has begun putting on muscle and is looking more and more like a player getting ready for elite competition at the next level. It’s hard for me to place a position on Sutherland, he’s shown the ability to maintain a presence in the perimeter, altering shots and scoring in the paint. He’s also shown slight comfort extending his game at times, and I feel like he has the potential to truly develop a serviceable perimeter game for the next stages in his career.