We’re approximately three weeks into the high school basketball season and we have a few storylines that are well worth noting. In today’s “Early Season Observations” part 2, we will take a look at a few players that have made early statements.
Broad Shoulders
6’3 ’16 Kwe Parker (Wesleyan Christian Academy)
6’3 senior Kwe Parker is nationally known for his unprecedented leaping ability and has provided us with some of the nicest dunks to come along the pike. Without question, Parker has become a You Tube sensation for the past four years of high school and travel ball basketball.
Parker has also become the emotional leader for Wesleyan Christian Academy and every game becomes a “stat stuffer” in every category. Parker has been scoring at a high pace, rebounding, making plays and dishing out assists. His game has come along quite nicely and has the ability to carry the team when they need points. While Parker has the physical attributes and skill set, it’s the intangibles that have made a huge impression on us thus far.
Parker seems to relish being the “go to” on the team and has responded quite nicely in each venue. He understands this is his last go around and he’s attempting to make the most of every opportunity. More importantly in the game against Providence Day, Parker single handedly put the team on his shoulder and rallied the team before losing down the stretch. That being said, Parker showed tremendous grit, determination and most of all leadership.
“Two Sport Standout”
6’4 ’18 Tre Turner (Northwest Guilford)
For the longest time, Tre Turner was simply known as the little brother of Charlotte Hornets JP Hairston. While his relationship with PJ will never change, Turner is quickly developing his own identity. Turner can pick his path either on the gridiron or on the hardwood. Currently, he has a basketball offer from Maryland Eastern Shore and has gotten interest from Michigan, Maryland, NC State, Wake Forest, Brown, Boston University, Virginia, UNC-G, and East Carolina. From the gridiron, Turner has an offer from Duke and interest from Virginia Tech, UNC, and Wake Forest
Coming straight off the football field, Turner still isn’t in basketball shape, but that hasn’t prevented him from putting up big numbers in his first two basketball games. First of all, Turner has grown from this past summer. He now has a strong and study 6’4 frame and is developing into an overall offensive threat similar to his famous brother. Not to mention the 990 yards as a wide receiver, 10 touchdowns and 60 receptions.
Last year, the youthful Turner was listed at 6’2 and was considered more of an undersized shooting guard. However, this past summer at the CP3 Live event, Turner was always scoring within the framework of the offense. He was scoring off hustle points. That being said, after each game when we looked at the scoring sheets, Turner was the leading scorer in each game. As a matter of fact, he was putting up big numbers.
In his first two games for Northwest Guilford, Turner stats are completely off the chart. He is averaging 23 PPG, 7.5 RPG, 4 APG, and 3.5 SPG. His growth on the basketball court has dovetailed nicely with his physical growth. He is playing with confidence and poise and is playing with a very talented Northwest Guilford team that will challenge North Mecklenburg for the NCHSAA 4A supremacy this year. Look for Turner to crack our top 10 rankings for his class!
“Mr. Versatility”
6’7 ’17 JP Moorman (Greensboro Day School)
The rise in the rankings has been a steady climb each and every month. We have often stated, “it’s not where you start but where you finish” is most important and this statement cannot be any truer for JP Moorman. In the preseason, Coach Freddy Johnson stated, “people will be surprised who ends up recruiting Moorman when it’s all said and done.” Coach Johnson’s “crystal ball” prediction looks pretty good right now.
First of all, Moorman has transformed his body. He lost weight and toned up and became more athletic. He always possessed an advanced skill set, but the question from college coaches was “how athletic is he and what position is he'” Those questions will soon be laid to rest as Moorman has improved as much in the past year as any player in the state.
Moorman has the ability to score from all levels on the court. He has become an effective shooter from the 3-point line, but more importantly he can now create his own shot off the dribble. In addition, Moorman isn’t bashful about going straight down hill and using his newfound athleticism to make crowd-pleasing dunks in transition. And if you’re not careful, the opposing player may just be the poster boy for the next You Tube highlight dunk.
At Greensboro Day School, the entire offense is predacated on movement and balance. Everyone is involved in the offense and rarely do you have one player that is putting up astronomical numbers. That being said, Moorman is averaging 16 PPG, 6 RPG, 3 APG and 2 SPG. Moorman can play and guard multiple positions on the court. He can slide over and play the PG position and his ball handling and passing skills are advanced for his size/position.
Last year, Moorman was tracking as a mid major prospect. That has now changed and we expect his recruitment to explode this season. With his versatility, athleticism and skill set, Moorman will be tracking as a high major prospect. Playing under Coach Freddy Johnson of Greensboro Day, you know he has been well coached. He understands the game and most importantly knows how to play defense, especially team defensive principles. The day Moorman steps onto the college campus, he will be advanced in understanding team sets and defensive help and proper rotations. More than anything, college coaches will know what they are getting.