North Carolina Top 80 Player Introductions
We’ve seen the situation arise various times throughout the years where players receive a lot of attention at a young age and struggle to maintain dominance beyond a certain period. However, Redford Dunton is closer to the polar opposite—staying consistent and continually getting better in all facets of the game but still not getting an appropriate amount of buzz. He went from being regarded as one of the top prospects in his class as a middle-school player to immediately contributing for Heritage on the high school level. Since his freshman season, Dunton has asserted himself as a leader by example and someone that can carry a team into battle. So, why hasn’t the buzz and overall recruitment picked up to match Dunton’s production'
It’s been a staple in his game for quite a while, but it seems that people are so conflicted with his unorthodox shooting form. Dunton tends to release from his shoulder rather than near his face, which unjustifiably affects how bystanders and college coaches view him. That being said, he just came off another extremely productive season where he shot 53% from the floor and 37% from beyond the arc. Those numbers are pretty impressive for someone routinely labeled a non-shooter. It’s discouraging how folks have made a mountain out of a molehill, because Dunton is undeniably reliable and productive in every setting. He’s smart, skilled, athlete, and has an all-around game with a natural ability to fill up the stat sheet. Dunton can cause mismatches, make plays with or without the ball, and actively switches positions on both ends of the floor. What’s not to like'
The Heritage Huskies have been successful under the Dunton/Lucas Taylor regime, especially given how quickly this group followed the dominant Jayden Gardner-led squad. Taylor has been rapidly trending upward and receiving offers from Division I programs throughout the last few months. This makes it almost impossible to try and explain why Dunton isn’t getting flooded with offers. He comes from a basketball background, has maintained the drive to keep developing his game, and legitimately possesses all the tools to succeed in a variety of different systems at the next level. It’s as if nothing he can do will earn him appropriate attention.
That being said, Dunton isn’t going to mope or let any of these outside factors affect his on-court product. Coming off a season where he just averaged 16.4 PPG, 6.4 RPG, and 2.4 APG, Dunton should be able to start gradually drawing more offers. This summer with Garner Road had the potential to really allow the floodgates to burst open. Unfortunately, uncertainty is still surrounding any type of travel ball season—forcing Dunton to simply continue to hone his craft and prepare for the high school season. Everything should ultimately iron itself out, seeing as Dunton is too talented to fall through the cracks over a nonexistent issue. College coaches should start making him a priority over these next few months.