The second annual North Carolina Top 80 was held at Proehlific Park in Greensboro, North Carolina. This event features the top 80 players in the state in the 2018, 2017, and 2016 class. It’s a tremendous platform for players to enhance their resume on a regional and national level. Let’s take a look at the players from each team.
Today, we will take a look at team 6 coached by Brandon Clifford and Russ Frazier.
5’11 ’16 Michal Seals of High Point Christian (High Point)
Michal is an all energy/high motor PG that plays the game with effort and passion. No matter the venue or setting, Michal comes to play and will do whatever is needed to secure his team a win. He has great open court speed and is a blur in transition. In addition, he gives equal effort defensively as he does on the offensive end of the court. What Michal lacks in size, he more than makes up with heart and desire. He’s a player that you always want on your side when going to compete/battle.
5’11 ’17 Jalen Spicer of NW Guilford HS (Greensboro)
Jalen is a crafty and cagey PG with excellent court vision. He has advanced passing skills and loves to attack the middle of the defense. While not the fastest or most athletic PG, Jalen combines good athleticism with an advanced skill set along with the right mental approach to the game. The lefty can be creative off the dribble, which allows him to get where he wants to go. Jalen often makes the right read and makes timely passes to position his teammates into easy scoring opportunities.
6’0 ’18 Malik Johnson of Terry Sanford HS (Fayetteville)
As a freshman, Malik Johnson was instrumental in leading Terry Sanford HS to a state NCHSAA 4A championship. Without question, Malik is one of the top players in his class in North Carolina. Malik is blessed with athleticism along with an advanced skill set for this grade/age. We particularly like his court vision and ability to read defenses and make the correct pass. Although he does need to be more efficient with his dribbles at times, he has the ball on a string and extremely crafty with the ball in his hands. Malik has developed an outstanding midrange game that transitions well at the next level.
6’2 ’17 Kameron Langley of SW Guilford HS (Greensboro)
Kameron has all the tools and intangibles to be one of the better PG’s in the North Carolina 2017 class. He’s an impressive student in the classroom (4.3 GPA) On the basketball court; he has a tendency to be a stat stuffer. He scores, passes and rebounds with the best of them. Kameron is the type of player that others enjoy playing with. He doesn’t demand/command the ball and is a true team player. We really like his unselfish play on the court. His impressive GPA in the classroom transitions well onto the hardwood. He is a high IQ player.
6’3 ’17 Sage Surratt of East Lincoln HS (Denver)
Sage is a two-sport star at East Lincoln that went 40-1 this past season. He’s a winner on and off the court. He sports an impressive 4.8-weighted GPA and carried himself with confidence and maturity. Sage has a combined blend of athleticism and matched skill set that clearly separates him from his peers. While we can speak glowingly about Sage the player, he conducts himself with integrity that is not often seen in young players. He’s a high IQ player, but more importantly is a high character young man. Like we said earlier, Sage is a winner on and off the court.
6’3 ’18 Nate Hinton of Gaston Day (Gastonia)
Nate is a physically mature guard for his age/grade, but his motor and full throttle approach is his calling call. While just a freshman, Nate would have made the “All Effort” team at the NC Top 80. He combines athleticism and a skill set that will project him a hot prospect at the mid to high level. Nate is best attacking the rim and will need to improve his consistency from the perimeter, but he has all the tools to be an elite level prospect in the NC 2018 class. In addition, we are equally impressed with his intensity on the defensive end of the court. Young man plays both ends of the court!
6’6 ’16 Jalen Johnson of Wesleyan Christian Academy (High Point)
The slender and bouncy wing has seen his stock continue to climb steadily throughout his high school career and correctly so. Jalen is excellent in transition and has tremendous slashing ability and is able to finish high above the rim with highlight dunks. In addition, Jalen has developed more consistently with his perimeter shooting especially from the 3-point line. The lefty has good touch with a nice high arching shot. The next step in his development is simply to add more strength, which will help his stock even more.
6’5 ’16 Trejon Jacob of Millbrook HS (Raleigh)
Trejon was more of a role player this past season at Millbrook who had a reputation as a good shooter. Not on the original NC Top 80 list, he made a big impression on us from his performance at the NC Phenom 150 camp. He showcased his versatility/mobility and put on a passing clinic. At the NC Top 80, Trejon proved his worth and then some. He has a soft shooting touch, but has advanced passing skills. His court vision is outstanding for his size/position and we expect a break out senior year for Millbrook.
6’5 ’17 Logan Vosburg of Orange HS (Hillsborough)
Logan wasn’t a household name on the recruiting radar prior to the NC Phenom 150 camp. Like Tejon Jacob, Logan earned an invite by his play at the Phenom 150 and went on to become the second leading scorer at the NC Top 80 with an impressive 20 PPG. Logan is a blue-collar worker that quietly goes about his business on the court and gets results. While lacking explosion and quickness, Logan has a Larry Byrd approach to the game. He can hit the midrange and even step out and hit an occasional 3-pointer, but has excellent timing on offensive rebounds where he makes a living with put backs and “garbage” points.
6’9 ’16 Henry Odunze of Cape Fear Christian (Erwin)
Henry is far from the finished product and that is yet to be determined. That being said, we really like the direction of his development. He has improved immensely under the leadership of Coach Dwight Miller. You have to like the energy, effort and passion displayed by Henry and more importantly it is consistent in every venue and setting. Henry has length, size, and a tremendous upside. With his continued improvement, Henry’s best days lies ahead.
6’10 ’17 John Kerr of East Forsyth HS (Kernersville)
John has a solid skill set and runs the floor rather well. While he lacks physical strength, John positions himself well in the post and has passer friendly hands and good footwork. He’s a high IQ player that understands the game and shows promise. John sports an impressive 4.0 GPA and could become a high priority among Ivy League schools. He understands team defensive principles and is good in providing weak side defensive help. John does a good job of playing with his hands in the air and doesn’t try to block every shot in the post area which often leads to poor defensive rebounding position.