Cassidy's Takeaways: Double Trouble Academy

NORCROSS, Ga. -- The first full day of the Double Trouble Academy event in the Atlanta suburbs in the books and there was no shortage of talent and news at the event. Rivals.com’s Rob Cassidy was on hand for all the action on Saturday and shares his takeaways from the day that was below.

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2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Rivals150

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Rivals.com hasn’t released rankings for the class of 2024, but Jahki Howard will see his name near the top when the initial list is released. The sophomore wing was clearly the most talented player at Saturday's event. He’ll need to get stronger and become a better defender as he develops, but it’s clear that the Norcross (Ga.) High School standout possesses the tools to be a special player.

From ball handling to dishing head-turning assists to ripping off highlight-worthy dunks; Howard, spent Saturday doing it all. He holds a number of major offers already and says he hopes to take unofficial visits to Georgia, Georgia Tech and Auburn in the coming months. He recently reeled in an offer from Texas, which has admittedly piqued his interest.

“My favorite player went there -- Kevin Durant, so it was pretty cool to get that offer,” Howard said. “I definitely want to check it out.”

Five-star guard Kanaan Carlyle will take an official visit to Auburn on Oct. 9. It’s the only visit currently on his schedule and one the class of 2023 star says he can’t wait to take. On Saturday, Carlyle said the bond he has with the Tigers’ staff has strengthened over the past few months and expects it to continue in that direction when he hits campus for his official.

“I’m excited to get there,” he said. “I like the way they play and I like that coaching staff. They’re all really supportive of me. Coach [Ira] Bowman is a cool dude. He’s always checking in on me and sending me stuff. I like him.”

Georgia, Stanford and Kansas join the Tigers on the list of programs Carlyle speaks with most often. The five-star prospect says all of them remain in the thick of the mix.

Saturday marked the first time anyone from Rivals got eyes on Gai Chol, and the 7-footer made quite an impression. The African import is a bit raw, sure, but he moves incredibly well and boasts some serious athleticism of a player of his size. Chol runs the floor well and plays incredibly hard, diving on the floor after loose balls at times. He impacts games on the glass and as a shot-blocker in addition to being able to finish around at the basket. Chol isn’t much of a shooting threat as things stand, but has plenty of time to develop a more consistent jumper before he hits college. A class of 2023 prospect, Chol has a handful of offers and says Auburn, Georgia and Georgia Tech are in most frequent contact. He’s visited both UGA, Auburn and Georgia Tech in the past and says he’ll be returning to all three in the year ahead.

There’s still plenty to sort out when it comes to the recruitment of 6-foot-8 forward Cade Phillips, but the class of 2023 prospect says one thing that’s already set in stone in which schools will receive his first two official visits. Phillips intends to tour both Georgia and Stanford this fall and doesn’t mind stating the purpose of the trips in a matter-of-fact fashion.

“The relationship between the players and coaches is what I want to see on both trips,” Phillips said. “That’s really important to me. With Georgia, their pitch is that they put a lot of guys in the league. That’s good because that’s where I’m trying to go. Obviously, Anthony Edwards but then coach [Tom] Crean put seven or eight guys in the league while he was at Indiana and more back when he was at Marquette.

“With Stanford, basketball is really big out there. I’ve never been out there. I’m looking forward to getting there and seeing it all.”

It’s a bit tricky to evaluate Nickens as a prospect because he’s so much stronger and more physically developed than most other players of his age, but he spent Saturday dominating as you’d expect him to against other freshmen.

He also didn’t look out of place playing against 2023 and 2024 prospects, however, and showed off a decently consistent jumper from deep to go along with his impressive ball handling and size. Nickens, who was not a bit intimidated by older competition, asserted himself all day on the offensive end and certainly has the tools to be one of the top players in his class.

Nickens is yet to land his first offer but says schools such as Memphis, Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Tulsa have expressed interest though his coaches.