Chick-Fil-A Classic: Evans' Friday Takeaways

COLUMBIA – The Chick-Fil-A Classic was the place to be on Friday as a number of top local programs and prep units hit the floor at Richland Northeast High School. Duke’s Cam Reddish is the most polished player in the land, Reggie Perry is primed to star from day one at Mississippi State, Florida found its toughness in its 2018 class and an ACC program has emerged from the pack for four-star guard Anthony Harris.

Hurdled by slight injuries in the past, Anthony Harris’ time back on the playing floor has equated to immediate success for his talented but young Paul VI Catholic High squad. The epitome of a high energy, gritty guard that doesn’t know what it means to take a play off, Harris talked about the role that he has openly accepted. “I just start with defense first, I am very vocal,” he said. “I want to get my teammates involved and give them energy.”

On the recruiting front, Harris is hoping to take visits in the coming weeks to Maryland and Maryland. South Carolina could also play host to the Rivals150 guard before he leaves the area this weekend, though it is an ACC program that may be out in front. “Virginia Tech, they came out to see me in practice last week, they are really on me,” he said. “Their coaches have been really on me. Ohio State just reached out to me last week and South Carolina, too, wants me to come down for a visit sometime this weekend.”

The recruitment of the four-star guard is just picking up but it does look as if the Hokies are the program to beat as Harris enters his junior campaign this winter.

That thing that we call the it factor, no one personifies such a trait better than Josiah James. The 6-foot-5 junior is more of a playmaking lead guard rather than scoring off guard, of which adds even more value to the top-35 prospect’s potential.

His showing on Friday evening, while he had some ups and downs, was in all, a very solid outing. The lefty, though he does have to become a better perimeter shooter, has a D'Angelo Russell flair to his game with his size and shifty abilities on the perimeter, to go along with his dynamic high ball screen dominance.

Despite going down in defeat, James was no slouch on the final stat sheet. Ending the night with 11 points and five rebounds, James discussed where things stand with his recruitment. “Things are great. It is way more than I could have ever imagined. The schools involved are great schools; I just never thought in a million years I would blow up like this but I just have to keep working,” he said. “Virginia Tech, Texas, Virginia, Oklahoma, Florida, South Carolina, Clemson, Georgia, Georgia Tech and Tennessee are all involved a lot.”

Jayson Tatum was lauded as one of the most polished high school basketball players in recent years. It looks as if Duke has someone in a similar mold headed their way next fall where Cam Reddish continues to showcase the impeccable half-court scoring abilities that are not only difficult to find within the high school realm, but better yet, at the college level.

A 6-foot-7 scoring wing that can put the ball through the basket at a high rate, Reddish, whenever he is engaged and focused, is arguably the best player not earning a college or professional per diem. Not only can Reddish drop 50 points on the scoreboard just as he did two weeks back, he also has the feel and playmaking abilities to notch a steady number in the assists column.

How he might be used next year alongside five-star guards RJ Barrett and Tre Jones will be interesting but no one is going to sympathize for Coach K if they do hit a roadblock along the way to another potential Final Four. The Blue Devils will lose a number of its stars in the spring but with the pending enrollment of Reddish, it says here that by the time March rolls around next year, Reddish may be among the ACC’s leaders in cumulative points, rebounds and assists.

Much has been said about the premier backcourt headed to Gainesville next fall coming in the form of elite playmaker Andrew Nembhard and elite shooter Noah Locke. For as good as each of these two are, the most important Florida signee might just be Keyontae Johnson. A more than capable defender on the perimeter, Johnson can be mostly appreciated for his toughness, the adjective that head coach Mike White’s squad has been lacking for of late.

The Gators started the season on a high note rattling off impressive numbers on the scoreboard but when they were asked to defend and remain focused in the half-court setting, UF ran off four losses over a five-game stretch. Mike White has repeatedly spoken on their lacking toughness, the primary ingredient that makes Keyontae Johnson such a good college prospect.

Finishing with 19 points, four rebounds and a number of winning plays that were not tracked on the final stat sheet, Johnson could be relied upon immediately next year in Gainesville. He is the type of culture restoring wing that Mike White is dying to have, a Rivals150 prospect that could easily outperform his current ranking over the long haul at Florida.

Mississippi State has gotten off to a fast start during the non-conference portion of its season but the best might be to come with the enrollment of Reggie Perry. The 6-foot-8 five-star power forward is the perfect complement to Aric Holman and Abdul Ado in the frontcourt where the Bulldogs will be primed to take up a spot within most preseason lists next year as to who has the best frontcourt nationally.

On Friday, Perry showed just how versatile and improved he is. More of a face-up 4-man with an underrated feel for the game but sporting a college ready frame, Perry was a facilitator at times within his team’s half-court offense. He can both create for himself and others, an asset that should be welcomed in Starkville thanks to the plethora of scorers that MSU will have within its perimeter stable.

Perry finished with an efficient stat line of 18 points and 15 rebounds in just 29 minutes’ worth of action. The SEC has continued to turn heads this winter thanks to the emergence at Auburn, Arkansas and Texas A&M but it could be Arkansas that boasts the deepest team within the league this time next season.