Introducing junior guard Josh Beadle

In the coming weeks, we will be looking at several under-the-radar prospects that were primed to use the travel circuit to boost their recruiting stock this summer. Now, with grassroots basketball on hold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, these prospects may not get the exposure in the coming months as they would have otherwise.

Today, we take a look at Josh Beadle.

Beadle is an explosive 6-foot-3 combo guard from Columbia (S.C.) Cardinal Newman who has been playing varsity since he made 25 appearances as an 8th grader.

Now as a junior, Beadle has developed into an All-Region and All-State level player who averaged 16.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game during the 2019-20 season. During the summer, he runs with the Upward Stars.

"Josh is a gifted basketball player who makes the game look easy but also has the understanding and drive to never stop improving or learning the game," Cardinal Newman coach Philip Deter told Rivals.com. "He is a flat out winner who competes everyday to make his team better. Josh is a true 3 level scorer that can play both guard positions and understands how to rebound on both ends of the floor.

"Using his length and athleticism he can defend multiple positions on the floor and takes pride in guarding the other teams best player night in and night out. Over that last four years Josh has played a key role in the success of Cardinal Newman Basketball helping lead this program to Back to Back State Championships these last two seasons."

To say that Beadle's recruitment has booming would be an understatement. He wasn't exactly hurting for offers but they've been coming fast and furious of late. New Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes who had offered Beadle at East Tennessee State made the guard one of his first offers. Clemson offered on Friday after VCU and St. Louis had earlier in the week. Charleston Southern, College of Charleston, Elon, Furman, UNCW and Wofford among others have also offered.

Programs like Auburn, Belmont, Creighton, Cincinnati, Houston, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Virginia, Virginia Tech and Wichita State are among the many others taking notice.

This kid Beadle, I think he's got some stuff to him.

I did more than just watch highlights on him, but the reel below should be enough for anybody to understand why I'm intrigued with him and see him as a guy who needs to break into the next 2021 Rivals150. With room to spare.

He's explosive, he isn't afraid to rise up from deep and he has a feel for making the right play. Look at what he does at around the 1:09 mark on the highlight reel that is at the bottom of the story. He blows by a defender going to his strong (left) hand and help comes. He's athletic enough that he probably could have finished at the rim or drawn a foul. But, instead of forcing things he finds a wide open teammate with a crisp pass right into the breadbasket for an open three. To me, that's not a play a lot of high school kids make and seeing him do things like that regularly along with his ability to score and his plus athleticism makes him an easy high major target in my eyes.