Advertisement
basketball Edit

Shaw's Takeaways: The Oak Hill vs. Hargrave Scrimmage

Caleb Foster
Caleb Foster (Nick Lucero/Rivals.com)

BERMUDA RUN, N.C. - In years past, the high school basketball season would start when Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy scrimmaged Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy. This year the fireworks were set as talent was strewn across the floor. While some players came in with national reputations, some used this stage to start their stories—coaches from NC State, Wake Forest, East Tennessee State, Radford, Saint Louis, William and Mary and others were courtside along with Rivals.com’s Jamie Shaw.

*****

2022 Rankings: Rivals150 | Team | Position

2023 Rankings: Rivals150

*****

Advertisement

FINAL SCORE: Oak Hill 119, Hargrave 105

It was clear, on this night, Foster was the best player on the floor. The 6-foot-4 junior point guard got anywhere he wanted on the floor, finishing with 37 points on nine made threes. The No. 11 prospect in the 2023 class, Foster did a good job finding himself around the ball, using his length and size to grab nine rebounds. Foster sees the floor at a high level and does not force things. He is adept at getting rid of the ball early, putting pressure on the defense, and getting his teammates the ball where they are a threat.

Foster is an early commitment to Duke, saying, “The atmosphere of the campus, and the team. The coaching staff was on me hard, and when I went there, it just felt like home.”

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH DUKE FANS AT DEVILSILLUSTRATED.COM

*****  

Mintz plays with an alpha mentality, and it is that exact mindset that gets him a lot of his production. The 6-foot-3 shooting guard was able to quickly turn defense into offense as he was aggressive on defense, both in guarding the ball and in the passing lanes. Ranked as the No. 68 prospect in the 2022 class, Mintz played his best in transition and had his eyes set on the paint on most possessions. The Pittsburgh commitment finished with 26 points, six assists and three steals.

SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS WITH PITT FANS AT PANTHER-LAIR.COM

*****  

]This was my first viewing of Thompson, and he made quite the impression. Finishing with a team-high 27 points, Thompson got where he wanted off the bounce and finished at each level. He is a compact lead guard who plays with confidence on both ends of the floor. The 6-foot-1 guard also finished with nine rebounds. Thompson says NC State, Wake Forest and Georgetown have been the schools in contact with him most recently.

*****  

Durr, who is from Atlanta, came to Hargrave with offers from the likes of Richmond, Siena, Florida Gulf Coast, UAB, and others. The 6-foot-4 lead guard played a consistent game here, toggling between the primary and off guard positions. Durr finished with 19 points. He had a nice change of pace with his dribble that helped in getting to the rim, and his size and length allowed him to finish in traffic. Very intriguing, he also knocked down two threes in this one.

*****

Nationally, there is a shortage of post talent in this class. Like this season, what will make this recruiting cycle interesting is the transfer portal. We all know that bigs take a little longer to develop, but with the portal likely to approach 2,000 players this off-season, will a school be willing to take a high school seven-footer and develop him.

This game featured two unsigned seven-footers who will face this recruiting dilemma this season. Elijah Hulsewe came to Chatham (Va.) Hargrave Military Academy from Lake Butler (Fla.) Windemere Prep. Hulsewe finished this one with 20 points, showcasing an array of back-to-the-basket moves, finishing over both shoulders. He also had 11 rebounds and four blocks. Hulsewe, who was previously committed to Div. II USC-Aiken, now has Bethune Cookman offer and is being actively recruited by the likes of UCF, West Virginia, Purdue and others.

Reeves, who stands 7-foot-1, has incredible length, and he moves/runs so well for a guy his size. Strength has always been the question mark with him. He was very active on the boards and very naturally walled up to protect the rim. Reeves came to Mouth of Wilson (Va.) Oak Hill Academy from Concord (N.C.) Cannon School currently claims offers from the likes of Minnesota, South Carolina, East Carolina, Tulane, USF and others. He finished the night with 13 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks.

Advertisement