Zachary Lyon:
Future150 Regional Analyst. Covering high and middle school basketball: NC, SC & VA
Charlotte, NC (Future150) -- The North Carolina class of 2018 prospects are nearing their final AAU season. One of these prospects has already given a commitment to North Carolina. Who are the top ten guys headed into the spring?
1.| Devon Dotson, 6'2" PG, Providence Day School: Dotson clings to the #1 position here after another impressive high school season. Holding offers from the likes of Georgetown, Kansas, Louisville, North Carolina, and Villanova among others, he will be a wonderful addition at whatever program he ends up at. With his elite court vision, ball-handling, and overall maturity and knowledge of the game, Dotson will be an immediate impact player as a freshman and it would be surprising to see him in college for more than two seasons.
2.| Coby White, 6'5" CG, Greenfield High School: White is one of two 2018 prospects that have already committed to UNC. Arguably the best scorer in this NC 2018 class and one of the best in the class nationally, White never fails to put on a show when he's on the floor. If he wouldn't have given an early verbal commitment to the Tar Heels it wouldn't be shocking if he had other blue blood offers on his list at this point. He's that good. With his good size and versatility, he should be able to have an immediate impact once he gets to Chapel Hill.
3.| Jairus Hamilton, 6'8" G/F, Cannon School: Hamilton just recently picked up an offer from the Kansas Jayhawks, and that should be the first of many blue blood offers for him. At 6'8" he can handle the ball, score from well beyond three-point range and uses his elite athleticism to always finish above the rim. Depending on his development over the next year, he could finish off his high school career as the #1 ranked prospect in North Carolina, regardless of class. Hamilton's potential is through the roof with his skill set, size, and versatility on both ends of the floor.
4.| Jaylen Hoard, 6'8" CF, Wesleyan Christian: Hoard is a native of France, but came overseas and has spent most of his time in High Point playing at Wesleyan. It's easy to fall in love with his game. He runs the floor extremely well, has elite length and has the potential to be an elite rim protector. Not to mention his ridiculous motor that he plays with on both ends of the floor. His stock is only going up from here.
5.| John Newman, 6'6" G/F, Greensboro Day School: The Greensboro Day product will have the keys to the ignition next season following the departures of stars J.P. Moorman (Temple) and Jordan Perkins (North Carolina A&T). Newman has steadily improved over the past two years, and his stock continues to soar. At one point not many knew much about Newman, and now the junior holds offers from the likes of Boston College, Cincinnati, Clemson, Georgia Tech, Providence, and Wake Forest among others. Keep your eyes on him as there will probably be plenty of other high-major offers rolling in over the course of AAU season.
6.| Aaron Wiggins, 6'6" SG, Wesleyan Christian: Wiggins is teammates with Dotson on the Under Armour Circuit running with Team Charlotte, and that is really where he saw his stock began to shoot up last season. Follow that up with a good season at Wesleyan, and he seems poised to be a high-major recruit now. Right now he holds offers from Arizona, California, Maryland, and Virginia, among others.
7.| Trey Wertz, 6'5" SG, Providence Day School: Wertz is easily one of the best pure shooters from behind the arc in the Carolina's. He has good size at 6'5" and crashes the glass well for a guard. He has a chance to be a great, versatile defender at the next level. Think of an elite three-and-D type player. He currently holds offers from Clemson, Davidson, and Virginia Tech, among others.
8.| Hunter Tyson, 6'7" SF, Piedmont High School: Tyson is a phenomonal weapon on both ends of the floor with his length and versatility. He already has a college ready game at this point in his career, and his offer list shows for it. He is just a pure basketball talent, it's as simple as that. Don't be shocked to see him being a big contributor for an ACC or SEC team in the future.
9.| Nate Hinton, 6'4" SG, Gaston Day: Mainly thought of as a mid-major level recruit for quite some time, now Hinton has proved that he may be is certainly good enough to warrant some high-major offers in the near future. With his high motor on defense, good size, and finishing abilities, Hinton has definitely opened some eyes over the past 6-8 months.
10.| Blake Preston, 6'9" PF, Charlotte Christian: Even though Preston's biggest offers have came from Charlotte and UNC-Greensboro, his upside and potential is what lands him in the top ten. He already has good size and length and has good upper body strength which allows him to finish through contact the majority of the time. Assuming he develops a few more go-to post moves, continues to work on his interior defense, and maybe even grows another inch or so, he will definitely pile up the offers.
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