The Carolina Three Put on Show at MSHTV Camp: They are Good, They are Bad, and for the rest of the country its Getting UGLY

The Middle School Hoops TV weekend camp attracted players from all over the country; North Carolina was headlined by their Big 3; each represented their home state in their respective age groups putting in work over the two day event.

Jaden Springer (2020) - The more you watch, the more you like, when it comes to evaluating Springer. He is quickly developing the quintessential frame for the 2 or the 3 and the skills to boot. He is a very good athlete with deceptive speed and quickness off the dribble. His offensive game is polished as he can dominate his opponent in a number of ways. His jump shot is deadly in the mid-range, but it's not as proficient from the stripe as it could be – but that too is improving at a rapid pace each time we see him; primarily we are seeing the confidence to shoot it off the bounce and catch and it looks sound mechanically and he is getting into it in rhythm showing a natural stroke. 

However, his step-back space creation jump shot was borderline pro-esque. His fundamentals are very good and he always gets into a triple threat position before attacking his opponent. He can finish with either hand off the bounce with the left becoming more proficient – he is even looking to dunk in traffic and in transition. If a smaller and/or quicker defender gets into him, he has the savvy to post him up and attack. His pivot work in the paint area was smooth and he has a tremendous knack of finishing plays with contact. 

He moves well without the ball and there isn't any real wasted motion to his game. Overall, on the offensive end, Springer isn't your flashy highlight type of player, but the tangibles ie. the “skills that pay the bills” - efficiency and production are high-level and one of the best in class. Defensively, he picked up his man full court and with his length and feel, along with never ending motor makes him an outstanding defender now and will translate to the next level as we suspect him to be a multiple position defender as even in the worst case scenario with this young man we are clearly looking at a 6’6 athlete at worst; when that’s is your basement look for the nation’s top prep school to be soliciting him for his services come 2016.

Carter Whitt (2021) - Whitt is one of the unique individuals (Jason Kidd is an example that comes to mind) that has the ability to dribble with the ball as fast as he can run without it. He may not have blazing speed (he is deceptively quick), but he more than makes up for it with his ball quickness. It is rare in today's game of scoring point guards that a player at the position can impact a game to the extent that he does without having to shoot the ball. 

It is refreshing to watch his teammates sprint the floor in transition knowing that there is a good chance that their efforts will be rewarded with a scoring pass from Whitt. He has great court vision, has every pass in the book and he delivers it with perfect timing. He is a confident leader that seems to always make the “right play”; in today’s middle school game, high school for that matter there are very few that can be said about.

Every player in the country would want to play with Carter Whitt. He honestly can dominate the game by passing the basketball. He is the best passer that I have seen in the class of 2021 hands down. Carter also has great size, a strong handle and unbelievable court vision. He makes excellent decisions in heavy traffic and he delivers the ball to teammates while they are open not after the defense recovers. In transition he advances the ball up the floor on the pass or dribble. He plays with an open mind as he probes the defense and makes it pay as soon as he recognizes a mistake whether it be for himself or a teammate. He has leadership skills, excellent disposition, and the basketball IQ to run the team. He understands how to get open by using his size and providing the passer with a target hand when being denied. He passes over and around traps and double teams and he is great at using pass and shot fakes to move the defense out of position. 

He scores on mid-range pull ups and slashes in the lane. He must work to improve his perimeter shooting from distance but proved he can make the open shot trey ball with needed time and space. At the end of the game he wants the ball in his hands and has the confidence and toughness to make late game free throws. He is an above average athlete and but not the speedy lead guard that the “Youtube World” is accustomed to; but his feel for the game make him a special player and one that trantions well to the next level.  He has flair, swag, and a personality on the court mind you and he is one that can double – double it anytime out.  We are not talking about the Westbrooks or Kyrie Irvings of the world when describing STYLE of play with Whitt; he reminds more so of the likes of Mark Jackson, John Stockton, Jason Kidd with respect to his play – can’t think of a better 3 lead guards to be compare too than that and that is what makes Whitt special; he is a throwback.

Jaden Bradley (2022) – Bradley may be the most unique prospect in the country in the 2022 class; he battled Bryce Griggs to a standstill and their match-up and made his statement for nations best at the MSHTV Camp after MVP Honors in the Middle School All-American Game a few shorts weeks ago.

The lengthy wing with an incredible reach has quite the offensive arsenal. He is a tad unorthodox, athletically that is, but he did have a number of strong finishes in the paint area during the weekend. His versatile game can hurt his opponents inside and out. He doesn’t have a love affair with the 3-point shot, but it goes in more often than not when he decides to let one go. It's a deliberate release, but it has an excellent arc to it and it always lands softly. 

He can handle it well in the open court and his passing ability is very underrated. Although he can hurt his opponents from the perimeter, he can be a beast in the paint area as well usually finishing off offensive rebounds with high percentage put backs that in a few years will be resounding dunks. Due to his perimeter skills and up-fakes, he was able to get to the rim off the dribble on a consistent basis.

Although he often was by far the best talent on the floor, he played with a high motor and was just as dominant on the defensive end blocking shots and hitting the defensive glass. If Bradley can continue to develop a post-game-a jump hook would be nice-he will be a nightmare match-up at the next level a few years from now.  Where did he come from?  Who care he’s here now and he’s got next!