How much weight can you put on the shoulders of a freshman? They are so young in not only their physical development, but also their cognitive development. In the basketball community, it is almost unheard of to have a freshman be your leading player.
Rock Hill, SC/Westminster Catawba Christian School finished last season with a 20-5 record and a trip to the NCISAA 2A state quarterfinals. The previous five seasons leading up to last year, the school had won a combined 16 games total.
Looking toward this season, Rock Hill, SC/Westminster Catawba is set to return every play, less one, including their top seven scorers and top 11 rebounders off that team.
In watching this team, all eyes will be firmly placed on freshman Jahseem Felton. The Felton family is synonymous with basketball throughout the South Carolina landscape. And while they are not first cousins or brothers, Raymond, Jalek, RJ and Jahseem all branch off of the same tree.
Jahseem was the leading scorer last year, the best season in school history, He averaged close to 13 points on 47% shooting from the field and 43% from three, doing that as an 8th grader.
Let’s take a look at the makeup of this roster.
The Freshman Sensation - 6’3” 2024 Jahseem Felton has yet to play a single minute as a high schooler and he already carries an offer sheet that includes the likes of Kansas, Florida, Ole Miss and Wake Forest. Felton is a true combo guard with the ability, and willingness to play on and off the ball. He showcased great pace and reads out of the pick and roll and he knocked down shots from each level on the floor.
Long term look for him to be a point guard, as he tracks toward national ranking and notoriety.
The Late Bloomer - 6’8” 2021 AJ Hamrick has steadily improved over the past two years. His length pops off the page immediately, and he uses that well around the basket, protecting the rim. Offensively, he played well as both a roller and as a pop guy out of the pick/roll. He has good athleticism and can shoot out to 28 feet. He will be a mismatch at the high school level, and as he continues to get stronger he should carry that on to college. He carries offers from Charleston Southern, Cleveland State, Army, Navy, Air Force, Lincoln Memorial.
The Catalyst & The Unsung Force - While Felton will get a lot of the accolades, 5’11” 2021 Asil Hoyle will have the ball in his hands a lot. He plays with a great pace and sees the floor at a high rate. Hoyle is an able scorer, but he is most comfortable running the team.
Looking toward the hustle plays and the little things, it is 6’7” 2021 Lucas Heckaman who gets a lot of the grunt work done. He is a good area rebounder, he will knock down 3s off the catch and he will finish above the rim from the dunker spots. Heckaman is as valuable a piece to this team’s success as anyone on the roster.
Possibly the Leading Scorer - Despite all the talent currently on this roster, it is 6’4” 2022 MJ Collins who has the chance to take this team to a new level. The strong bodied, sharp-shooting wing steps into the lineup and moves everyone to their more natural positions. Collins showed at Northside Christian last year he can carry a scoring load, and now with a roster complement of bigs and guards, Collins could be in line to shine.
*** Follow Absolute Basketball Company and Jamie Shaw on social media: ***
Twitter: @JamieShaw5
IG: @Jamie_Shaw5
