Recruiting Report: Dylan Gaines (2017)
Dylan Gaines is a rising senior out of Taylor County High School in Campbellsville, Ky. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard plays with consistent energy on both ends of the court, shows his strong presence when driving to the basket, and presents…
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Continue ReadingDylan Gaines is a rising senior out of Taylor County High School in Campbellsville, Ky. The 6-foot-5 shooting guard plays with consistent energy on both ends of the court, shows his strong presence when driving to the basket, and presents a consistent shot from both mid-range and behind the arc.
“I am perimeter player, or wing player, who can attack the basket and also pull-up from mid-range and step-out and knock down the 3-ball,” Gaines said. “I feel that my defense has come a long way, as far as always being in a stance and ready to go – that is something Taylor County has taught me to do well now. I am a strong defender now.”
Gaines, who is No. 26 in PrepHoopsKentucky.com’s 2017 rankings, has multiple schools showing interest, but hasn’t received his first offer yet. Colleges who have shown the guard interest are: Liberty, Northern Kentucky, Monmouth, Princeton, Columbia, Brown, and Charleston. Gaines said that on top of all the interest, he is in constant contact with Monmouth and NKU, and more coaches should start to reach out because he is, well, a winner.
“I am a long, athletic wing that has a little bounce and likes to get after it,” Gaines said to me. “I like to defend, compete, and most importantly win.”
Gaines, who transferred to Taylor Co. following his sophomore season at Warren East High School, averaged 11.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game in 17 contests played in as a junior. The Cardinals had a dominant season with him in the mix. Although two of his former teammates in Quentin Goodin (22.9 ppg) and David Sloan (20.0 ppg) moved on, along with head coach Richard Gatwood taking another job, Gaines says he is still not the primary team leader now.
“With everyone bettering themselves and moving on to do what is best for them, I wish them the best,” he said. “This year at Taylor County, I don’t view myself as the ‘key team leader,’ because there is another senior alongside of me in Ezra Oliver, and I feel that we are the team leaders together.
“But we have been through all of it already, with facing adversity and what it means to work and take pride for what is on the front of our jerseys, and I thank the coaching staff for that. We want to hold our younger guys accountable and help them grow as well.”
Taylor County has been the most dominant team in the 20th District for quite sometime, and Gaines says he wants to keep it that way this season.
“Goals for my senior year are to defend the 20th District and win another title,” he stated. “I also would like to repeat in Region again, which will be no easy task, but the expectations stay the same. This year is no different – we have to take what’s ours because nothing is given. We are going to work hard to make sure we have another successful year.”
With Gatewood now coaching at 22ft Academy in South Carolina, the Cardinals had to hire another head coach. Gaines says Maze Stallworth, which the school hired to replace Gatewood, brings a lot to the team.
“I believe with the new hire of Maze Stallworth, Taylor County basketball is going to be very exciting to watch,” he said. “Coach Stallworth brings a lot to the team with energy, passion, and being a great coach as well. I speak from experience with him being my AAU coach early in the summer. He gels with players very well and knows how to push kids and make them compete and get the best out of everyone.”
This summer, Gaines played with Team Manimal’s 17-U squad. He says they are still currently playing.
“I played this summer with Team Manimal 17U, which we were in the Adidas Gauntlet Circuit,” he said. “We are currently still playing as we are coming to an end of the summer with these lasts two live period evaluation periods.”
As for in the classroom, the player says he takes pride in being a good student.
“I take pride in being a good student,” Gaines said. “I sport a 3.8 GPA and am an A/B Honor Roll student, as well as being an Academic All-State honorable mention this past year.”
This highly versatile athlete has what it takes to play at the next level – and he is going to work hard this season to show coaches that.