Prospect Spotlight: Malik Jefferson (2018)
One of the best things about evaluating players, at least in my opinion, is seeing them develop over time. Some kids develop physically, some kids develop in their skill set, others develop from a maturity stand point.For Hopewell junior Malik…
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Continue ReadingOne of the best things about evaluating players, at least in my opinion, is seeing them develop over time. Some kids develop physically, some kids develop in their skill set, others develop from a maturity stand point.For Hopewell junior Malik Jefferson, he seemed to develop in all of these ways, but more than anything he seems to have developed from a confidence stand point since we saw him last season and over the summer.
Despite a tough Richmond Times Dispatch Invitational Tournament, in which Hopewell went 0-3 after a tough three overtime loss in their opening round game against Benedictine, Jefferson showed flashes that he was ready to take a big jump in terms of production and overall value as a prospect. Jefferson, along with his twin Jalen, spent the summer trying to improve instead of looking for exposure, and he credits his father for encouragement and his work ethic.
“We lifted a lot of weights this summer, and we were training with my Dad and other coaches all over Richmond,” Jefferson said. “I’m looking to get back to the state championship game and this time hopefully get a win.”
Jefferson was part of a magical Hopewell team last season, who had a storybook run to the 3A State Championship as an underdog all season, yet right when it looked like they were going to have the happily-ever-after ending, Norcom legend Travis Fields ripped their hearts out with a buzzer beating pull-up.
Jefferson has had a great start to his junior season.Despite losing three of their top contributors from the last two seasons, including two time All State performer Deonte Jones, the 6’7” Jefferson seems ready to pick up the slack. He finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds in a loss to Saint Chris, and he has the right mindset to help his team improve on the way to March.
“Since we don’t have Deonte, we don’t have that shooter this year,” Jefferson said. “So we have to execute plays better and get faster and stronger and condition more so we can get back to our goals.”
As we said in the beginning, Jefferson has been on the radar, we’ve just been waiting for him to take that next leap. We aren’t the only ones who have seen it either, as he claims that coaches from Robert Morris, Radford and Boston College have been in contact with him this season. With his underrated athleticism, versatility in the midrange and ability to be a triple threat at the power forward position, he could really boost his stock if he continues to produce
As for the rest of the season, he’s simply focused on how he can help his team win as many games as possible, even if it’s a little different than the way last year’s team did it.
“I think we have a little less skill than last year’s team, but we’re going to work harder to get win and have to grind this year.”
If Jefferson can continue to be aggressive in the way he’s shown early this season, he should make a huge splash in the Richmond area this season.