Cone Leading Walkertown
One of the most electrifying guards in the 2020 class for North Carolina is 5’10 point guard Jalen Cone of Walkertown High School in Kernersville outside of Winston-Salem.
Cone is a player that is drawing comparisons to another point guard that was pretty good at basketball. Dennis Smith Jr., of the Dallas Mavericks is who Cone resembles the most with the basketball in his hands. He can create off the dribble and can throw down big dunks with his jumping ability.
In the scoring column, Cone has put up big numbers all season, averaging around 30 points per game for Walkertown including numerous games in the 40+ point column. He is electric in the open floor and is hard to be stopped when he is attacking the paint. He is quick off the dribble, has close to a 40-inch vertical leap, can consistently knock down the long-range shot, is a very good passer and can score it.
What has taken Cone to the next level? “I have improved on shooting the ball a lot better, mid-range to deep threes. I’ve also gotten better with being a leader and controlling the game and going the hardest on the floor,” he said.
Cone has helped lead Walkertown HS to a 11-5 overall record and a 5-1 record in the tough Western Piedmont 2A League. This league includes West Stokes (tied for first with Walkertown), Forbush, Carver, Surry Central, North Surry and Atkins high schools.
The small 1-A School should make a deep run in the playoffs with Cone leading the offense. He has offers at this point from Hampton, Virginia Tech, UNC-Greensboro and High Point. Interest recently from Xavier, Wake Forest, NC State and other top programs in the country.
Cone played last summer with Team Loaded NC on the adidas circuit. He will play again this summer/spring with them and continue to show why he is ranked as the #3 player in the Loaded 2020 class.