Recruiting Riser: Ren Dyer (2019)
While recruiting players, sometimes scouts get washed up in the level of play that a prospect is competing against. Let’s be honest; the play in Western North Carolina is on the come up but it does not compare to say Charlotte, Raleigh, Winston-Salem or Dreamville (Fayetteville). So, I found myself second-guessing myself the first time I saw 2019 guard Ren Dyer of North Buncombe High School outside of Asheville, North Carolina and I decided to go see him again. The second time was much of the same on the production end for Dyer, 30-plus points and 15-plus rebounds. Dyer is player that plays as hard as anyone I have ever covered in my 15 years of covering high school basketball around the Southeast.
Dyer is 6-foot-3 and plays much bigger. He is blessed with athleticism, strength, and toughness. He is almost impossible to stop at this level of high school basketball when he wants to take over a game. He has long arms and can consistently make mid-range jumpers on the break or finish above the rim with high-flying dunks. He has big hands and strong shoulders that allow him to grab rebounds with authority and he is not afraid to bang in the post. Dyer is player that plays as hard as anyone I have ever covered in my 15 years of covering high school basketball around the Southeast.
An interesting fact I learned through some mutual friends was Dyers’ dad, Terry was the winner of The Toughman contest, a amateur boxing title held in Asheville every year for some years. That toughness carries on to Ren. He was hit by an inadvertent elbow to the lower part of his eye last night against West Henderson High School (would later find out it would require stitches). He returned in the second half and scored 30 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 46 points on the night.
Western Carolina University assistant Anquell McCollum was in the gym sitting with me during the game and the staff offered Dyer a scholarship this morning. This is his first offer and is surely going to attract more colleges to the North Buncombe High School campus.