Day Four John Wall Holiday Invitational Standouts (Part One)

As I am finally catching up on the writing we get a chance to look at one of the most important days of the high school basketball season here in North Carolina and in around the country... John Wall Holiday Invitational Championship Day. The lights are the brightest, the gym is completely full, and the pressure cooker that is this event, is at its absolute peak. Let's take a look at some of the standouts from the early portion of championship day!    Nicholson continues to stack high quality performances and that will reflect in the rankings update as he has a chance to be one of the highest risers in the 2027 class. In a dominant win over Millbrook, Nicholson finished with 17 Points, 5 Rebounds, and 4 Blocks in the big victory. He shot an efficient 7-10 from the field and connected on his only attempt from long range on the day. Nicholson's blend of mobility, shot blocking, and vertical spacing make him a very appealing prospect. As he puts an emphasis on bulking the frame and continues to get reps in high level games, expect Nicholson's recruitment to take off. After The John Wall, he was offered by Eastern Kentucky University, his first division one offer!     Despite a tough loss for Millbrook, [player_tooltip player_id='2959115' first='Matt' last='Kuppinen'] was able to show that he is more than capable of producing against some of the State's most talented teams. Kuppinen finished with 18 Points, 3 Steals, and 2 Rebounds vs TBS. He was able to connect on 3-8 from beyond the arc as well, proving to be a reliable shooter on high volume from distance. Kuppinen has a slick handle and great footwork on the ball to create space despite not being the quickest guy. He's a smart defender with great hands and instincts on that end of the floor. He's a smart passer as well and does a really nice job finding his teammates for dump-offs or drive & kicks. As he continues to get more experience at this level, expect these kinds of performances to become a lot more common for [player_tooltip player_id='2959115' first='Matt' last='Kuppinen'].     Johnson helped contribute to The Burlington School's record breaking day and weekend with his performance. Johnson finished with 20 Points and 4 Rebounds on 7-12 from the floor and 6-10 from the beyond the arc. Johnson's ability to play both on or off the ball is such an asset to this TBS team with a lot of talent on it. The lefty has a quick trigger, deep range, and a ton of big game experience that has him ready for any moment. Johnson is a no brainer next level talent that should continue to garner a lot of attention from the coaches of his level as the season winds down. When he's making shots like he did in this one, TBS is really really tough to beat.     [player_tooltip player_id='2149164' first='RJ' last='Moore'] is one of the highest ranked players in the class for a reason and after an up and down start to the season for both himself individually and Ambassador Christian collectively, they both appear to be hitting their stride and this particular game in The John Wall was a big reason why. Moore finished with 23 Points, 4 Rebounds, and 2 Steals in the dominant win over Davidson Day. He was efficient from beyond the arc going 5-10 from the floor. All of this is simply what he does, what I was most impressed with was his engagement on the defensive end of the floor. He was a really disruptive guy on the perimeter in this one and helped out guarding the front-court of Davidson Day when needed, embracing the physical challenge of guarding bigger guys. It seems like Ambassador and Moore are really starting to gel as they've picked up multiple key wins since The John Wall. This performance from him being a sign of things to come is an incredible sign.     King has been a consistent producer for this Ambassador Christian team all season long and in the win Vs Davidson Day everything was par for the course. Now a member of the 2027 class here in NC, King finished with 14 Points and 2 Steals on 5-9 from the floor. King's ability to play on the ball and initiate offense for this group is super valuable, he also has the shooting touch to play off of it as he's a reliable catch and shoot option. King continues to produce with consistency on big stages against high quality teams. This season, Ambassador Christian has played a remarkably tough schedule and now find themselves hitting a real stride. King is a huge part of this team playing their best basketball right now and deserves a lot of credit for helping them through that rough patch in the first portion of the season.     In what was a tough game for Davidson Day, Peck was a real bright spot as he presented himself as a two way producer in many ways vs Ambassador Christian. Peck finished with 11 Points on 4-8 from the floor along with 4 blocks to help anchor the defense. He also finished with a pair of steals to show how impactful he can be defensively. For Peck and Davidson Day, there is a lot of size in the front-court and Peck is often asked to operate more on the perimeter where he can frequently showcase flashes of skill in that area. As Peck continues to fill out his frame, the production will get more and more consistent in these high level games. Despite coming up short, Peck did a lot of good things for his team at both ends of the floor in this one.

As I am finally catching up on the writing we get a chance to look at one of the most important days of the high school basketball season here in North Carolina and in around the country... John Wall Holiday Invitational Championship Day. The lights are the brightest, the gym is completely full, and the pressure cooker that is this event, is at its absolute peak. Let's take a look at some of the standouts from the early portion of championship day!