Dwight was a poised perimeter scorer during Gwynn Park’s playoff run. He was able to make a consistent impact with his shooting and timely shot-making. He spaced the floor well and punished defenses for closing out late, knocking down multiple spot-up threes. He was comfortable rising into smooth pull-ups over contests and didn’t need much space to be effective. Dwight also made plays on the defensive end, jumping passing lanes and converting turnovers into points. He finished through contact when attacking the rim and showed the ability to make the right reads. Had one of the best overall performances across the 2A portion of games although GP came up just short of winning a regional ‘ship.

13p 5a 3r 3b 2s vs Largo

-Strickland has taken some nice strides this season in a key role for Gwynn Park in the county as a combo guard that can do a little bit of everything. Strickland had a baseline drive and crosscourt kick for 3, did a good job of playing physical defense on opposing guards to force tie-ups and misses around the rim, collected a steal and got the leak out dunk, executed a smooth blow-by crossover from the wing to get downhill and hit the running floater with left, scored on a run-out euro lay in between two defenders, blocked a 3, and snagged a defensive rebound then hit a teammate with a well-placed baseball pass over the top in transition to teammate late in the 4Q. His ability to slide up or down in the lineup depending on rotations gives Coach Spencer some vital flexibility as the Yellow Jackets gear up for a playoff run.

Smooth-shooting guard with nice size at the off-guard position. Improved his game in terms of scoring in iso situations. Had a noticeable summer and impressed many in the area, building some momentum and anticipation heading into his third year. Dwight is expected to help lead Gwynn Park as an experienced and reliable guard in the starting backcourt. Smooth with the ball and elusive in terms of getting his shot off. His size helps him create shots and see the rim over contests. Excited to see how Dwight performs with his increasing role after an eye-catching summer.

Dwight looked particularly look good scoring on the move and hits the pull up jumper at a particularly good rate.  His shot mechanics are sound, and he has three-point range and showed he could make plays around and at the rim. Dwight played with Ballou HS this weekend. Scoring 14 points in a contest against St. Albans as well.

-Strickland’s evolution from a W/F tweener to a slashing guard has been a joy to cover and I only expect that progression to continue. With a good first step and long arms, he’s adept at making his defender miss before getting into the teeth of the defense. Would like to see him play off of two feet more often in the paint to allow him to adjust to help defense converging on him to create for teammates in the key.

Previous Ranking: 72

-The utility guard is putting together a nice season for Gwynn Park under a new head coach. Strickland is putting up averages of 18 points, 6 assists and 5 rebounds in the early going in PG County– showing consistent productivity in new threads for the Yellow Jackets. He’s beginning to knock down open jumpers but he excels at getting to the paint and turning turnovers/long rebounds into baskets at the other end of the floor. As he continues to grow and fine tune the athletic ability, he can be a really good 2-way guard with upside as a scorer in the halfcourt.