Dawkins erupted for 31 points and 15 rebounds this week, proving he can dominate physically from the wing spot. He attacks closeouts, finishes through contact, and rebounds outside his area. A powerful scorer with developing perimeter touch, Dawkins is a matchup problem when playing downhill and continues to impress during his senior campaign.

The Western Carolina commit poured in an event high 33 points in impressive fashion against the team from Florida. He got to his spots rather effortlessly and was a nightmare to keep off the glass. Ben L Smith is one of the top teams in the state regardless of class and will go as far as their senior guard will take them. The number 1 shooting guard in the state in the prep hoops rankings did not disappoint.

Dawkins was one of the more surprising players I was able to see at the 3SSB Invitational, as his ability to impact various aspects of the game stood out in Garner Road’s opening day loss to ASAK. The 6-foot-4 guard was active on the defensive end early, showing the lateral footspeed and quick hands to get into his opponents dribbling space and cause turnovers. Dawkins is effective with the 3-ball off the dribble and the catch, gets good lift on the mid-range jumpshot, has the moves and handles to break his defender down and get down hill, and displays good body control through contact within 15-feet of the basket. The spin move into a jumper was the move that really got my attention given the difficulty of the shot. Dawkins was solid running the offense, and used his height to make passes over the defense to bigs in the post, as well as finding players moving off the ball. Great motor and tough player that can play on or off the ball.

Over the weekend he showed why he’s been picking up the offers he has in recent weeks. Jyi plays the game with a contagious motor and nonstop approach to both ends of the floor. Offensively he was a do it all type of player scoring from all three levels while still bringing the energy on defense, whenever his team needed a bucket of stop down the stretch he had the ball in his hands.

The lefty combo guard paced his Garner Road squad with 14.7 points per game over the weekend and it led to a semifinal appearance. Motor and energy are the two words best used to describe the way he plays the game he just finds ways to make winning plays rather with the ball in his hands or not. A guy college coaches should want on their teams.

Dawkins moves into the 12th spot and emerges as a leading name for Garner Road on the adidas 3SSB stage this spring/summer following a state championship with Ben L. Smith. He took home the Charlie Adams Most Valuable Player Award after pouring in 29 points and eight rebounds in a gritty overtime victory. He’s a prospect who’s shown he can put constant pressure on opponents with his ability to get paint touches and create scoring opportunities. He also went 8-for-9 from the free-throw line in their state title victory. He’s a crafty 6-foot-4 shooting guard for DI programs in the region to get on their radar this spring/summer.

A double/double machine throughout the season, he continued to make a high impact scoring and rebounding the ball in their regional matchup. He understands how to his strength to get position for rebounds but also causes some mismatches with his ability to make plays from multiple levels on the court.

Dawkins checks in at the No. 4 shooting guard spot with room to grow in the Ben L. Smith High backcourt this upcoming season. He’s a shifty shooter who can create off the bounce and off the catch with his ability to knock down shots with efficiency in the midrange and on the perimeter. He doesn’t settle too often and gets paint touches with ease with his length and athleticism. North Carolina A&T has offered him but look for that list to grow as more eyes get on him in 2024-25.

Dawkins makes the move to Ben L. Smith High looking to continue his development as he moves from Southern Guilford High. He’s an electric creator in space who’s shown he can knock down shots in the mid-range and on the perimeter at volume. He’s due to make the Eagles a contender once again in the NCHSAA State Playoff picture with his addition to their backcourt.