John Wall Holiday Invitational: Day One Top Performers
Raleigh, North Carolina – The 51st Annual John Wall Holiday Invitational has become a staple in the state of North Carolina. Top talent from around the Hoop State as well as college coaches from around the college landscape
College Coach Watch: Kevin Keatts (+3), Hubert Davis (+1), Mike Young (+1), Tennessee, LSU, Notre Dame, Loyola-Chicago, Georgetown, West Virginia, Georgia Tech, Presbyterian, Elon, NC Central
On3 MVP: Four-Star PG Chance Mallory (2025)
There is a toughness factor that Chance Mallory brings to the game that is hard to ignore. The Charlottesville (VA) St. Anne’s Bellfield guard plays with a ton of confidence and brings it on both ends of the floor every minute he is in the game.
Mallory is very skilled which is enhanced by the toughness. His range extends out to 30 or so feet, and he is comfortable knocking it down off the bounce or off the catch. When defenses press too high on him, he attacks the paint. Mallory’s decision-making was excellent today, processing quickly and delivering precisely. Mallory is around 5-foot-10, so some will question the size, but he competed on the defensive end of the floor, guarding especially well in the open floor.
Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young and an assistant were courtside along with coaches from West Virginia, Notre Dame, LSU, and Georgetown to watch. Mallory finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in the win.
2. Four-Star SF Jackson Keith (2025)
Jackson Keith is a physical specimen, and he has no problem playing that way. He is a tough defender, not afraid to use his body and frame, with long arms, and a good straight-line athlete.
Where Keith does his most damage is in the mid-range. He has great balance and very good footwork, playing off three dribbles max to get to his spot. He has a high and soft release. Keith will need to continue working on his handle, developing his counters as his path gets cut off. He is also an average athlete, using footwork and physicality instead of burst to get to his spots. The competitive nature he brings to the game is infectious throughout his roster.
Keith’s dad played linebacker in the NFL, he has the athletic bloodlines. UNC head coach Hubert Davis and NC State head coach Kevin Keatts were both courtside along with coaches from Georgetown, Notre Dame, and LSU to watch the four-star.
3. Three-Star PF Zymicah Wilkins (2025)
Zymicah Wilkins had a featured matchup on day one as the 6-foot-9 power forward paired off against Five-Star Plus+ center Jayden Quaintance. Wilkins’ Arden (NC) Christ School matched up with Raleigh (NC) Word of God.
Wilkins went right at Quaintance from the opening tip. While Quaintaince held size and athletic advantage, Wilkins was able to spread things out and attack from multiple levels of the floor. Wilkins has excellent floor vision and a confident handle in the open floor. He plays controlled but in a tough manner. Wilkins lacks burst, which can get him in trouble around the basket, but he has good footwork and can stretch the floor with three-point range. His toughness and his feel really popped in this one.
LSU is active with Wilkins’ recruitment, and they were watching. Notre Dame and Georgetown were also courtside for the game. Wilkins finished with
4. Four-Star SF Colt Langdon (2025)
With less than 2.0 seconds on the clock, Raleigh (NC) Millbrook ran a play to get Colt Langdon a look from the corner. With the score tied, Langdon caught the inbound pass, took a rhythm dribble, and stepped into the game-winning three. He was immediately mobbed by his team and fans as Millbrook advanced to the second-round.
Langdon is a scrappy wing, someone who is going to continuously come at you for the entire game. The 6-foot-7 lefty has a smooth three-point stroke that he effortlessly steps into or knocks down off the catch. Langdon is crafty in the mid-range showing good footwork with numerous counters off the bounce. He lacks burst which can create some issues at the rim, but changes pace very well. Even if the shot is not falling, Langdon finds a way to produce.
Virgina Tech head coach Mike Young had an assistant with him. Coaches from Notre Dame, Georgetown, and LSU were also present. Langdon finished with 18 points and three assists in the win.
5. Four-Star SF Nate Ament (2025)
When it comes to high-end upside, Nate Ament has that in spades. Listed at 6-foot-8, and pushing 6-foot-9, he is calm, cool, and collected on the ball.
Ament found himself as the primary initiator a majority of the possessions for his Warrenton (VA) Highland team. He has a confident handle, able to get to his spots on the floor and not be in a rush to do things. Ament has a smooth jump shot, that he knocks down when he is able to step into it. Ament rebounded the ball well and scored comfortably at each level.
UNC head coach Hubert Davis and Virginia Tech head coach Mike Young were both courtside along with assistants from LSU and Tennessee. He finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
6. Four-Star F Sadiq White (2025)
Sadiq White has an intriguing mixture of explosive athleticism and graceful movements. The 6-foot-7 forward glides through the air, changing ends quickly and efficiently.
White did all of his damage close to the basket in this one. He varied up his way of getting to his spots, either by posting on the block or cutting off the ball. He got to the rim in straight lines, with a purpose. White is intriguing on the defensive end of the floor. He has great length and anticipation in the passing lanes while being able to move his feet while guarding the ball. White will need to continue working on his ball skills, counter moves off the bounce, and shooting range. But he does not do anything on the court that he is not capable of. He produces, putting consistent pressure on the rim.
White finished with a game-high 21 points with nine rebounds.
7. Five-Star Plus+ C Jayden Quaintance (Kentucky)
Jayden Quaintance is a physical specimen. That is part of what has him held in such high regard, physically he simply does things that others are not blessed to be capable of. The Raleigh (NC) Word of God center stands 6-foot-10 with long arms and a wildly explosive frame.
Right off the rip, Quaintance showed off his physicality with a deep seal, spin-off of his man, and a monster dunk in traffic. That set the tone for some of the highlights Quaintance would be coming for this game. He finished with multiple dunks in the game and knocked down a couple of mid-range jumpers. Quaintance’s frame and athleticism also play well on the defensive end as he is able to cover a lot of ground as he slides his feet, opens his hops, and protects the paint.
Quaintaince signed with Kentucky during the early signing period. He finished this one with 21 points and eight rebounds.
Other Standouts
Four-Star G Bishop Boswell (Tennessee) is an aggressive downhill guard. He played in constant attack mode in this game, touching the paint and playing with good balance. He will need to continue working the reads and knocking down the jump shot, but his defense is productive, consistently. Boswell finished with 15 points and four assists.
Four-Star SG Austin Swartz (Miami) is a bucket-getter, and it is hard to ignore that. Swartz is the type that offense simply comes easy to.He has long range on the jumper and a smooth handle that gets him comfortably to his spots. He spent a good bit of today distributing the ball, distributing properly weighted passes from different levels. What was a close game at halftime, Concord (NC) Cannon SChool pulled away in the second half. Swartz was in cruise control. He finished with a game-high 20 points in 18 minutes.
Four-star SF Sir Mohammed (Notre Dame) is a connecting wing, able to move the ball and knock down some shots in a secondary manner. He has good floor vision from multiple levels and was effective when flashed to the paint or lined up at the high post. While still gathering his efficiency, there is some productivity and some building blocks there. Mohammed finished with 10 points and six rebounds on 4-of-13 from the field.
SG King Gibson (2027) is already tracking at a national level, despite being only a freshman in high school. He carries good positional size at 6-foot-4, and his feel popped off the page. The freshman never rushed or forced anything, and consistently made correct reads. He shot the ball well and made plays. There is a lot to like with Gibson now and as he progresses forward.
Three-Star SG Isaiah Henry (2025) is an aggressive and explosive guard. He first made his mark in this game on the defensive end. HE was aggressive in the passing lanes and was able to spark a run quickly turning defense into offense. ee is going to have to continue working on his pace and ironing out his jump shot, but there is a lot there with his strong, 6-foot-5 frame.