Northside’s Jaden Seymour is getting better. Major colleges are noticing
MINT HILL
There were three plays during Thursday’s opening round Hoodie’s Classic game where Northside Christian’s Jaden Seymour brought the crowd to its feet.
One was a dunk in traffic, a one-handed, mouth-dropping flush over several defenders from New York’s Nazareth Regional School. Another was on a fast-break run out where Seymour, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, cocked the ball back with his right hand and his head was up near rim level.
But the best play may’ve been a dunk he missed in the second half.
Seymour came down the baseline, taking off from impossibly far out, and tried to dunk over two defenders. He missed but was fouled. The miss, though, brought one of the loudest cheers of the night.
“He’s growing into his body,” Northside coach Erasto Hatchett said after the Knights fell 74-61. “His ninth grade year, he attempted 23 dunks and he missed 21, but I knew that giving him the confidence to try was important. I knew his athleticism would catch up to his body and it has. He was 6-5 then and he’s 6-8 now. And he’ll continue to work. That doesn’t stop.”
Seymour is currently listed as a three-star (out of five) recruit by 247Sports and a top 250 national prospect. That ranking appears to about ready to change.
He’s got offers from College of Charleston, South Florida, N.C. State and Virginia Tech. And he’s getting interest from Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
“There’s been a lot of interest,” Seymour said. “It’s really been a lot. It all started happening after July’s live (recruiting) period with more coaching reaching out.”
Hatchell said college coaches like Seymour’s length and athleticism as well as his rapidly developing 3-point shot. He’s averaging 17 points and nine rebounds this season. He had 14 points, four rebounds and four steals Thursday, and if his ball handling continues to improve, Seymour will probably have even more major college suitors.
“It’s just straight working hard with my trainer,” Seymour said, “and I’ll keep working hard and keep playing and performing the best I can.”
Hatchett said Seymour is “a gem to coach” and said Seymour listens to instruction and doesn’t get down when he’s coached hard. He also said Seymour will wake him up a lot of mornings to make 5:30 a.m. workouts at schools.
“He works his tail off,” Hatchett said. “He tries to come win every game with the same mental toughness and tries to encourage his teammates in practice, after practice, on the floor and off the floor. And that work doesn’t stop.
“He has an agenda for himself, some aspirations. Whether he reaches those aspirations or not, he’ll work to reach those aspirations, and that’s all you can ask for.”
MINT HILL
There were three plays during Thursday’s opening round Hoodie’s Classic game where Northside Christian’s Jaden Seymour brought the crowd to its feet.
One was a dunk in traffic, a one-handed, mouth-dropping flush over several defenders from New York’s Nazareth Regional School. Another was on a fast-break run out where Seymour, a 6-foot-8 junior forward, cocked the ball back with his right hand and his head was up near rim level.
But the best play may’ve been a dunk he missed in the second half.
Seymour came down the baseline, taking off from impossibly far out, and tried to dunk over two defenders. He missed but was fouled. The miss, though, brought one of the loudest cheers of the night.
“He’s growing into his body,” Northside coach Erasto Hatchett said after the Knights fell 74-61. “His ninth grade year, he attempted 23 dunks and he missed 21, but I knew that giving him the confidence to try was important. I knew his athleticism would catch up to his body and it has. He was 6-5 then and he’s 6-8 now. And he’ll continue to work. That doesn’t stop.”
Seymour is currently listed as a three-star (out of five) recruit by 247Sports and a top 250 national prospect. That ranking appears to about ready to change.
He’s got offers from College of Charleston, South Florida, N.C. State and Virginia Tech. And he’s getting interest from Oklahoma State, Tennessee and Wake Forest.
“There’s been a lot of interest,” Seymour said. “It’s really been a lot. It all started happening after July’s live (recruiting) period with more coaching reaching out.”
Hatchell said college coaches like Seymour’s length and athleticism as well as his rapidly developing 3-point shot. He’s averaging 17 points and nine rebounds this season. He had 14 points, four rebounds and four steals Thursday, and if his ball handling continues to improve, Seymour will probably have even more major college suitors.
“It’s just straight working hard with my trainer,” Seymour said, “and I’ll keep working hard and keep playing and performing the best I can.”
Hatchett said Seymour is “a gem to coach” and said Seymour listens to instruction and doesn’t get down when he’s coached hard. He also said Seymour will wake him up a lot of mornings to make 5:30 a.m. workouts at schools.
“He works his tail off,” Hatchett said. “He tries to come win every game with the same mental toughness and tries to encourage his teammates in practice, after practice, on the floor and off the floor. And that work doesn’t stop.
“He has an agenda for himself, some aspirations. Whether he reaches those aspirations or not, he’ll work to reach those aspirations, and that’s all you can ask for.”
