Eric Hampford is a National Recruiting Analyst covering high school and grassroots basketball nationwide. You can follow him on Twitter at @3ricHampford.
MUHLENBERG, Pa. — Paul VI Catholic High School (Va.) is home to one of the elite juniors in the country in V.J. King, and lately, life is good for the star recruit.
On Sunday, the talented 6-foot-7 wing dominated action at the Muhlenberg Shootout. His loaded high school team breezed through its scrimmage schedule while competing against a talented 32-team field.
Blessed with a high skill set, King uses his lengthy frame to make the game look easy, and that versatility is a key reason why virtually every elite program in the country is clamoring for his services.
With offers in his pocket from the likes of Arizona, Connecticut, Georgetown, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, North Carolina State, Ohio State, Syracuse, UCLA and Wisconsin, the recruiting process could become dizzying for a star recruit, but King's father has been keeping him grounded.
"We take every offer very, very seriously. He's very keen at listening. He's been making a lot of mental notes so he can process some of the things with the coaches and their programs," his father, Vincent, told Sporting News.
His father, who had a college career of his own at Indiana University of Pennsylvania while also playing professionally overseas, understands how valuable education is for his son— something King has really excelled in.
"We're blessed. He takes his academics very seriously, with a lot of late nights and early mornings. He's dedicated to school."
King is already considering majoring in architecture and engineering, so it's clear that he's no average hoops star. It's evident that basketball has a possibility of taking the junior very far.
The highlight of his playing career began back in 7th grade, when he started on the varsity team at United Faith Christian Academy (N.C.). The public following intensified during his freshman and sophomore seasons after the family moved to Akron, Ohio, and King suited up for St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, the alma mater of LeBron James. Now at Paul VI, he's not only playing a national schedule for a prep superpower, but he has shown he can grow both on and off the floor.
Widely regarded as a top 20 recruit in the 2016 class, the family is taking the recruiting process slow, while also enjoying it.
"We're looking for the right fit. Trying to see who is going to be there in two years, coach-wise," Vincent said.
For now, all of King's accolades and recruiting are taking a back seat to school and getting better on a day-to-day basis.
"We're just trying to keep him humble."
Other Muhlenberg Shootout Standouts:
Westtown (Pa.) junior point guard Jair Bolden has vastly improved since last season, and if last weekend was any indication, he is in store for a big season. Boston University and Rice are the latest schools to offer, with scholarships also in hand from Hofstra and James Madison. Expect his recruitment to heat up this winter and spring.
A fast rising big man in the 2016 class, Paul VI (Va.) 6-8 post Corey Manigault was impressive at the shootout, and his recruitment is taking off as well. Over the past two months, offers have poured in from Maryland, Temple, VCU and Virginia Tech. He also holds offers from Miami (Fla.), Pittsburgh, Rhode Island, UMass and Xavier.
Syracuse's 2015 commit Franklin Howard was absolutely lighting it up from the perimeter. He's the main offensive weapon on the absolutely loaded Paul VI (Va.) team, who will test themselves by playing a national schedule this winter.
Watch out for William Allen (Pa.) sophomore guard Talek Williams, who is set to explode as a regional priority very soon. The 6-2 wing is explosive and is extremely hard to stop when attacking the rim. He also had the dunk of the day when he rose up in traffic and dunked on two defenders.
Holy Cross is getting an absolute steal in Harrisburg (Pa.) 6-3 shooting guard Jahaad Proctor. There are very few kids who can score the basketball as well as he can, especially in the mid-range. Don't be surprised to see him put up big numbers throughout his college career.