The spring roster for the South Carolina 76ers will include a number of talented players from the Class of 2015, but the stars of the program in the coming months will be from the 2016 class. That fact should make the spring an exciting, interesting time for 76ers coach Roger Wiley.
“We are going to be extremely talented, but we are going to be very young,” Wiley said. “We lost a number of players to graduation. About half our team will be from the 2015 class, but our starters will be from the 2016 class. They are tall and talented, but that’s a lot of youth out on the court.”
The 76ers will get an early challenge in Raleigh, NC, on April 25-27 at the Deep South Classic. Now in its 17th year, the Deep South Classic annually hosts many of the nation’s elite travel teams in a field that will eclipse 200 squads, and hundreds of collegiate coaches will be on hand searching for talent. The 2014 event will mark the second year that the Deep South Classic has been held at the Raleigh Convention Center. The venue was a tremendous success in its debut last year, with all games played at one site on 18 courts, and it is in a convenient central location.
A trio of 2016 prospects will be in the spotlight for the 76ers. Jhileiya Dunlap is a 6-2 forward who is listed as the No. 42 recruit in the class by the All Star Girls Report. Christian Hithe is a 5-7 guard who is rated at No. 53 by ASGR, and Shaquanda Miller-McCray is a 6-3 post player.
ASGR analyst Bret McCormick has scouted all three players. “Dunlap is a long athlete who could play the three or the four because she has the skills to score from just about anywhere,” McCormick said. “Hithe is a very strong combo guard with great skills, including a nice step back jumper and great shooting range. Miller-McCray is a long post player who blocks shots and scores inside. She has a lot of potential.”
Wiley is confident that all three of his rising stars will shine this spring.
“Shaquanda is a player who brought up late last year, and people are just starting to notice her,” the coach said. “She is a tremendous shot blocker and a great rebounder. Jhileiya is an amazing jumper who alters a lot of shots, and she is a great rebounder. Christian is our leading scorer, and I think she is our most talented player. She has amazing hang time and body control, and she is a great three-point shooter.”