Photo courtesy of Jon Lopez/Position Sports/Nike
By David Cordova
Back in the day, the guards were the only ones that were allowed to dribble up the court. Nowadays, bigger players are more versatile and can do move around in more places than the low post. In the NBA, you see players like Kevin Durant and Giannis Antentokoumpo, both of whom are 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-11, respectively, dominate the game against smaller players. With all of that on display in the present day, it is safe to say that the game of basketball is now a positionless game.
One player that has those versatile traits is Louis King. The 6-foot-8 small forward from Jersey City, New Jersey is a player that is very skilled and can get to the basket with precision. When many players his size are playing in the low post, he is at the wing.
Rated the No. 21 player in the country by ESPN in the high school Class of 2018, King is one of the smoothest players when he gets on the court because of the offensive skills that he possesses. But his long arms, or wingspan, also allow him an advantage on defense when it comes to him getting rebounds and blocking shots.
Being that King comes from the Garden State, you know he’ll always come with his best game on the court. “I feel like the basketball culture, you know, they pick up from New York. New York, their style is a one-on-one game. So out here it’s the same thing, you know, they just pick up from the New York players.” says King on the basketball culture in Jersey.
For many years, King was a staple on the AAU circuit from his middle school years to the summer before his junior season of high school with Sports U on the Under Armour circuit. He was a part of a crew that included Jahvon Quinerly, Luther Muhammad, Nazreon Reid and Atiba Taylor, which helped Sports U win back-to-back UAA titles on the 15U and 16U levels, respectively.
On his time with Sports U, King replied, “I mean, Sports U, it was a good little run.”
And when asked about the brotherhood he shares with his old teammates, he added: “I mean, they’ve been my brothers since we was little, growing up with them, playing basketball with them, got me better as well.”
King started out high school at Roselle Catholic as a freshman, but ended up playing on their junior varsity. He then transferred over to Pope John XXIII as a sophomore, where he would average 11.6 points and 9.1 rebounds in 14 games. And then suddenly, in February of that season, he would transfer once again, this time to Hudson Catholic.
“I felt that me, Jahvon and Luther were a special group of kids and could actually do something special at Hudson Catholic in the TOC.” says King as to why he transferred to Hudson.
His junior season would be a revelation of good things to come, as he averaged 13.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and would help lead the Hawks to a 24-6 record, the Hudson County championship and the North Jersey, Non-Public B sectional championship. What made it extra special was that King was a part of the team that beat St. Anthony, the legendary powerhouse also from Jersey City, in their final game ever before the school closed in June.
When asked about playing in a major game such as that one, King replied, “I mean, before the game, I was just motivated because we hadn’t beaten them in a while, so beating St. Ant’s was a big accomplishment, so after that game I felt like I completed one of my goals in life.”
This past summer, King made the switch to the Nike EYBL circuit and played for Team Final, where he averaged 17.6 points and 6.8 rebounds per game and led also led them to a berth in the Nike EYBL Peach Jam play-in game. “The experience was good, me & Cam [Reddish], we were the leaders of our team and we helped get the job done.”
On September 21st, the five-star prospect made his commitment to Oregon, where he was a part of the No. 3 recruiting class in the nation, which also featured players such as Bol Bol, Will Richardson and Miles Norris. The Ducks had an incredible season last year as they went 33-6 and made it all the way to the NCAA Final Four.
When asked why he committed to the Pac-12 school, he replied, “I felt like Oregon was the best spot for me & my family. Education was always first. I felt like the education part was always there for me. It was just all on my mind, it was all on the table for me. The basketball part just speaks for itself.”
With his scholarship in hand, all King has to do now is lead the Hawks to another title run as a senior and hopefully, a chance at the Tournament of Champions title. And in the future, he has very high hopes to play in the pros. With his skill set and play, there is no doubt that he could potentially play in the NBA. His goal is simple. “Next in the future for Louis King is No. 1 draft pick,” he said. In due time, he will make that a reality.
Highlights of Louis King:
Courtesy of Make Playz.
Courtesy of Jersey Sports Zone.
Courtesy of Hoop Major Media.
Courtesy of NJ Hoop Recruit.
Courtesy of Hoop Diamonds.
Courtesy of NJ Hoop Recruit.
Courtesy of Hoop Diamonds.
Courtesy of East Coast Hoops.
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