One of the most exciting things about the Carolina Challenge is getting the chance to talk to guys that have played well on the day and boosted their stock in the eyes of the scouts in attendance. This was the case with 2013 wing forward Christian Hairston out of Greensboro Day School. He has a great overall skill package, but has at times been inconsistent throughout his high school career.
Christian lit up the Challenge with his prowess on the wing and a couple of huge slams. We figured we needed to go ahead and talk to this young man because, while he probably projects at the high mid-major level now, if he becomes more consistent in his mid-range game then he could be a great get for a high D1 school.
Click through the link for more analysis on Hairston and Saturday at the CC.
Hairston was very good throughout the day with his scoring, with eight, 10 and eight points respectively in his three games. He showed an ability to be a very versatile player with his passing, attacking mentality and willingness to hit the boards. His frame is very promising because of his long arms and strong foundation in his legs. It is obvious that with the right weight program he could add on some pounds and become an imposing 3/4 at the collegiate level.
He is a very interesting prospect because of his similar build to those like Quincy Miller and Harrison Barnes (minus the strength at this point), but he definitely has work to do on his game if he is going to get to that level.
As he said during the interview, his only offers right now are UT-Arlington and Gardner Webb, but I expect offers to start picking up over the course of the next year. If he does not get picked up early on by a high-major school I would expect him to excel at the mid-major level and perhaps pick up an offer from a high-major school late in the process.
Christian was a pleasure to talk to and clearly has his head on straight. He definitely has the confidence necessary to succeed at the collegiate level and I look forward to see where he will wind up, perhaps even at Wake Forest as we have been on him for a while.