Unsigned Class of 2018 Combo Guard Dontrell Shuler Shines at Adidas Gauntlet Finale

0
1437
Dontrell Shuler
Photo by: Big Shots

When I hear the last name Shuler, my first thought is basketball family. There’s DJ, Dontae, Donnella, Donnesha, Dominic, Devontae, and Dontrell. No matter male or female if you have had to come across these names, you know all of them were All-State caliber players. We recently featured Devontae Shuler and his capability of becoming the next SEC superstar. Well here comes little brother Dontrell Shuler.

Dontrell Shuler is an Irmo, South Carolina product who goes to high school at Legacy Charter (Greenville, South Carolina). He is a 6’3″ combo guard for the Class of 2018 that is seemingly going unknown. Maybe with Devontae Shuler being in the spotlight for the Class of 2017, they forgot about the younger brother who easily has Division 1 talent as well.

Dontrell is coming on strong without many people taking notice. South Carolina State is the only school to offer the Class of 2018 combo guard. The ironic thing about that is, brother DJ Shuler said, “We’ve never spoken with SC State, but they threw an offer out”. Sounds like many might be catching on to the SC State trend after his performance at the Adidas Gauntlet Finale in Spartanburg, South Carolina this weekend.

Dontrell Shuler

Dontrell walked away from the Adidas Gauntlet Finale as the third leading scorer for the entire tournament. Dontrell averaged 23.0 points per game, 2.6 assists per game, 2.4 steals per game, and 2.0 rebounds per game. He averaged these numbers while shooting 53.2% from the field, 42.1% from 3, and 75.8% from the free throw line. Averaging 23 points per game in a high-level tournament such as the Adidas Gauntlet Finale, where Zion Williamson was the leading scorer for the tournament, should turn heads. I don’t expect this unsigned rising senior to go with only one offer for long.

Georgia Tech came to watch Dontrell on Thursday against the Florida Suns and boy did they get a show. Dontrell had 3o points, 4 assists, and 4 steals while shooting 9-13 (69.2%) from the field. He even showed he can stroke it from deep going 5-5 (100%) from the 3 point line against the Florida Suns. On Friday Ole Miss showed up to watch him take on the Mass Rivals. Dontrell produced with  23 points, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 2 rebounds. He once again showed his efficiency from the floor shooting 8-15 (53.3%) from the field against the Mass Rivals. I have a feeling these type of performances will garner more attention as his senior year begins with Legacy Charter.

With this Class of 2018 combo guard being mostly unknown, I spoke with Karolina Khaos AAU Coach, Erik Glenn. When I asked Coach Glenn about what schools are showing interest in Dontrell, he said, “Georgia Tech, Missouri, Arizona State, and Ole Miss”. Coach Glenn also went on to tell that me that his leadership, on-ball defense, and ball-handling are his biggest strengths on the court.

Coach Glenn said, “He is just one of those guys you win with, you win championships with guys like Dontrell”. Coach Glenn told me that his work ethic is one he wishes all of his players would model after.

Coach Glenn and I both agreed that Dontrell could use a little more weight on him, but the muscle mass will come. He does have another entire year of high school basketball to do so.

When I asked Coach Glenn is he sees Dontrell signing with a Division 1 school, he immediately said, “Yes, definitely”. Coach Glenn said, “He is one of those guys that just has a passion for the game, you know?”.

When I asked Coach Glenn how Dontrell translates to the next level he said, “Defense always translates to the next level”. Coach Glenn went on to mention that Dontrell is a very high IQ player who is a coachable kid and skills are growing at a rapid rate currently. Justin Byerly of Prep Hoops North Carolina said, “Size is there, defensive skills are there, and offensively he is a problem. One of best performances I saw” about Dontrell’s weekend at the Adidas Gauntlet Finale.

What coaches will get with Dontrell Shuler is a high character vocal leader. He will be the spark plug for your team that is essential. His on ball defense will be the reason why he sees minutes early for whoever decides to sign this diamond in the rough. In my opinion, he reminds me a lot of Avery Bradley. Dontrell is a defender opposing guards hate to go up against, but can easily give you an offensive spark while being efficient. It will be interesting to see how Dontrell’s recruiting shakes up. Here at Basketball Society, we will keep you updated with any offers that come Dontrell’s way.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here