Gamecocks basketball signee one of the best players in the country, says five-star
Under the same gym roof again, Josiah James and Trae Hannibal shared handshakes and grins on Saturday afternoon.
The two standout basketball players ran into each other behind a basket at Lexington High School. Hannibal’s Hartsville Red Foxes had just played a double overtime thriller with Keenan, and James’ Porter-Gaud Cyclones were over an hour away from their overtime clash with Dorman. It was all part of the Auto Owners Insurance Showcase, a day-long event that featured some of the state’s top teams and prospects.
James and Hannibal didn’t need to be introduced. They spent the majority of last summer playing for Charleston-based TMP on the AAU circuit. There was thought for a while that the close friends would remain teammates in college. But Hannibal is signed to South Carolina and James is off to Tennessee. They’re near-future SEC rivals.
Though the competition is already on.
”I think his first game he had like a triple-double,” James said of the 21 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists Hannibal had against Sumter on Dec. 4. “And I’ve yet to have one. And I’m definitely chasing after him for that. I try to compete with him on a nightly basis because he’s definitely one of the top players in the state, if not in the country.”
James is a five-star guard who’s ranked by 247Sports as the No. 15 player in the 2019 class. He chose the Volunteers over the likes of Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, Arizona, Virginia, Clemson and USC. Hannibal is given a three-star rating by 247Sports. The recruiting service puts the 6-foot-2 guard at No. 207 in the ‘19 class, 192 spots below James.
James, who’s participated in Steph Curry’s exclusive camp in California and has been featured in numerous USA Basketball events, believes Hannibal is better than his ranking.
“He’s a dog,” James said. “He’s definitely right up there with the elite prospects – and I put elite prospects in quotations – in the class. I definitely think if he attended the same camps that I did, he’d have the same amount of love and respect that I have nationally.
“He’s a hard worker and he’s definitely going to make some noise at Colonial Life Arena.”
Hannibal is averaging over 20 points, six rebounds and seven assists this season. He dropped 28 points on New York power Our Savior New American in the Bojangles Bash earlier this month. Facing SC’s No. 1 team in AAA on Saturday, Hannibal had 23 points. His clutch steals at the end of regulation and overtime kept the Red Foxes alive against Keenan, a bunch ranked by Max Preps as the No. 69 team in the country.
“Trae Hannibal’s something else,” said Keenan coach Zach Norris.
Up to seven Raiders, said Norris, could play collegiately, including junior forward and USC target Dillon Jones. He rotated three of them on Hannibal.
“I like Trae’s physicality,” Norris said. “He’s real strong. He knows what to do with the ball. I’m kind of in between what position he’s going to play because he does so much, but he’s definitely a good one to have at the next level.”
Carolina assistant coaches Chuck Martin and Bruce Shingler took in the performance. Martin spoke to Hannibal afterward.
“His impressions from this game was really, I was very unselfish,” Hannibal said. “Of course, that’s how I always try to be. Never be a selfish guy and always look for my teammates first.
“But he liked the way we played from start to finish. We almost beat that team. Keenan’s a great team. It was a great game.”
The high-level games will continue for Hannibal and Hartsville (2-4) as they participate in the Phenom Hoop Palmetto Winter Showcase (Dec. 20-22), Chick-fil-A Classic (Dec. 26) and the MLK Bash (Jan. 21) in the coming days and weeks.
“I’m just blessed and fortunate to be playing with my teammates in stuff like this,” Hannibal said. “We are blessed to be playing great competition. My guys aren’t backing down from the challenge.”
