We continue our tour of IU basketball prospects on the radar in the classes of 2023 and beyond with an intriguing player in North Carolina who checks all the boxes for the modern game.
Indiana is keeping a close eye on 6-foot-7 Charlotte, N.C. shooting guard/wing Wesley Tubbs III. Assistant coach Kenya Hunter has a relationship with his high school coach and was on site to visit Tubbs and watch open gym earlier this month.
As a sophomore at Northside Christian in Charlotte, N.C., Tubbs averaged in the neighborhood of 15 points and 7 rebounds per game.
“6-foot-7 to 6-foot-7 and a half, I call him a big guard, can play the one to the four, just does a little bit of everything,” Northside Christian head coach Erasto Hatchett told The Daily Hoosier. “I think his strength is his energy and his passion for the game. Those are things that you just can’t coach.”
For AAU basketball Tubbs plays with Team United on the Nike EYBL circuit. At Peach Jam in July he had some big games including 15 points, six rebounds and eight assists on July 16 and 17 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists on July 19.
“He just does a little bit of everything,” Hatchett said. “He rebounds, shoots the ball really well, he’s a lefty, and long, finishes above the rim.”
Tubbs is a player who competes on both ends of the floor as well.
“What I really get excited about his watching him play is his defense,” Hatchett continued. “He’s a hell of a defender. He takes pride in it, sits down at his height and gets really low to the floor and just takes it all personal. His competitive nature is undeniable, and it is something all coaches want their players to have.”
Tubbs has not entered the national rankings yet, but that appears likely to change after he saw a wave of high major offers over the summer. His list of higher profile offers now includes Wake Forest, Texas A&M, South Carolina, Providence, N.C. State, Ole Miss and Cincinnati, with several others involved.
Hatchett has coached Tubbs since the sixth grade, and while the national exposure has been a recent phenomenon, he sees it as the byproduct of a work ethic that has been a constant for years.
“He has just stayed in the gym and stayed consistent to the work,” Hatchett said. “It’s been a constant grind, it hasn’t happened overnight. He is just starting to get the fruits of his labor.”
Indiana and Hunter’s plan right now is to keep an eye on Tubbs and watch his development over the fall and winter months.
“He knows that Tubbs is a player for sure, he just needs to make sure it fits what Indiana is trying to do,” Hatchett said.
6’7 2023 Wesley Tubbs III (Northside Christian) is a long, athletic guard who can create for himself & others. Really good passer. Finishes well at the rim. Versatile defender. High motor. Passionate. Competitor! @__Tubbs3 pic.twitter.com/HAEsH2vZWn
— Colby Lewis (@colbylewis20) December 14, 2020
The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”
- Find us on Facebook: thedailyhoosier
- You can follow us on Twitter: @daily_hoosier
- Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no cost to you.
