High Major Heavy Presence Continues for 2025, 2026 NYC Natives

Though they have a tall order on their hands in helping fill some of the immense scoring void left by dynamic, since departed Class of 2024 guards Elijah Moore (Syracuse) and Ian Jackson (North Carolina), Cardinal Hayes' young tandem of Class of 2025 guard Kaelin Destin and Class of 2026 guard Malik Fields continue to generate buzz on the high major market.

The Riverside Hawks guards, both of whom are anticipated to shoulder meaningful roles on a roster that's undergone a thorough cleanse this off-season at Hayes, have each received offers from Texas A &M.

While the losses of the sharpshooting Moore and ferocious, high rising Jackson will have to ultimately be filled by committee, Destin and Fields both bring college-ready intangibles which should translate instantly during the 2023-24 season. Destin spent this past season at W.H.E.E.L.S., where he averaged close to 30PPG and triggered scoring surges with his sheer killer instinct mentality. Destin piled up a handful of performances in which he took game-changing matters into his own hands this past season, rattling off personal scoring runs and shredding defenses with his wide ranging scoring arsenal.

"He's very shifty, he has the ability to score at a high level, and he can really create offense," Riverside Hawks coach Karriem Memminger said of Destin.

"He has a real knack for scoring the ball. He can get in the lane, get in the paint, he can draw defenders in, and he can get into the lane and score himself. His change of direction is very dangerous. When he's coming downhill, that's when he's at his best. I think when he goes into attack mode, that's when he's best. I feel that the best part of his game is that he is similar to (former Phoenix Suns guard) Kevin Johnson. He keeps you on your heels. He will be playing with the 17U Riverside Hawks next summer. We are looking to put the colleges on notice so that they know who he is."

While he depicts Destin as an in-bunches scoring threat with a seemingly unlimited arsenal, Memminger describes Fields as more of a high IQ guard with an on-court awareness beyond his years.

"He can play the one, play the two, he kind of reminds me of Bradley Beal," Memminger said of Fields. "He's just a fundamentally sound kid who makes all the right reads. There is a beauty about his game. He knows how to make the right reads. He's got a pull-up jumper, a three-ball, and he's got a floater in his game. He makes the extra pass. He just plays the right way--he's a coach's dream. He's a dream to coach. Very coach-able."

Prior to the Texas A & M offer, both were offered by Oklahoma State, which has significant NYC representation on its staff with head coach Mike Boynton.

Class of 2025 forward-center Jack Bailey is receiving some considerable looks this week, as well. Butler University of the Big East is on hand to see Bailiey, a 6-foot-10 Manhattan native with a deadly pick-and-pop game and offensive uniqueness with his floor-spreading shooting.

Texas A & M has offered another Riverside and Blair Academy product in 6-foot-10 Class of 2026 forward Kenny Thompson Jr. Like his Blair teammate Bailey, Thompson Jr. is a versatile threat with the ability to play some point forward and stick shots from beyond the arc.