Winston-Salem Prep duo make it official with college signings
Photo by Craig T. Greenlee
Jada Craig has blossomed as a top-flight ball handler and floor leader for the Phoenix.
BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE
FOR THE CHRONICLE
Dominique Claytor and Jada Craig of Winston-Salem Prep readily admit that they saw no need to wait until later to decide where they will play college basketball. Both players who made All-State last season, recently signed letters of intent to play at their respective schools. Now they’re free to place all of their focus on helping the Phoenix in its quest to win back-to-back state championships.
Claytor, a swing player who was last season’s Class 1-A state championship game MVP, has signed with East Carolina. Craig, who plays point guard, is headed to East Tennessee State.
“Dominique is tremendous for us night in and night out,” said coach Eugene Love of Prep. “Jada has grown so much as a floor leader. On the court, she truly is an extension of the head coach.”
Claytor’s versatility makes her a prized commodity. At 5-feet-10, she’s physical enough to play power forward and even center, if needed. Yet, she has the skill, agility and savvy to run the point and play on the perimeter as a shooting guard or small forward. A year ago, Claytor averaged 9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.4 steals per game.
“With her size and athleticism, Dominique gives us a lot of flexibility at both ends of the floor,” said Love. “She doesn’t need to be a dominant scorer for our team to play to its full capability. The stat sheet doesn’t reveal everything she can do on a basketball court.”
Claytor, who has a 3.8 grade-point average, picked ECU over Nebraska, Memphis, Georgetown and Virginia Commonwealth. The major selling points that won her over were the team’s camaraderie, along with the school’s Air Force ROTC program. “The team is like a family and I’m very interested in ROTC,” she said. “I’ll probably major in engineering, math or science.”
Craig blossomed in her first season at Prep after transferring from Matthews Weddington last year. For the season, she averaged 10.7 points, 3.6 assists and 3.2 steals per game. The addition of Craig to the roster further bolstered the Phoenix’s already stout defense.
“Jada is excellent at applying on-the-ball pressure and she’s the spearhead of our defense,” said Love. “Once she joined Christina (Caesar) in our backcourt, it took us to another level defensively. Not only that, but she’s becoming a knock-down shooter.”
East Tennessee State’s campus environment combined with the strong bond between players and coaches caused Craig to take a more intense interest in the school. When she learned that the school has a well-respected program in physical therapy, she knew there would be no need for her to make any more recruiting visits.
“I felt like the time was right and it (East Tennessee State) is the perfect fit,” said Craig, whose grade-point average is 3.75. “Because of that, there was no reason for me to wait any longer to make my final decision.”
In addition to ETSU, Craig was recruited by UNC Greensboro, UNC Wilmington, Jacksonville University (Fla.),Virginia Commonwealth, Elon, UNC Asheville and High Point University.
