The John Wall Holiday Invitational appears to be loaded this year, with three NC State signees and one junior commit.

The event, which runs Dec. 26-28 and Dec. 30, will also have several NCSU recruiting targets, and the big stage will allow someone new to emerge.

Below is a preview of the action Thursday:

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A pair of slender post players will battle against each other. Garner High has sophomore Asa White, who is about 6-foot-7 and could use the event this week to boost his recruitment. Center Jaylon Gibson is the headliner for Grace Christian, and he has signed with Wake Forest. The 6-10 Gibson is a Rivals.com three-star prospect, and is able to play a 94-foot game.

Heritage had a strong duo two years ago with power forward Jayden Gardner (East Carolina) and wing Jarren McAllister (VCU). This year’s team features junior wing Lucas Taylor and junior forward Redford Dunton. An argument could be made that the 6-6 Taylor is one of the most underrated players in the state, and under-recruited by colleges. A good showing this upcoming could change that for the pure jump shooter. Dunton is an athletic combo forward at 6-7, who can play above the rim and plays hard.

The Burlington School has been a NCISAA 1A state power, with three titles since 2015. This year’s edition features JaDun Michael, who has moved from the class of 2021 to 2020, after signing with Wichita State. Michael, who NC State offered, is currently ranked No. 140 overall in the class of 2021 by Rivals.com. Senior Mylyjael Poteat is a wide-body senior center, who is going to Rice. The Spartans were recently without junior center Kuluel Mading in a home game against Hickory Moravian Prep. He is also a Division I prospect.

NC State fans will be excited to see junior wing commit Terquavion Smith, who Rivals.com ranks No. 143 overall in the country in the class of 2021. He picked NCSU on Feb. 18, 2019, and he should thrive in the up-and-down Wolfpack style of play. If he gets hot from outside, he could put up big numbers.

Smith and senior point guard Justin Wright form one of the top backcourts in the state. Wright has been an elite scorer the last two years and was a steal for North Carolina Central. NC State coach Kevin Keatts will be a keen observer in this game due to his sophomore son Kevin Keatts Jr. playing for host Broughton High.

NC State senior signees Josh Hall and Shakeel Moore of Moravian Prep will be going against junior Wolfpack target Dontrez Styles of Kinston in the must-see game of the day. Rivals.com ranks Hall at No. 25 overall in the country in the class of 2020, and Moore is a three-star prospect. Both were originally in the class of 2019, but elected to spend a fifth-year of high school, which paid off in signing with NCSU. Styles is an inside-out force at about 6-7, and is ranked No. 78 overall in the class of 2021. He’ll be trying to prove he’s the top junior in the state.

Moore and Hall both have help. Reclassified sophomore point guard Amare Haynie has offers from Mississippi and UAB, and junior power forward Jordan Wildy and junior wing Darrius Davis also have some offers. Senior center Javarzia Belton at 6-10 is a massive post player, and senior wing Jamahri Harvey are also Division I prospects.

Junior power forward William Felton has become a double-double machine for Millbrook High. The 6-8 Felton has offers from High Point, Appalachian State and Elon, and this will be a big week for him. Skilled junior forward Eric van der Heijden has arrived from Raleigh Ravenscroft, and he has offers from George Washington and Old Dominion. Millbrook has been playing without injured New Mexico senior signee wing Nolan Dorsey.

Greenfield School is built around senior wing Crieghton Lebo, the son of former UNC guard and ex-East Carolina head coach Jeff Lebo, and Wake Forest senior signee Dji Bailey on the wing.

Senior power forward Isaiah Todd was a middle school prodigy, who previous attended Richmond (Va.) John Marshall High for two years and Raleigh Trinity Academy last year. He has arrived to Word of God, and all eyes will be on him Thursday evening. Rivals.com ranks the 6-10 Todd at No. 10 overall in the country in the class of 2020, and he has verbally committed to Michigan, but declined signing during the November signing period. He could elect to play professionally and bypass college.

Reclassified sophomore wing Po’Boigh King will also get to play on the big stage. He played his first two years at Roanoke Rapids (N.C.) High, but elected to transfer to Word of God and move back into the class of 2022. Both Ole Miss and Arizona State offered him after watching him working this past fall. Holly Springs senior power forward Kaleb Scott has signed with Georgia State, and the 6-7, 230-pounder played against Todd last year on Martin Luther King Day.

This will be a major battle between two junior point guards, who play vastly different. Leesville Road junior Carter Whitt is ranked No. 51 overall in the country by Rivals.com in the class of 2021. He’s a pass-first floor general, but can get into the lane better than expected. If he can become a knock-down three-point shooter, he’ll be a complete guard for college. NC State offered about a year ago after Whitt played well at the John Wall Holiday Invitational. Leesville Road will become dynamic after the event ends, when junior wing Jalen McDonald is eligible in January. He transferred in from Knightdale (N.C.) High.

Calloway junior point guard Daeshun Ruffin is a pure bucket getter — he averaged 25.4 points per game for MEBO Team Hood in the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League — and he is ranked No. 36 overall in the country. The 5-10, 150-pounder committed to Auburn early in the process, but then decommitted.

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