By JACOB POLACHECK
Since making the move to Sunrise (KS) Christian Academy in late March, class of 2023 point guard Layden Blocker has elevated his game to new heights, firmly affixing himself as a Top-60 prospect in the nation.
Blocker, a 6-foot-2, 168-pound point guard out of Little Rock, AR, is set to join a Sunrise squad that finished last season as national runner-ups, losing to Montverde (FL) Academy in the GEICO Nationals Championship Game.
While his transfer put him in the national spotlight, it’s been his increased strength and explosiveness that has kept him there, putting Sunrise once again in a position to be national title contenders.
“Layden has a gear that’s different than everyone else,” Sunrise head coach Luke Barnwell said. “He has a bright future at Sunrise! I am excited to work with him.”
Despite the departures of five-star Tennessee signee Kennedy Chandler, five-star Baylor signee Kendall Brown, four-star Michigan State signee Jaden Akins and four-star Kansas signee Zachary Clemence, Sunrise has reloaded this offseason.
In addition to Blocker, the Buffaloes have added five-star forward Mark Mitchell, four-star Baylor commit Dillon Hunter and four-star forwards Bobi Klintman, Jerome Beya and Cameron Corhen. Sunrise will also bring back 2022 Kansas commit Gradey Dick for his senior season.
“I really wanted to go to Sunrise to prepare for college,” Blocker said. “I’m going to be playing against guys that are really good night in and night out. I just want to go there, get better and get my body right. I’m really excited to start my new journey at Sunrise.”
Blocker will surely have the opportunity to show off his talents at the next level, racking up double-digit offers heading into his junior year.
And when the June 15 date hit, permitting college coaches to reach out to 2023 stars, Blocker heard from nearly 20 schools.
“The past few days have been wild,” Blocker said. I’ve been having a lot of coaches contact me directly, texting and calling. I’ve been building relationships with a bunch of different coaches. It’s been fun. It’s been a journey.”
Over the past two days, Blocker has heard from St. John’s, Tennessee, Arkansas, Baylor, Gonzaga, Kansas State, Memphis, George Washington, Ole Miss, Coastal Carolina, Auburn, Southern Miss, Arizona, Butler, Mississippi State, Missouri, Virginia, TCU, South Carolina, Oklahoma State and Stanford.
“I’m most proud of coming this far, that my hard work is paying off,” he said. “I still have to keep working, but I’m proud that I’m getting this recognition from coaches.
“I remember when I was going to camps in seventh grade, I wasn’t getting that recognition. People didn’t really know me because I was smaller. I’m just glad that I’m getting recognition for my game.”
In addition to he new interest, Blocker has also racked up offers from Kansas and Oklahoma in the past week. He broke down both schools:
Kansas: “I know that it’s a very successful program. They have very high-level coaches and players. They send players to the NBA. I just know that program is very successful.”
Oklahoma: “I talked to the coach and he talked about how they develop their players. Trae Young and Blake Griffin went to Oklahoma and developed into great players in the NBA. He was just talking about how I fit in the style of play. I can fit with the team. He was just talking about how they’re big on developing players.”
However, Blocker’s recruitment was in full swing long before college coaches were able to reach out directly, having already taken unofficial visits to Arkansas and Baylor.
Blocker first traveled Arkansas on June 5, connecting with the coaching staff and checking out the campus.
“They were telling me that my game can fit in their system,” he said. They were also talking about how they’re big on nutrition. I like to eat, so they were telling me those things. We’re building a relationship. They texted and called me on June 15 like all the coaches did. It was a great experience on that visit also.”
Just a few days later, on June 10, Blocker made his way to Waco to check out the defending national champions.
“The Baylor visit was a very fun experience,” he said. “I got to connect and talk with the coaches. I got to watch the workouts. I like the campus. They’re a great program and they’re also the national champs. It was a great experience being on campus.”
With two unofficial visits under his belt, Blocker is gearing up to take official visits, the first of which coming September 10-12 when he’ll travel to Ole Miss.
“We’ve been connecting for a while,” he said. “I’ve been talking to the coaches and they said I’m a priority. I haven’t seen the campus yet, but I have college friends that go there and they were talking about how the campus is nice. Watching them play, they play with a lot of energy.”
After Ole Miss, Blocker is set to travel to Auburn for his second official visit October 8-10.
“I’ve been in contact with coach [Wes] Flanigan. He’s been keeping up with me and talking about how he really likes my game,” Blocker said. “He’s excited for me to come up and visit. Auburn is a really good team. Their style of play, how they were playing Sharife Cooper and those guards, I could fit in that system. They’re a very successful program.”
As Blocker makes his rounds, visiting each school, he says he’s paying close attention to the practices in order to learn how the coaches and players interact with one another.
“I’m just looking at how everybody gets along because I want to go to a college where we treat each other like family and we push each other on and off the court,” he said. “Those are the main things that I’m looking for.”
Photo: Sutton Shots
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