Fort Dorchester’s R.J. Slawson was one of top junior basketball players in the state. He has a wide variety of shots, runs the court well and plays hard at both ends of the court.
“I hold him to a higher standard,” Fort Dorchester coach Leon Wheaton says of his 6-7 power forward. “The sky is the limit for him. He’s the first kid I’ve had as a coach who has that kind of size and can do so many things.”
One of the things Slawson did after last Friday’s double-overtime victory over West Ashley was apologize for his performance — or lack thereof. Temple assistant coach Matt Langel traveled from Philadelphia to scout Slawson, and Slawson responded by getting into foul trouble early in the game and spending most of regulation play on the bench He did play in the two overtimes and finished with 11 points.
“I felt I should have apologized,” Slawson said. “I felt really bad about him traveling all the way down here to watch me play and then I get into foul trouble. I tried to do too much.”
Slawson is having a strong season after transferring from Stratford to Fort Dorchester. He leads the Patriots with 19.1 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.5 steals per game heading into today’s matchup with Wando. He played summer basketball for the Beach Ball Select team and performed well enough to impress college coaches.
He’s been in contact with Clemson, South Carolina, Wichita State, Virginia Tech and many mid-major programs.
Last Friday wasn’t the first time Langel has been in the Lowcountry. He recruited Porter-Gaud forward Khris Middleton, who ended up signing with Texas A&M. Now, it’s Slawson’s time to be evaluated by the Owls’ coaching staff
Like Middleton, Slawson has a smooth jump shot. He’s blessed with a hook shot and can drive to the basket for a dunk.
“He can stroke it,” Wheaton said. “He’s dangerous from anywhere on the court. He scored 25 points the other night (against Beaufort), and I feel he left some points out on the court. You just expect him to do well. He hasn’t scratched his potential.”
Wheaton says Slawson must become more physical, more explosive and make decisions quickly.
“I’m confident he can improve,” the coach said. “In fact, if he improves his ball-handling ability, he could play the No. 2 (guard) in college.”
Slawson appreciates the interest shown by college coaches, but for now he’s focused on becoming a better basketball player and helping Fort Dorchester win the Region 8-AAAA title.
“You can improve in every area, but for me, it’s mostly in strength and dribbling,” he said. “We’re 15-2, and the games we lost, we could have won if we played a little better. We want to be good. We want to win the region and then the state.”
And if that happens, Slawson solidifies his standing as one of the state’s top juniors.