Written by Josh Millican
Canada has produced some of the best basketball talent in the world in recent years, such as Jamal Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and Andrew Wiggins. But there is another Canadian prospect who is making waves in the US high school scene: Jalik Dunkley-Distant
Dunkley-Distant is a 6'7 shooting guard who plays for Canyon International Academy in Arizona, a prep school that competes in the prestigious Grind Session circuit & the newly release Nike EYBL Scholastic league. He is a versatile scorer who can attack the rim with explosiveness, shoot from the outside with accuracy, and create for his teammates with vision. He also has a killer instinct and a fluidity that make him hard to guard.
Dunkley, who is originally from Ontario, burst onto my radar with his high flying dunks & quickly rose to prominence in the local and national levels. He played multiple seasons at Orangeville Prep in Ontario, the same school that produced Jamal Murray, for his early years of high school and became one of youngest players on the National team.
He then moved to Canyon International Academy with his Head Coach at Orangeville, Tony McIntyre for his post grad year and has continued to impress scouts and coaches with his performance and potential. He is currently ranked as a 3-star prospect on 247sports & the # 26 SF in Arizona. Personally I think this is incredibly low as I have him as a top 3 Canadian prospect committed or not per The Maple Minute ranking system.
Dunkley-Distant recently tweeted that his recruitment is still open, with offers and interest from schools like Syracuse, Pitt, Clemson, Creighton, UCF, Rhode Island, Xavier, Washington State, as well as the G-League Ignite and Overtime Elite.
The G-League Ignite is a developmental basketball team in the NBA G League that offers elite prospects a one-year program with professional coaching, training, and competition. Overtime Elite is a basketball league for 16–20-year-olds based in Atlanta, Georgia that offers players a salaried professional career or a scholarship option.
Dunkley has not yet made a decision on his future, but he has plenty of options to choose from. He is one of the most athletically gifted prospects from Canada since Andrew Wiggins, and he has the potential to become a star at the next level. He is a player to watch for fans of Canadian basketball and the NBA draft.
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