Harry Giles, one of the top players in the nation, announced on Wednesday that he will be transferring from Wesleyan Christian Academy in High Point, North Carolina to national powerhouse Oak Hill Academy in Mouth of Wilson, Virginia.
Giles is ranked in the top three nationally by every major recruiting service, so it’s not a matter of gaining exposure. It seems that playing for Oak Hill has always been a dream of Giles, which will provide a chance to take home a national title at the high school level.
The 5-star power forward posted the following on Twitter Wednesday afternoon as he made his public announcement:
[callout2]”Before I make this announcement, I would like to personally thank (Wesleyan) Coach Keith Gatlin for everything he has done for me. Thank you for helping me develop as a person and player. I will always be grateful for that. I would also like to thank the rest of my coaching staff for their three years of commitment in my development. The relationships with you all is something I will always have. Also would like to thank Wesleyan for the great education they allowed me to receive and the love they shared with me. To my teammates I love you boys with all my heart, playing on the same team with you was an amazing road and I wish each one of you the best of luck in your careers. We still brothers for life regardless. To the student body I met people that I will remember for the rest of my life and I thank each one of you for the kindness and great relationships. I will miss the Red Sea but they will always be in my heart. The decision I chose was one of the toughest things I’ve had to do but its a decision my family and I thought would be best for me going forward. My senior year of high school, I will be attending Oak Hill Academy.”[/callout2]
Last season, Giles averaged 23 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and two blocks per game for the Trojans, helping them to a 30-5 overall record and a 3A-runner up finish in North Carolina’s private schools ranks.
Now, Giles will be teaming up with a few other transfers, as Matt Coleman, one of the top point guards in the country in the 2017 class, 2016 power forward Mario Kegler, ranked in the top 30 by several sites, and 2016 forward Braxton Blackwell, another highly-touted recruit nationally. All of them have multiple offers from ACC programs.
To say that Oak Hill will be loaded next year might be an understatement with the talent returning and coming into the program. Giles seems to be ready for his final season at his new school.
“I think there’s even more motivation this year since they’ve been so close the last two years,” Giles told USA Today. “I definitely feel like we have the talent and all of us are excited to get down there and push each other from day one in workouts. I can’t wait to get things started.”
Giles recently cut his list down to North Carolina, Kentucky, Wake Forest, Kansas, and Duke but admits that he really will be locked in on school and developing his game at the highest level.