The in-state crop of basketball players in the Class of 2020 is one of the best in a while and is probably the deepest it has been since 2016. HawgBeat is taking a look at each prospect and talking to their coaches. Our series continues with Gerald Doakes…

Gerald Doakes

Position: Shooting guard

Size: 6-2 | 180

High school: Jacksonville

EYBL: Woodz Elite 16u

Offers: Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma State, TCU, Texas A&M, Abilene Christian, Southern Miss

Although he has yet to play a game for him, Jacksonville head coach Victor Joyner is already impressed with what he’s seen from Gerald Doakes.

The four-star shooting guard began his high school career at Jacksonville Lighthouse, a Class 2A charter school, before transferring to Jacksonville, a Class 6A school. Transfer rules required him to sit out last year, but he was able to practice with the team.

“The kid came in and just took the level of practice way up and made the kids around him have to play a little bit harder and a little bit faster,” Joyner said. “It really raised the level of the team up when he got there.”

Doakes’ work ethic immediately jumped out to Joyner, as he had the coach opening up the gym at every opportunity. It reminded him of some of his older players, such as Raheem Appleby, who was a three-time all-conference performer at Louisiana Tech.

It wasn’t long before he recognized the talent, as well. Joyner praised Doakes’ quickness and his ability to finish around the basket. Through 17 games with Woodz Elite, he is averaging 18 points, so he is obviously a good scorer. Doakes is also getting 4 assists and 3 rebounds per game.

“He’s a good outside shooter, but he’s going to be better by the time he leaves here,” Joiner said. “He has a lot of range on his jumper. He can shoot it pretty deep consistently. Open court, he’s very dynamic in the open court. It’s pretty impossible to keep him away from the rim in open court.”

There are still areas that Doakes needs to work on, though, including his shot selection. There are times when he forces shots because he has such a desire to win, Joyner said. He needs to continue learning how to let the game to come to him, a common issue for young players.

The same can be said on the defensive side of the ball, where his efforts are already showing as he is averaging 2 steals per game with Woodz Elite.

“When he got here, he wasn’t fundamentally sound defensively, which he’s gotten a lot better (at) now,” Joyner said. “That was the main problem we were trying to get him to understand, to crack down defensively, and he’s gotten a whole lot better defensively.”

Already with seven Division I offers, Doakes should be an fun player to watch over the next two seasons, especially with him teaming up with fellow Arkansas target Davonte Davis.

Needless to say, Joyner is looking forward to finally getting an opportunity to coach Doakes in a real game.

“I’ve only coached him for a short while, but he’s an immense talent,” Joyner said. “The sky is the limit with him. He’s very athletic and a very determined kid.

“He’s still learning the finer points of the game and once he can refine his game, he’s going to be an outstanding prospect.”