P.J. Hairston sheds his “shooter” label
Words. Jason Jordan
GREENSBORO, N.C. — P.J. Hairston sits in a rolling chair inside the cramped Dudley High basketball office, legs sprawled in front of him and leaned back with his fingers interlocked behind his head. He’s stylishly underdressed in basketball shorts, a white T-shirt, and a jogging suit top. He’s the picture of tranquility, as he cuts up with his mother Wendy and three of the Dudley basketball coaches.
Still, a shade of unrest clouds his serene façade as soon as I tell he and his crew my angle.
“So basically, it’s about you becoming a more complete player,” I say. “Not just a shooter.”
It’s clear that Hairston doesn’t like the label, but he contends that he understands why it’s been thrust upon him.
The coaches don’t understand the label. Neither does Wendy, who offers, “I mean, P.J. couldn’t even shoot in the ninth grade. He was always a post player. Right now, if you put him in the paint, he’d be the best post player in high school.”
Be that as it may, Hairston, a 6-6 junior shooting guard, earned a national rep for his accurate long ball. But if his play this past AAU season is any indication, it will be unclear what that rep will be from this point on.
“It doesn’t bother me too much that people label me as a shooter,” says Hairston. “Honestly, it just motivates me. I’ve been working hard to show every part of my game.”
That was evident last month at the Elite 80 Showcase at Barton College in Wilson, N.C. On one play in transition, Hairston received a pass on the right side of the court just as he crossed the halfcourt line. Fully aware of Hairston’s reputation for nailing NBA threes, his defender pushed up on him immediately. A simple hesitation dribble and a crossover and Hairston left his defender standing on the right wing. Then he side-stepped another defender, took off in the middle of the lane and threw down a monster dunk in traffic.
“When I was in ninth grade, I didn’t even want to try and dunk,” says Hairston. “I’m really just starting to get to the point where I’m really seeing my hops get better. It has a lot to do with the work I’ve put in this offseason. I did, and still do, a lot of ball handling drills, squats and calf raises. It was hard work, but it’s paying off.”
The culmination of Hairston’s hard work came on Aug. 3 when he committed to North Carolina over offers from Florida, Wake Forest, Arizona and Memphis. He was also getting heavy interest from Boston College, Indiana, Georgetown, Maryland and Duke.
“It came down to North Carolina, Memphis and Florida,” says Hairston. “One of the coaches that I really liked at Florida left, and Memphis was going through too many issues with the NCAA so I decided on North Carolina. I knew what I wanted to do so I just didn’t wait.”
The timing of Hairston’s commitment was a bit rare. Often times, recruits hold off on ending their recruitment in order to capitalize on the attention the mystery of where they’ll end up is worth.
“P.J.’s not like that at all,” says Wendy. “To be honest, he’s kind of oblivious to what’s going on around him. He doesn’t go to clubs, he doesn’t hang out… I could have a whole lot of problems with a 16-year-old African American son, but the biggest thing I have to get on him about is cleaning up his room. He’s not obsessed with getting attention.”
It doesn’t stop it from coming, even if Hairston wishes it would. Wendy said that it’s “mostly middle-aged grown men and kids” that approach Hairston when he’s out. So much so that Hairston doesn’t even go into the store anymore with Wendy.
“I think he committed early because he got tired of all of the attention,” says Wendy.
Adds Hairston: “Since I committed the attention has calmed down a little. I like it better that way.”
He won’t be so lucky this basketball season. Not after averaging 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game while draining 40 percent of his 3-pointers.
Though it’s hard to chart, Hairston’s percentage may have been significantly higher from the field this AAU season because he was taking high-percentage shots, shedding the “shooter” label in the process.
That should help Dudley all season, but particularly on Jan. 9 when Hairston goes head-to-head with Reggie Bullock and Kinston High at the Dean Dome.
“That’s gonna be fun because that’s my boy,” says Hairston of Bullock. “I’m not gonna guarantee a win or anything. I’m sure we’ll be talking back and forth all throughout the game… But I think we’ll win it.”
When asked about the highly anticipated matchup, Bullock, of course, had a different take.
“Oh no, we can’t lose to our rivals,” he says. “And I can’t lose my last year. I’m 3-0 against Dudley and 2-0 against P.J.”
Still, while it’s true that the numbers don’t lie, it’s also true that they don’t tell the whole story. It’s hard not to consider Hairston’s emergence into a more complete player… And alas, we return to the label.
“It’s OK,” says Hairston. “I understand why you say that, but it’s a good thing. All I’m worried about is winning a state title and being more dominant in different aspects of the game.”
And labels be dammed, he’s on his way.
P.J. Hairston scouting report
Quite possibly the most deadly 3-point shooter in the 2011 class, Hairston is also effective at getting into the lane and finishing strong and, though it’s not his strength, has shown the ability to create easy scoring opportunities for his teammates. Defensively he’ll need to get more agile, but as a junior he’s right on-par to become dominant at both ends of the floor.
Got a burning question for Jason? Email him: JasonJ@DimeMag.com
The kid can flat out shoot the rock, but he does have overlooked strengths of his game such as off the dribble and able to finish in the lane….by the way he’s built he should b!
He is a good passer, the def hopefully will come around (me being a fan of basketball and of course a UNC fan).
I hope i get a chance to see him vs reggie, i was hoping to see another meeting between him and Tashawn Mabry!!
They had a shootout as tenth grd’s in rocky mount which kinston won 85-78 i believe. Reggie didnt play in the first qt, precaution from an ankle inj. He still finished with 27pts 8reb, 5ass 3stl 2blk.
Mabry went off 4 37pts 8reb 5blks 3stl and 5ass.
Last years game was no contest at all. Rocky mt forgot reggie bullock was reggie bullock, it seem like he had 40. I forget the total 32..35..something like that.
Keep up the good work pj, cant wait 2 c u in an unc uniform!!!!
[...] GREENSBORO, NC — PJ Hairston sits in a rolling chair inside the cramped Dudley High basketball office, legs sprawled in front of him and leaned back. … “It came down to North Carolina , Memphis and Florida,” says Hairston. “One of the coaches that I really liked at Florida left, and Memphis was going through too many issues with the NCAA so I decided on North Carolina . I knew what I wanted to do so I just didn’t wait.” The timing of Hairston’s commitment was a bit rare. …More Here [...]