Was '24 Caden Diggs the high-major breakout of Southern Jam? Xavier thinks so

High major players start their stories at the Southern Jam Fest every year. This year, Caden Diggs was one of those breakout performers. The 6-foot-7 class of 2024 wing shined from start to finish, making plays in transition, jump shots, and finishing high above the rim.

“I’m an energizer for my team,” Diggs told On3. “I have a lot of confidence in my pullup jumper. I’ve become a lot more comfortable and confident in myself this Summer. I watch a lot of Jayson Tatum, the way he gets to his shots and how creative he is scoring the ball.”

Playing with his New World 3SSB 16u team, his 23 points on night one was a very loud notice of what was to come. On3 caught up with Caden Diggs to see who was in early on his recruitment.

“I have offers from Xavier, NJIT, and Howard,” Diggs said. “DePaul and Temple have been talking to us. I visited Xavier.”

Diggs talks recruitment

Xavier: “They’re a basketball school that really stood out. They play like a freelance set there, and I feel like that fits me. They move the ball a lot, and they use their bigs.”

“DePaul and Temple both saw me play in April,” Diggs said. “They stay in touch with my coach, they both say how much they like my upside and keep telling me how good I can be.”

“I watched a lot of Scottie Wilbikien growing up,” Diggs said. “I don’t know why but he was just one of my favorite players. So I grew up liking Florida.”

Diggs’ take

“I plan to visit George Mason and Georgetown soon, probably some more too. When I go on these visits, I like watching these schools’ practices, how they operate, how they interact with each other, how the coaches coach, etc. I like to play uptempo with a team who will push the ball.”

On3’s take

Caden Diggs has a basketball player’s frame. He walks on the floor with long arms and broad shoulders, looking the part. His game really opens up in transition, where he has explosion at the rim and excellent balance when attacking. He moves well off the ball, cuts with a purpose, and squares up quickly to knock down jumpers off movement. He will need to continue adding strength and working on attacking in the half-court. But he knocked down multiple threes, attacked a closeout finishing with a big two-handed dunk in traffic, and cashed in on three elbow jumpers off movement. It was a very impressive showing from someone who looks to be right on the verge of a regional to national reputation.