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Louisville signee V.J. King comes up big in homecoming, then gives MVP to teammate

V.J. King (Photo: Jason Jordan, USA TODAY Sports)

V.J. King (Photo: 247Sports)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Four years ago V.J. King made the first varsity start of his career with United Faith (Charlotte, N.C.), a lanky eighth grader full of potential.

“I got my first minutes on varsity as a seventh-grader and I got that start in the eighth grade,” King said. “That’s when I had all the dreams of being this big-time player. I hadn’t played in Charlotte since that year.”

On Saturday, at the Southeast National Hoops Festival, King solidified why that dream has indeed been realized, scoring 35 points and grabbing 10 rebounds to lead Paul VI (Fairfax, Va.) past Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh, N.C.), 83-77. Word of God was without star player Rawle Alkins.

“I’m excited to be back,” said King, a Louisville signee. “I can definitely say that Charlotte was the place that I got better and better. I can remember working out at this gym. I have a lot of good memories here.”

Slater had 19 points and seven rebounds.

King and his family relocated to Ohio for his freshman and sophomore years before ultimately landing in Northern Virginia.

King, a shooting guard who is ranked No. 27 overall in the ESPN 100, said the brief stint in the place where, for all intents and purposes, it began only strengthens his ultimate goal of leading his team to the DICK’s Sporting Goods Nationals title.

“I definitely want to win that,” King said. “We’re just taking it one game at a time. All the championships I can win are fine with me this year.”

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