Phenom Hoops kicked off the high school season with the National HS Showcase held at Greensboro Day School and these were my Friday night standouts:
Ignas Brazdeikis (Michigan) 6'8' SF Orangeville Prep (CAN)
The first time I laid eyes on this young man I saw that he had a knack for scoring the basketball but he was kind of a plodder who didn't wow you with athleticism but simply tried to get you off balance to get his buckets. Fast forward to now and he has revamped his body and he no longer plods around the floor but moves well with or without the ball and has increased his range to where he can beat you not only going to the hole but also knocking down shots from the arc. He still holds his own on the block as he rebounds quite well on both ends of the floor plus he's an adept passer especially from the high post area. Defensively he plays hard and isn't afraid to match up with quicker perimeter opponents. On this night Brazdeikis put up a stat line of 31pts 8reb 3asts while knocking down 5 treys in his teams 81-71 victory over Word of God Christian Academy (NC). I can see why Michigan likes this young man because they're getting someone who can get to the basket, run the floor, rebound and step outside to stretch the floor by hitting the 3 ball and if he commits to defense consistently I can see him getting some good minutes in his Frosh season.
John Newman (Clemson) 6'6' SF Greensboro Day School (NC)
In two games at the Showcase on his home floor Newman showed why he was so coveted by Clemson and others as he moves seamlessly through and around defenses looking to take advantage of mismatches or drawing opponents away from their defensive assignments to get the ball to a teammate for an easy score. On a team that values ball movement and sharing the ball Newman has taken the mantle of being a leader and by his actions has shown the underclassmen what it takes to win and be successful. He's a high flying athlete who can sky to the cup but doesn't force what isn't there as some players are wont to do. He has a nice grasp on game situations and a keen eye to make the extra pass when a defender gets caught out of position. While I wouldn't consider him a knock down perimeter guy I do think his stroke has improved a great deal to where opponents can't ignore his outside shot. From a defensive standpoint his quickness of foot and good anticipation allow him to disrupt things and create for his teammates in the process. In two games this weekend Newman led his team on Friday evening with 18pts 3stls in a 73-36 win over Fayetteville Academy (NC) then on Saturday he had a team first 9pts 5asts 4reb and 3stls in a 69-51 win over York Prep (SC). He constantly passed up his own offense for better shots and again proved that he's a team first player.
Trey Wertz (Santa Clara) 6'5' SF Providence Day School (NC)
Wertz started off'Friday'by knocking down a trey then he got inside for a layup then a few possessions later he drew a foul and canned both FT's. The rest of the evening was a breeze as he led his squad with 24pts 8reb 4asts while nailing all 8 FT's he attempted in an 80-66 win over Northwood Temple Academy (NC). He played with focus on both ends letting his offense come in the flow of the game and buckling down on defense to get some stops inside to aid the cause. For the most part Wertz plays inside by necessity as he's the second tallest player on the Chargers roster but he still can move fluidly on the perimeter as a swing man especially when he can shoot the three with confidence which he did in this contest (2 treys). Because he is athletic enough to defend outside the paint he caused a few problems by getting his arms in the passing lanes and while only getting 1 steal he caused several turnovers with his quick reactions. He came back in the'Saturday'game and showed that he can adapt to not getting a lot of touches by playing team basketball and contributing in other areas with 9pts 5reb and 3asts in a win over Word of God. Once he adds some muscle to his thin frame I think he'll be an excellent college player with a nice upside.
Devon Dotson (Kansas) 6'2' CG Providence Day School (NC)
Friday'was not vintage Devon Dotson like I've seen him on various occasions but what I saw was plenty good enough. In the win over Northwood Temple he finished with 23pts 9reb 3stls. He didn't shoot the ball well from the field but he definitely helped salt the game away by hitting 12-14 FT's in the 2nd half. Dotson to me is more combo than point and that's not a bad thing as he can penetrate the defense with quick bursts and get to the rack for layins. If the opponent tries pressuring him he has the intuitive instinct to look for the diagonal pass or the drop off pass to the trailer which is just as effective. On this night he simply got to the rim only to see his shots roll around and out which happens to the best of them. He has a presence on the floor that draws his teammates to follow him and he is more than willing to lead. Defensively he's quite the opportunist who can guard on the perimeter using his toughness to get strip steals or by anticipating lazy passes and picking them off. He's also a very good rebounder for a guard as he is strong enough to battle with the bigs to get his fair share. For an encore he came back in a 91-75 win over Word of God with 34pts 9reb and 6asts plus 2 treys in a more even performance which is line with what I've seen from him in the past.
Donovan Gregory 6'4' 2019 SG Carmel Christian School (NC)
I'm not sure where Gregory fits position wise at the next level but I definitely think he can play D-1 basketball. He moves very well around the perimeter and he can hold his own in the paint despite giving up several inches and he shows some toughness and intestinal fortitude to boot. He scores most of his points on slashing drives to the rim and midrange jumpers but he seemed to struggle from the arc hitting none in the two games here. In the'Friday'night win over Christ School (NC) he finished with 18pts 5reb 3asts 3stls and played solid defense in the win. At times he appeared tentative and he was just 2-5 from the stripe but didn't lose focus in his defensive responsibilities.'On Saturdayhe continued to show out going for 25pts 4reb while hitting all 7 of his FT's in a 73-67 win over Huntsville (AL) Lee HS. Gregory is kind of a glue guy for his team that can do multiple athletic things on the court and with some refinement in his stroke I believe he can raise his recruiting profile while becoming a leader for his squad.
Jalen Lecque 6'4' 2019 SG Christ School (NC)
This young man is an athletic high flying athlete with a quick first step that he uses to explode by defenders and an equally quick first jump to get to the rim for the crowd pleasing slam. While watching him play in his teams loss to Carmel Christian however I saw more to his game than just jumping over people. For one he surveys the floor when bringing the ball up. On several occasions he delivered crisp on the money passes to teammates in scoring positions (3asts) while not over dribbling which most young guards seem to have an affinity for. He sticks his nose in the paint to chase down loose balls and he can rebound the ball (6reb) using the aforementioned athleticism to go up and snatch it away from an unsuspecting opponent. Defensively he has really good vision and anticipation of where the ball may be headed and was able to snag two steals as well as cause a few turnovers. His deep stroke is a work in progress and his FT shooting (5-8) could be more consistent but the tools are there for this youngster to stand out.''''''''''''''''''''''''''
A couple more guys had good efforts on Friday night that I should mention:
Max Farthing 6'6' 2019 F Word of God Christian Academy (NC)'
While not passing the look test this young man can shoot the ball going for 25pts 7 treys'on Friday'then coming back'on Saturday'with 16pts 4 treys. If you need a basket down the stretch he's a nice weapon to have.
Emmanuel Izunabor 6'9' 2019 PF Fayetteville Academy (NC)
Just touching the surface of his potential he showed a nice low post game and a nose for the ball in collecting 9pts 11reb in his teams loss. Went after rebounds like a man possessed and challenged opponents inside defensively. Needs to work on his shooting touch (1-4 FT) but the potential is trending up.
John Michael Wright 6'0' 2019 CG Northwood Temple Academy (NC)
This youngster was a dynamo on the floor in his teams loss going for 17pts 12reb 5asts and teaming up with 6'5' 2019 'SG Josh Nickelberry (17pts 4 treys) to form a potent back court that gave their opponent some fits.
Ford Cooper 6'3' 2020 CG Carmel Chistian School (NC)
For a while I toyed around Chris Berman style and was calling this young man Ford 'Mini' Cooper but the more I watched the more I saw there is nothing Mini about his game. The Soph contributed 15pts 5reb 3asts and 2 treys in his squads win while displaying some maturity on the court beyond his years. Look forward to seeing him again in the near future.
That wraps up the'Friday'coverage from Phenom Hoops National HS Showcase.