SC JUNIOR PHENOM EVENT RECAPS
Bendel’s Best: 757 Showcase
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops made the journey up to Virginia Beach to host our third annual 757 Showcase. The event featured a ton of new faces and noteworthy talent across all age groups. Several guys stood out across the two-day stretch, and this article will take a closer look at a few personal favorites… 5’10 ’25 Derek Ross Jr. (Wildcats Elite) Between social media and dozens of articles,...
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Player Standouts at Phenom 757 Showcase
6’7 ’25 Jeremiah Morris (Virginia Havoc) It doesn’t take long to be enticed by Morris, as he’s a long, strong, athletic forward who offers versatility on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-7, he possesses IQ, skill, and a terrific build. Offensively, Morris is comfortable posting up around the basket, moving without the ball, or attacking off the dribble. He finishes above the rim and well...
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NC Spartans Neisler Continues to Roll
This past weekend, NC Spartans Neisler claimed the 16U Championship at our annual Gate City Showcase. They’ve been nothing short of impressive to start the summer season, and that only continued here. Beyond the phenomenal coaching and chemistry, it’s worth noting that they found success despite only having six players available. Let’s take a look at their six… 6’2 ’26 Aidan O’Gara Although each...
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Player Standouts at Phenom Gate City (Part Two)
6’2 ’25 CJ Jackson (Truth Elite) Although the entire Truth Elite roster is worthy of attention from college coaches, Jackson clearly stands out as their leader. At 6-foot-2, he’s almost a completely positionless player. Jackson is legitimately capable of running the offense while controlling the glass and defending any opponent on the court. He possesses an impressive blend of strength,...
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Player Standouts at Phenom Gate City (Part One)
6’1 ’28 Nick Brooks (MAF Elite) The only underclassmen on this list, Brooks was undeniably impressive as a focal point for a dominant MAF Elite group. He possesses an excellent combination of length, skill, and athleticism with the necessary IQ and toughness to consistently overwhelm opponents. Brooks applied constant, yet efficient scoring pressure from all levels while still showing a...
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Scholarship-Worthy Unsigned Seniors in North Carolina (Part Two)
6’8 Richard Goods (Grimsley) Given the fact that his recruitment has steadily picked up, it remains clear that Richard Goods possesses the tools to be a quality piece at the next level. Although he’s always been a useful player, his game made noticeable strides under Coach Corbett. This season, Goods prioritized anchoring the paint on both ends of the floor. He rebounded, blocked shots, and...
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POB’s Takeaways/Standouts from McDonald’s All-American Game
Derik Queen: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals Queen came out strong early on, and only continued to bring production to the table with his game in the All-American Game. The big man flourished in showing touch and displaying strong hands in the paint and on the boards, but you also have to appreciate his skillset at his size. Queen was able to showcase his footwork, his overall...
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Making the Transition: 1-on-1 with Miki Gacic
Over the recent years, it feels like North Carolina has been home for several noteworthy international prospects. Without listing every player, guys like Derin Saran, Ryan Soulis, Domas Kauzonas, and Christ Essandoko are merely a few of the applicable names we’ve seen in the last two classes. Now, Miki Gacic looks likely to keep the trend going. The Serbian point guard enjoyed a strong high...
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Notable Performers from Phenom Rise Showcase
6’4 ’25 Abijah Franklin (Team USC EYCL) In an event full of impressive performances, Franklin might’ve been the most memorable piece on display. He’s a long, skilled, athletic wing prospect with size, toughness, and the ability to consistently impact the game on both ends of the floor. Franklin showcased feel, vision, and scoring polish from all levels. He reliably creates clean looks off the...
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Names to Know from Phenom March Madness
6’2 ’27 Jacob Mills (Carolina Riptide) There are a lot of terrific shooters in the state, but Mills might truly be atop the list. Although he’s made strides to expand his game off the bounce, the 6-foot-2 guard is clearly at his best when knocking down jumpers. Mills moves extremely well without the ball, gets to his spots with consistency, and converts spot-up opportunities as an incredibly...
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Team CP3 EYCL is a Well-Oiled Machine
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Rise Indoor Sports for our annual March Madness. The event featured a lot of notable teams, prospects, and overall storylines worth following—including Team CP3 EYCL and their slew of enticing pieces. Coach Will Price is back at the helm and has the perfect collection of players to implement his vision. Their combination of IQ, passing, and...
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Tough as Nails: Brody Watkins
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Rise Indoor Sports for our annual March Madness. The event featured a lot of notable teams, prospects, and overall storylines worth following—including DB Elite’s strong showing as a program. It’s clear that they’ve continued to expand, as each of their teams proved to be highly competitive throughout the three-day stretch. While they have several...
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Cap City Charlotte Hitting Their Stride
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Rise Indoor Sports for our annual March Madness. The event featured a lot of notable teams, prospects, and overall storylines worth following. While there were several 17U teams who performed well, Cap City Charlotte stood above the rest to claim the championship. They have a highly recruitable team featuring college-level unsigned seniors like...
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Middleton Elite Duo of Jamel McKinley and Jeremiah Triplin Turning Heads
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Rise Indoor Sports for our annual March Madness. The event featured a lot of notable teams, prospects, and overall storylines worth following. Although there was consistent excitement among the older age groups, the young prospects warranted attention as well. One of the most intriguing teams, Middleton Elite, is a newly formed organization that is...
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NC Spartans Henderson Shaping Up as a Top Independent Team
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Rise Indoor Sports for our annual March Madness. The event featured a lot of notable teams, prospects, and overall storylines worth following. Given the general rise of secondary circuits, this three-day stretch offered a closer look at some of the top independent teams across North Carolina. While various programs could be mentioned within this...
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Worthy of Attention: LionChaserU
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops hosted our annual Tip-Off Classic in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event featured a variety of talented teams with intriguing prospects, and none were more dominant than LionChaserU. Although the have a slew of college-level pieces throughout their roster, we will take a closer look at their top performers from the two-day stretch… 5’10 ’26 Cam Tyler Arguably...
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Overflowing with Appeal: Julian Adigun
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops hosted our annual Spring Tip-Off (both in Richmond and Greensboro). Across the two days at Proehlific Park, we saw an abundance of talented prospects. Whether available seniors, young prospects, or players trending upward, there were plenty of guys who warranted attention. Amidst all the excitement, the Durham Hurricanes stood out as absolute machine en route to...
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Trio of Unsigned Seniors Turned Heads at Phenom Tip-Off
6’6 Kayleb Coles (Lionchaser) It’s perplexing to see a player like Coles, who truly possesses all the tools to be a clear difference-maker at the next level, still available for college programs. This head-scratching sentiment was only furthered through his dominant play throughout the weekend. Coles did legitimately everything, and it was impressive. Offensively, he consistently hit jumpers...
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Team FLY Loaded with Talented Young Prospects
Over the past two weekends, we’ve gotten the opportunity to watch Team FLY and their notable group of 2028 prospects. Where most teams require time to get adequately adjusted and iron out the early-season jitters, this team is already rolling. They’ve gone 7-1 across the two events while showcasing an impressive level of chemistry, toughness, and discipline. Let’s take a closer look at their...
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Takeaways from Round One of HoopState Championship
Yesterday, Phenom Hoops and the Hoop State Network kicked off our annual Hoop State Championship with the opening round of games. Although “first-round” outcomes are usually lopsided, this ultra-competitive field offered four quality games to start the event. Bull City, Quality Education Academy, Combine Academy, and Winston-Salem Christian all advanced to the second round. However, this article...
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1-on-1 with Daniil Glazkov (IMG Academy)
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops held our Post Grad Nationals in Rock Hill, South Carolina. Each year, the event seems to grow in terms of noteworthy teams, players, and college coaches in attendance. In an event loaded with Division I talent, Daniil Glazkov, a 6-foot-5 Russian guard for IMG Academy easily stood out as the most impressive performer on display. He’s largely unknown by the masses,...
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NCHSAA 3A Championship Preview
Yesterday, the NCHSAA 3A semifinals concluded with Central Cabarrus and Seventy-First advancing to do battle in the championship contest. Similar to the previous preview, both of these teams are undeniably deserving of their place in the title game. However, these are two completely different groups. In looking at Seventy-First, they’ve arguably been the most impressive squad to make the...
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NCHSAA 1A Championship Preview
On Monday, the NCHSAA 1A semifinals concluded with Wilson Prep and Corvian Community Christian advancing to do battle in the championship contest. While both teams are certainly deserving of this opportunity, these are two very different situations. On one side, Wilson Prep has been nothing short of incredible over the recent years—winning two of the last three 1A state titles. Coach Atkinson...
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Carolina Rebels’ Dominant Duo: RJ Davis and CJ Moore
This past weekend, the Carolina Rebels attended our Phenom Opening. This organization has been overflowing with talent over the recent years, including guys like Elton Smith, Yale Davis, Korie Corbett, Desmond Harrington, and several others. However, it appears their current roster might have as much appeal as ever before. They absolutely thwarted their first two opponents, won a huge semifinal...
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Notable Performers at Phenom Opening
6’2 ’28 Jack Baker (Team Curry) On a roster with several intriguing pieces, Baker stood out as a clear catalyst for this group. He’s a long, skilled forward with a nice blend of IQ, instincts, and athleticism. Baker displayed the ability to apply consistent scoring pressure around the basket, highlighting touch, footwork, and the ability to play through contact. His active motor led to multiple...
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True Point Guard: AJ Morman Tracking as an Elite Floor General
Every few years, a middle-school prospect emerges way ahead of schedule. While we collectively know that this period is a mere checkpoint, it can be difficult to overlook the greatness being seen. There are so many variables involved with an individual player’s development (especially smaller prospects) that can dictate how they match up to their peers. However, these are not concerns for...
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Lady Standouts at Phenom Opening
2030 India Adams (Charlotte Dream Elite) There were a ton of notable players for this Charlotte Dream Elite squad, but it would be impossible to overlook everything Adams brought to the table. She’s an incredibly tough, physical guard with a high motor and excellent size. Adams possesses natural instincts, as evidenced by her nose for the ball, and understands how to comfortably dictate the...
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Players to Watch at Phenom Post Grad Nationals
This weekend, Phenom Hoops will make the journey down to Rock Hill Sports and Events Center for another exciting three-day stretch of hoops. In addition to our Phenom Opening, we will also have our annual Post Grad Nationals taking place. While the Opening will feature a variety of teams and age groups, the Post Grad Nationals should be a must-attend event for college coaches looking to finalize...
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NCHSAA Brackets Announced: 1A Breakdown
This past weekend, the NCHSAA playoff brackets were announced for all classifications. Now, teams will transition into the final stage of the high school season as they look to pursue a state championship. Each classification has clear favorites, intriguing darkhorses, and loads of next-level talent. Similar to the private-school playoffs, there is a much greater level of parody than we’ve seen...
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NCHSAA Brackets Announced: 4A Breakdown
This past weekend, the NCHSAA playoff brackets were announced for all classifications. Now, teams will transition into the final stage of the high school season as they look to pursue a state championship. Each classification has clear favorites, intriguing darkhorses, and loads of next-level talent. Similar to the private-school playoffs, there is a much greater level of parody than we’ve seen...
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