Durham Hurricanes 2017
The Hurricanes have been a proven team for some time but they always continue to impress when the participate in the Phenom Hoops Events. 2017 Andrew Freeman from Southern is a player one will want to watch this coming season. He can flat out shoot the basketball and you can see his confidence grow has he sees the ball goes through the net. He has very good size (thick guard that can bully his way around), while also being able to handle the ball with quick moves. 2017 Taqwain Bell (Jordan high school) has nice size a 6’4 with a good frame and good mobility. He was a regularly one of the top scorers last week at the Champion Showcase in Greensboro. Other players like 2017 Jarmaiel Jeffries, 2017 Alexander Davis, and others certainly had flashes of talent on Day 1.
Brand X 16U
Ricky Council III, class of 2018, is a 5’11 guard that is showing that the talent is running in the family. Still young and learning what he can, he showed that his pull-up jumper was on Day 1 of the CP3 Live. You can see he has the abilities to be just like his older brother, it just will take time for him when his body catches up. But overall, very good scorer from outside and with his pull-up. 2016 Cameron Wells also displayed a nice motor in the later game of Day 1, scoring 14 points on Friday night.
SC Coastal Elite 15U
An intriguing point guard that could be one to watch from South Carolina is Kenley Vereen, 2018 point guard. He struggled at times with mistakes but he also showed he has nice instincts on the floor and is always looking to get his teammates involved. Crafty guard that controls tempo. Also Ky Wine Velazquez (2018, 6’5) had a nice motor on the boards and used his length to attack and put back misses several times. A lot of room to grow his game but played well when the ball was on the rim on Friday night.
Team Winston 15U
One of my favorite players to watch Friday night was 2018 Daivien Williamson from Winston-Salem Prep. Though he is still young, you can see that this kid has the goods to make it at the next level if he continues to work. He has quick speed, length for a guard, displayed that he can hit the outside three, but also attack the rim and finish in traffic. If certainly is one to watch in North Carolina for the 2018 class. Also have two prospects to keep an eye on in 2018 6’7 Steven Randle (North Forsyth) and 2018 6’5 Benjamin Uloko (West Forsyth).
Durham Hurricanes 15U
Another familiar team for Phenom Hoops. Trey Murphy, who has come on this summer, continued to knock down threes and lead his team with 17 points during the late night game. Christian Brandon is a tough and very athletic forward for the Hurricanes and got the crowd involved, while Elbert Ellis III was consistent all night long with 14 points.
Team Winston 17U
Might have been the most entertaining team to watch on Day 1 here at D1 Sports Training. 2016 Charles Norman started the game off with a hair raising dunk that got the game going, while 2016 Michael Seals paled well at point guard like he has much of the season. 2017 big man Zaire Williams showed polished and big-time post moves at times, while big man Akia Pruitt helped solidify the paint. Clay Mounce might have also had the dunk of the weekend, while getting fouled. This team is loaded and will be a force all weekend long.
UBA-Blue 17U
2016 Marley Pittman, a man that wheres his emotions on his sleeves. Team Winston eventually started double teaming him, as he continued to use a quick first step to get to the basket or get to the line. He never quit and his motor was always going. Also liked what I saw in 2016 Isaiah Penn; big body that can play multiple positions. Really started to see his game in the second half of the game.