April Sleepers – Part 1
By Jamie Shaw
At Phenom Hoops we are fortunate to be able to be a leader on multiple fronts. Not only do we run sold out events that hundreds of coaches come to watch during the NCAA Live Period, we also run a website that the nation reads and gets millions of views and are the authors of an NCAA compliant scouting service that hundreds of colleges subscribe to. Exposure is our main goal and our events, through the coaches, the scouting service and the website/social media, get a ton of it.
April is a great month for basketball. The excitement of the Live Period is incredibly vibrant and very real. All of the shoe circuits had their events and college coaches were finally on the road, able to watch and target their future players. Phenom Hoops held two sold out April Live Period events and had around 300 college coaches hunt our sidelines. Here are some of the players who stepped out of the shadows in front of these lines of coaches at Phenom Hoop’s April Live Events.
6’9” 2018 Ody Oguama
NC Red Storm (NC)
Phenom’s Grassroots Tip Off LIVE
Oguama came into April not on anyone’s recruiting board. He lefty April on top of quite a few of the schools who watched him. Talented big men area commodity, and there are few around who carry the skill set of Oguama. He is a high level defender, with all the tools. He moves his feet laterally very well, he has great timing, he has great length, and he is explosively athletic. Oguama is a game changer, college coaches now know that.
5’9” 2018 Alex Jones
Atlanta All Stars (GA)
Phenom’s Challenge LIVE
The point guard is the heart beat of a team. The ball is in the point guard’s hands, all eyes are on him and sets the tone. Jones is this guy for every floor he steps on. He is a natural leader who immediately gets the respect of his team. He pushes the ball and plays tough on defense. Since his showing at Phenom’s Challenge Live Jones picked up 7 offers and taken on a mid-major feel, expect that trend to continue.
6’7” 2018 Dalton Dodd
Pro One Select (AL)
Phenom’s Challenge LIVE
Dodd was building some buzz coming into the April Live Period, but what he did during Phenom’s Challenge LIVE was establish himself as a player. Dodd is a high academic forward who has great size with a perimeter skill set that is tough to guard. He plays well within himself and his minimalistic approach produced great production. During his 1st game Dodd had no coaches at his game, by his last game he had a baseline full. Expect a fun couple months for him moving forward.
5’11” 2018 Jalen Johnson
Durham Hurricanes (NC)
Phenom’s Challenge LIVE & Phenom’s Grassroots Tip Off LIVE
Johnson is so strong, but his game isn’t like a typical strong bodied point guard. He is tough and gets into your face, but he is also very quick and has great length. He is a terror on the ball defender. On offense, Johnson gets where he wants on the floor. He has good vision and the ability to score the ball at all 3 levels. A leader and a team guy, he wins ball games. Johnson ends April on the top of quite a few school’s recruiting boards.