This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Hopewell High School in Huntersville, North Carolina, for Underrated Athletes’ fourth annual The Well Invitational. The four-game slate featured the likes of West Charlotte, Ambassador Christian, West Meck, Harding, Westminster Catawba, Corvian Community, Victory Christian, and the hosting Hopwell. We will dive deeper into several subplots and things worth monitoring from this event, starting with Hopewell’s young, blossoming duo of Brayden McCrimmon and MJ McKinney. Although they have a variety of veteran pieces like Tre Gatlin and Kyle Broughton, let’s take a closer look at the future of this program…
Although we wrote extensively about him earlier today, it’s clear that McKinney has the tools to be a cornerstone piece for this program. He’s already more than comfortable operating with or without the ball in his hands. McKinney creates well off the bounce, both for himself and others, and makes smart decisions with the ball in his hands. He mixes it up well as a scorer from all levels, but doesn’t need to force the action to assert his presence. McKinney is a willing passer who operates well within the team structure. He defends with toughness, rebounds his position, and reliably fills in the gaps on both ends of the floor. Given his general ability to impact all facets of the game, McKinney looks likely to be a notable prospect.
Similarly, McCrimmon is starting to tap into his potential. He’s improving as the season moves along, as evidenced by the fact that he’s had half of his double-digit scoring performances in three of the last four games. The same can be said for his rebounding totals, as his three-highest marks of the year came in his last five games. In terms of his actual on-court identity, McCrimmon already understands how to utilize his size and motor to make an impact around the basket. He finishes, rebounds, and works to secure extra possessions. Although he’s still just scratching the surface of his long-term abilities, there’s certainly a lot to like.