This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled down to Waxhaw, North Carolina, for our second annual Mike Gminski Showcase Presented by Sana Recovery. The three-day event featured 21 total games with a ton of intrigue and excitement from start to finish. It’s common for these post-Christmas tournaments to highlight noteworthy teams and individuals, and this was no different. Given the abundance of talent in the gym, there were plenty of standouts worth acknowledging. Let’s take a closer look at some personal favorites from the weekend…
6’1 ’28 Jaleel Smith (Huss)
After watching him on three separate occasions at the Mike Gminski Showcase, it’s clear that Jaleel Smith deserves even more attention from the masses. Although he’s already regarded as one of the top players in North Carolina’s Class of 2028, he should start picking up more buzz as a national prospect. Smith legitimately showcased a complete game with IQ, toughness, and leadership qualities. He’s an incredibly crafty, polished creator and three-level scorer who knows how to consistently generate offense with the ball in his hands. Smith aggressively attacks whoever stands in his path, yet still looks to make the right play. He’s so impressive at effortlessly walking defenders to his spots and getting what he wants as a scorer. That being said, Smith possesses excellent pace, playmaking feel, and vision as a passer. He understands how to shift defenses through penetration. Smith’s willingness and ability to set up others really make him difficult for opponents to defend. Blitzing or sending extra help doesn’t really work because he’s able to process so quickly and either evade the pressure or locate the open man. Furthermore, Smith is the type of tough, rugged, bloodthirsty competitor every coach should want on their team. He simply has an “it” factor. Smith is a quality rebounder, especially for his size/position, and displays sharp instincts defensively. He displays the quickness and anticipation to mirror opposing guards and force turnovers at a strong rate. Between his nonstop progression and overall trajectory, Smith should only continue to turn heads.
6’1 ’26 Cam Newman (Gaston Christian)
Given his pure dominance across all games, it should come as no surprise to see Cam Newman listed among the absolute best performers in attendance. Regardless of stage, opponent, or any other variable, he brings it every single night. Newman is an incredible leader who truly dominates as a smooth, unselfish focal point for the Eagles. Whether it’s scoring, playmaking, or something else, Newman knows exactly how to fulfill his team’s needs. He completely controls the action as the main offensive hub. Newman dictates the offense with phenomenal balance between playmaking and three-level scoring. However, his scoring is somewhat of a requirement for this group to excel. Newman is able to basically get any shot he wants off the bounce, showing the understanding of how to break down defenses, attack openings, and put nonstop pressure on opponents. He mixes it up really well from all levels and is often willing to take what the defense gives him. Newman clearly elevates his surrounding teammates through his playmaking ability, as he’s able to draw so much attention with the ball in his hands and still consistently make the right play. Add in his useful rebounding and reliable defense at the point of attack, and it’s easy to see all the ways he impacts the game. Newman doesn’t need to be flashy to be effective, and he certainly is effective. College coaches should continue taking notice.
6’4 ’28 Chacho Womack (West Charlotte)
It’s no secret that North Carolina’s Class of 2028 has the chance to be special, and Chacho Womack is someone who should only continue to trend upward. He’s already an absolutely electric scorer with the craftiness and quick-twitch athleticism to cause a ton of problems for opponents. Womack has clearly gotten bigger and stronger over the last twelve months, which has only accelerated his development into a potential national prospect. He heats up quickly and is capable of filling it up in a variety of ways as a scorer. Womack can create his own shot with relative ease. He consistently generates clean looks off the bounce, but is more than comfortable playing without the ball and finding chances as a cutter or spot-up threat. Womack is a smooth three-point shooter and midrange scorer, but also has the length to finish at the rim. He’s capable of initiating the offense, and has shown flashes of vision and improved playmaking ability. That being said, the highlight of the weekend was watching Womack turn possessed and rattle off eight straight points in overtime to secure an unbelievably important win.
6’6 ’27 Thomas Vickery (Myers Park)
Arguably no one in North Carolina has trended up over the last six months more than Thomas Vickery, and it doesn’t take long to recognize why. At 6-foot-6 with incredible explosiveness and knockdown shooting ability, he’s a real matchup problem for most opponents. Vickery highlighted the full arsenal between his two games. In the first, he put nonstop pressure on the rim and generated several highlight plays, but showed the ability to hit jumpers while creating for himself and others when needed. However, the lack of driving lanes in the second contest forced him to assert his perimeter shooting. Vickery knocked down shots off the catch, bounce, and coming off movement. He also emerged to hit extremely timely shots down the stretch. Additionally, he made plays defensively and displayed a strong presence on the glass. Given his array of tools and malleable skillset, the appeal surrounding Vickery should be pretty obvious.
6’5 ’26 Antonio McKoy (Harrells Christian)
Rounding out this list, it remains impossible to ignore everything Antonio McKoy is doing on a nightly basis. Although largely out of necessity, he bears as sizable a load as anyone in North Carolina. McKoy is a long, explosive athlete and shot-maker who competes at an extremely high level. He truly impacts the game from the opening tip until the final buzzer. McKoy puts nonstop scoring pressure on defenses. Opponents rotating late or not crashing the glass simply doesn’t work against McKoy, as he will capitalize every single time. He excels at getting downhill and attacking the rim, but is more than capable of asserting himself as a shooting threat. McKoy can knock down three-pointers at a solid rate, but also has a reliable midrange pull-up that he utilizes quite often. He’s a physical defender who utilizes his length and anticipation well to block shots and intercept passing lanes. McKoy is a quality rebounder who poses a terrific threat in transition. The Western Carolina commit should only continue having one of the most productive seasons in the state.