Carmel Christian vs. Greensboro Day Recap and Storylines
Battle of the Titans
Phenom Hoop Report travelled to Greensboro Day to cover the marquee matchup between reigning NCISAA state champions. Last year, Greensboro Day won the 3A division while Carmel Christian won the 2A division. Coming into the contest, Carmel Christian has been nationally ranked in the top 25 for the majority of the season and brings a 21-1 record. On the other hand, Greensboro Day brings a 16-4 record. With the NCISAA new classifications, Greensboro Day is now in the 4A and Carmel Christian is in the 3A. Now, let’s take a closer look at the final score: Carmel Christian 63 Greensboro Day 51
Carmel Christian jumped out to a 9-2 run at the the beginning of the game and never looked back. Carmel led by eight going into the half (26-18) and stretched the lead to 14 (41-27) at the end of the 3rd quarter. Greensboro Day made one last run and pulled the game to within four, but an injury sidelined 6’8 Josh Taylor for the remaining part of the game. Carmel then put the foot on the accelerator and raced to a 20 point leave before finally winning by 13.
6’6 2019 Deangelo Epps (Carmel Christian)
Deangelo Epps is just a physically gifted wing. He has strength, explosiveness, athleticism, high motor and simply brings toughness, grit and intensity to every game. The game vs. Greensboro Day was no exception, except he added one more element to his game. Deangelo knocked down two 3-pointers which sends his game to another level. For the game, Deangelo finished with a game high 16 points plus rebounded, defended and had a great all around game. (Deangelo is committed and signed to play at College of Charleston)
6’3 Myles Pierre (Carmel Christian)
Myles Pierre is the heart and soul of the Carmel Christian team. He’s a strong, physical two-way point guard that can flat out defend, not to mention score when needed. More than anything, we have seen a tremendous maturation to his game over the past year under the leadership of coach Joe Badgett. His game simply translates to the collegiate level and will have an immediate impact for Houston Baptist. He finished with 13 points, dished out five assists and only committed one turnover.
6’5 Donovan Gregory (Carmel Christian)
While Donovan Gregory had a solid offensive game by scoring 10 points, he was an absolute “dawg” on the defensive end of the court. Let’s go ahead and say it, Donovan Gregory may just be one of the best if not best “on ball” defenders in the state. He has tremendous strength, length, raw athleticism, but more importantly the mentality to defend the opposing team’s best player. We just came away impressed with the defensive pressure and attitude displayed by Donovan Gregory. For Appalachian State fans, he can’t get there quick enough.
6’6 2020 Myles Hunter (Carmel Christian)
Playing on a nationally ranked team loaded with five D1 players can be tough on the playing time, but Myles Hunter made the most of the minutes given by his second half explosion. He finished with 11 points all coming in the second half. He bring energy, effort and enthusiasm off the bench. He scored from all three levels and even hit two huge 3-pointers. He’s patiently learning and waiting his turn and we look for him to be a standout player next season for coach Joe Badgett.
6’8 2019 Nick Evtimov (Greensboro Day)
In our opinion, Nick Evtimov was the best player for Greensboro Day vs. Carmel Christian. Evtimov finished with 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds. He played his usually tough, hard nosed, blue-collar, workmanlike approach to the game. He simply brings it! Nick is constantly working for low post position, moving without the ball, rebounding and defending. We just like his hustle and full throttle approach to the game. He doesn’t bring the flash and national reputation of his teammates, but he plays as hard as anyone!
Youth vs. experience
Carmel Christian has five D1 players on their roster. Donovan Gregory (Appalachian State), Deangelo Epps (College of Charleston), Myles Pierre (Houston Baptist), Marten Maide (Liberty), and Jake Boggs (UNC-Wilmington). Last year, Greensboro Day was a very experienced team with John Newman (Clemson), Will Dillard (Georgia Southern), Tripp Green (Roanoke) and Alex Michael. This year, Greensboro Day has more of the “youth factor” with the nucleus of their program being underclassmen. While Carson McCorkle, Cam Hayes, and Josh Taylor are all national level recruits, it is quite evident that this group has yet to develop the team chemistry of teams in the pass.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch'v=qqdBhRlCq7o]