This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled to the Upward Star Center in Spartanburg, South Carolina for our annual Phenom Challenge. The venue holds a lot of history and countless fond memories, and that only continued during this most recent two-day stretch. There was an impressive mix of notable teams and individuals on display, including CC Elite and everything they showcased while playing up an age group. This team has developed real chemistry after playing together for several years, and now they appear capable of competing with anyone. Let’s take a closer look at their pieces…
So much of what makes this team go starts with the guard pairing of Tre Jefferson and Neo Davis. We wrote extensively about Jefferson earlier this week, but it’s worth reiterating his value. Jefferson consistently dictates the action as the main creator for this group. He’s an extremely smart, skilled, balanced floor general with the ability to reliably generate shots for others while actively mixing it up as a scorer from all levels. Jefferson allows the game to come to him, yet doesn’t hesitate to take over a game and assert himself as a leader. He touches the paint with ease, makes excellent decisions with the ball, scores with efficiency, and stands out as a very pesky defender at the point of attack. Similarly, Davis offers a highly skilled, well-rounded game and the ability to effectively operate with or without the ball in his hands. He’s comfortable running the offense or creating for himself and others, but also knows how to make his presence felt as a cutter or spot-up threat. Davis is a quality passer and overall scorer who competes well to make plays defensively. Both guys are vital to the success of this team.
Although the duo above receives a lot of the headlines, each of Brandon Barbier, Carter Burns, and Ethan Wiest plays a significant role for this squad. Despite being somewhat unassuming at first glance, it doesn’t take long to see that Barbier adds another highly skilled guard to this mix. He’s a knockdown shooter who knows how to initiate the offense, set up others, and find scoring chances with or without the ball in his hands. Barbier is a scrappy defender and willing hustle player who reliably fills in the gaps as needed. Meanwhile, Burns is a terrific glue-guy who stands out through his ability to do a little bit of everything on the court. He utilizes his size, motor, and well-rounded skillset to consistently impact the game. Burns is a strong rebounder, physical defender, and adaptable offensive piece who simply knows how to produce within his role. Rounding out this trio, Wiest is a steady, scrappy guard with smooth perimeter shooting, an active motor, and useful secondary ball-handling ability. He knows how to produce within the flow of the action, but can expand his production as needed. Each of these three stands out as major x-factors.
Given their abundance of perimeter players above, the likes of Ethan Ofori, Grayson Riebe, Max Werdann, and Evan Buslovich each bring something different to this group. Ofori continues to make steady strides within his progression, and a lot of that was highlighted this past weekend. He’s a strong, physical interior post player with a high motor, unselfish approach, and the ability to impact the game without needing the ball in his hands. Ofori displayed solid touch and footwork as a finisher, but also highlighted strong vision out of the post. He’s a quality rebounder and active defender who utilizes his body very well to play through contact. Riebe offers a strong, tough, rugged identity and naturally plays bigger than his size on both ends of the floor. He constantly does the dirty work and makes hustle plays, especially defensively, and can involve himself in the offensive action as needed. Riebe is a capable finisher and floor-spacer, but doesn’t need touches to make an impact. Lastly, Werdann has arguably improved as much as anyone on the roster. He’s a long, wiry post player with solid touch as a finisher and midrange shooter. Werdann is still getting stronger, but positions himself well to compete for rebounds and make plays defensively. Buslovich is a steady, well-rounded piece with a scrappy nature and the understanding of how to operate in various roles on either side of the ball.