Tennessee Phenom 150
From the Sidelines
By Rick Lewis
Phenom Hoop Report ventured to the TNT Sportsplex in Kingsport, Tennessee to host the inaugural Tennessee Phenom 150 camp. To put it mildly, the event was a huge success. Players from Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and naturally Tennessee participated in the event.
First of all, we would like to thank Mark and Shanna Tincher of the TNT Sportsplex for their wonderful hospitality and support in making our first event in Tennessee so successful. Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the impact players from the Tennessee Phenom 150.
The Terrific Two
6’5 ’19 Grant Ledford (Grace Christian, Knoxville, TN)
First of all, we’re talking about a highly skilled play making combo guard. In the three camp games, Ledford averaged 31.6 PPG and scoring 32, 42, and 21 points. Ledford may not be the most athletic guard, but one thing is for certain, he has an advanced skill set that allows him to create shots for himself as well as his teammates. Ledford scored effortlessly and has uncanny fluidness and smoothness to his game. While Ledford led the camp in scoring, he may have been the camp leader in assists. Without question, he has an unbelievable flair for the game and his ability to score from all 3-levels and make no look passes was quite impressive. Ledford stated Belmont is showing the most interest at the current time, but we expect his stock to elevate quickly and become a hot prospect at the mid major level.
6’4 ’20 Ricky Council IV (Northern Durham, Durham, NC)
Ricky Council is blessed with length, explosiveness and overall athleticism, not to mention a fairly solid skill set. Council has extremely long arms and has the opportunity to be the best of the Council brothers. (Ricky II went to Providence College, but has now transferred to UMBC) We were impressed with his ability to finish at and above the rim and showcased a nice midrange jumper and occasionally stepping out beyond 3-point line. While he has solid shooting mechanics, he can score from anywhere on the court. The next step in his development is to tighten up his handles and be able to create scoring opportunities for his teammates. That being said, we really liked his upside and potential.