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Phenom Game Report: Lake Norman wins thrilling 61-59 win over Cox Mill
In the nightcap of the inaugural Greater Metro 4A conference tournament semifinal, it was the No.1 seed, Cox Mill (18-6; 11-1) vs. the No. 4 seed, Lake Norman (15-10; 5-7). For Cox Mill, coached by Ty Cox, they have already secured the No. 1 seed from the Greater Metro 4A conference. As for Lake Norman, coached by Grant Hodges, it’s win or go home scenario. Lake Norman must win the conference...
read morePhenom Game Report: Lake Norman vs. Mooresville
The “Motown Showdown” between Lake Norman (12-5) and Mooresville (14-1) was an exciting and entertaining game which wasn’t decided until the final horn sounded. It was a game of runs and Mooresville escaped with the 76-75 home court conference win. The atmosphere was simply electric and both student bodies should be commended for their excellent support. While the fans were loud , they were...
read moreUnsigned Senior Spotlight: 6’5 Davis Wagner
At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, hundreds of players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked and...
read more#CCSMLK22 Game Report: Covenant Day vs. Lake Norman
We got things underway to start a great day of basketball, as Covenant Day and Lake Norman went to battle to kick off the day. Both teams started out a little slow, getting a feel for themselves early on a Saturday but it was a late run 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter for Covenant Day to get the early 16-8 lead. Second quarter, Covenant Day was able to expand their lead, as the bigs of...
read morePhenom Game Report: Cox Mill vs. Lake Norman
Phenom Hoops travelled to Mooresville, North Carolina to cover the NCHSAA 4A Conference 57 match-up between Lake Norman and Cox Mill High School. Lake Norman entered the contest with a 11-2 record while Cox Mill sported an 8-5 record. With the new conference realignment, Cox Mill was the pre-season favorite while Lake Norman is an up and coming program. Cox Mill came out hot knocking down six...
read moreReece’s Player Standouts from Phenom Jamboree
by: Ethan Reece 2022 Davis Wagner (Lake Norman) There’s several guys that always stand out for Lake Norman but it’s very clear that Davis is the leader of this group and it really shouldn’t be any other way. With a lot of talented underclassmen, it’s very fitting and crucial to have a senior lead the way in setting the standard in terms of tone and taking care of intangibles. Nothing flashy...
read moreDawkins’ Standouts from Phenom Jamboree
By: DeAjai Dawkins 6’5 2022 Josh Scovens (Greensboro Page) One of the most impressive players of the day, Scovens presents a blend of length, defensive potential, and athleticism that shows well at the high school level. Scovens demands attention from all opposing defenses from start to finish. Boasts length that aids him on the defensive end, and is athletic enough to challenge...
read moreLake Norman High School Open Gym Report
On Wednesday, Phenom Hoops also traveled to Mooresville to watch Lake Norman High School practice. Coach Grant Hodges has done an impressive job of building teams with an identity. They are fundamentally sound. They play together with one another. Although they lose several key contributors in Clay Hodges, Seth Aeschliman, Camden Kepley, and Christian Taylor, the Wildcats have added quality new...
read moreJuly Live Period Superlatives: Part Two
Although there has been a ton of excitement swirling throughout the last few months, July is finally coming to an end. Between the NCHSAA/NCISAA events in June and the consecutive live periods across July, all levels of coaches have been traveling, evaluating, and establishing relationships with these prospects. Excluding the lone period in July, we will take a closer look at a slew of players...
read moreCollege Coaches Buzzing About the Carolina Riptide
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops hosted our annual Summer Havoc at the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in downtown Rock Hill, South Carolina. There was a ton of basketball between the two sessions and four total days of action, which presented college coaches of all levels to get out and evaluate prospective talent. After years of building this empire, Coach Grant Hodges gets to see the...
read morePlayer Standouts at Day Three of Phenom Summer Havoc
6’0 ’22 Cole Sinclair (Durham Hurricanes) It should come as no surprise to anyone within the grassroots scene, but Sinclair continues to showcase a lot of ability as the clear leader of this group. He’s a lethal shooting threat with vision and a nice change of pace, which allows him to effectively manage the game while picking his spots from all three levels. Sinclair handles the ball well and...
read moreUnderrated Senior Prospects Worthy of Attention from College Coaches
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled out to cover the NCHSAA LIVE Periods at the Rise Indoor Facility in Advance, North Carolina. There were a ton of notable prospects on display, and coaches watched accordingly. Although D2, D3, JUCO, and NAIA coaches have already been in the gym for quite a while, this was the first opportunity for Division I programs to lay groundwork following an...
read moreNCHSAA LIVE Period Team Previews: Lake Norman
After a lot of stressors throughout the last twelve to fourteen months, the grassroots basketball landscape has finally returned to normalcy. The shoe-circuits and high school LIVE periods were restored for the betterment of these young prospects who are simply fighting for an equal opportunity to advance to the collegiate ranks. Although this presents Division I programs with the chance to...
read moreQueen City Showcase Team Preview: Carolina Riptide 2022
The Queen City Showcase in Rock Hill this weekend is going to be off the charts. With talent all on the floor, livestreams streaming the games, and a ton of coverage from Phenom Hoops, this is going to be one of the best events to start the travel ball season. That is why we wanted to get a leg up on it, as we spoke to several coaches that will be bringing their teams to South Carolina...
read moreThe Expansion of the Carolina Riptide
Just four years ago, Grant Hodges, Greg Forest, and seven kids from the greater Lake Norman area came together to form the Carolina Riptide. Despite some roster changes over the years, the core grouping of Clay “Smoke” Hodges, Trace Forest, Christian Taylor, and Callahan Reed have remained firmly intact since first forming. Thereafter, the Riptide players could be seen attending various camps...
read moreA Look At The Carolina Riptide 2022
Carolina Riptide Trey Ramsey 6’8 2022 South Caldwell Trey is a player that a lot of schools should have on their radar. He is one of the most underrated players in the state. Even though his high school season had a lot of games cancelled, he still managed to take home Conference Player of the Year. Trey is...
read moreOpen Gym Report: Lake Norman High School
Not many teams across the state practiced at 8:00 a.m. on New Year’s Day, let alone really attacked the day and improved. One team did. Lake Norman High School. One of my biggest pet peeves that I look for when I attend a practice, is whether or not the players arrive early to get in extra shots and are actually in a sweat ready to go at the actual start of practice. If practice starts at...
read moreOpen Gym Report: Lake Norman Guys
On Monday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Lake Norman High School for an open gym tour dual feature, capitalizing on the opportunity to evaluate both (boys and girls) varsity squads. Most of the boys’ team consisted of familiar faces, including numerous guys we’ve seen throughout the summer. In just one season, Coach Hodges has already done a great job of establishing his culture within the...
read more#PhenomHSJamboree: Miles Early Standouts/Storylines
AJ Smith Leading the Way at Hickory Grove Christian Hickory Grove Christian is a relatively new look roster this season. They lost key contributors Jacori Owens (Combine Academy) and Regin Larson (Graduation/Pfeiffer) but Junior Guard AJ Smith is back and ready to take over. He’s an incredibly difficult player to contain when he’s in attack mode and his leadership ability will called upon this...
read moreA Closer Look: Carolina Riptide
At Phenom Hoops, we’ve seen a considerable amount of programs come through our doors, but none that represent the team concept better than the Carolina Riptide. For starters, this group has been together throughout the entire process and possesses chemistry that other teams simply can’t match. It all starts with their fiery head coach, Grant Hodges, who has proven to be one of the modest, yet...
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