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Player Standouts at Phenom Virginia Tip-Off (Part Two)
6’6 ’28 Baganley Donzo (Carolina Culture) There are a lot of quality athletes in the building, and Donzo is arguably the most physically imposing player on display. He’s an incredibly strong, explosive big man with the ability to reliably anchor the paint on both ends of the floor. Donzo is a tremendous rebounder who clears out space extremely well and secures seemingly every available loose...
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Player Standouts at Phenom Virginia Tip-Off
6’0 ’30 Zyire Howard (Juice Crew) Although several guys were difference-makers in this contest, Howard was undoubtedly the focal point and two-way leader of this group. He did legitimately everything. Howard controlled the glass, defended multiple positions, and operated as the primary hub offensively. In addition to being physically overwhelming, he understands how to consistently outwork...
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Sad Sam’s Regional Recap and State Title Picks
Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the spring-is-springing Piedmont! The Fabulous One is here to recap his Regional Finals picks and give you who will be getting sized for rings and who will dream of what could’ve been. The Great One posted a 7-1 mark in the Regional Finals, or 87.5% bringing his overall states record to 204-43, or right at 83%. His only loss was...
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NCHSAA 2A Girls Championship Preview
Southeast Alamance vs. North Wilkes SE Alamance continues its run, taking down Seaforth 48-45 while North Wilkes took down East Burke 60-36 North Wilkes continues its run this season, as they had a strong battle early on against East Burke but they were able to lock in defensively in the second quarter to ultimately help put that game away. Sitting at 30-1 on the season and winning 23 games...
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Players to Watch at Phenom PG Nationals
We are super excited about this upcoming weekend, as the talent will be running deep in Rock Hill SC for another year of Phenom PG Nationals. We just have a few players that we will have our eyes on this week, but we will also be learning several other names. Here is a quick list of players to keep an eye on. 2025 Jordan Rusell – Andrews Osborne Academy2026 Loic Kalau – Andrews Osborne...
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Unsigned Senior Spotlight: Miles Leaks
At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned prospects in the senior class. Last season, over one hundred players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III, or NAIA levels (with several others exploring the JUCO path). That number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class....
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2025 Kate Sears wins NC Gatorade Player of the Year
What Has Been Said by Lady Phenom: “Watching her on the court, one can’t simply be mesmerized by her impact and play on the court as it is easy to see why she is regarded as a Top 100 talent in the Class of 2025. Sears has one of the most complete games in the state, showing that she can impact the game in so many ways and does it all. Her ability to score whether it is creating and...
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Did Jaleel Smith Get Snubbed'
Yesterday, the North Carolina Basketball Coaches Association announced their annual All-District Teams. The 36 total teams across 12 districts, meaning 180 players were recognized for their notable production and efforts throughout the high school season. Naturally, it’s almost an impossible task to try and get everything “correct” in a process with so many different variables. If the NCBCA were...
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NCHSAA 4A Girls Championship Preview
Wakefield vs. Lake Norman Wakefield won a defensive battle vs. Hoggard 31-23, while Lake Norman was able to take down Hoggard Two very good teams will be meeting up for the championship in the 4A Division, as Lake Norman continues to show why they are regarded as one of the top teams in the state and Wakefield continues its strong season in hopes of a title. Starting with Lake Norman, this is a...
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The Dog Pound: Carolina Bulldogs Rapidly Becoming a Top Program
Despite being the first year of operation, there’s an abundance of highly talented teams across all age groups in our Phenom Hoops League. College coaches will likely prioritize 17U prospects while taking some glances at the 16U and 15U divisions throughout the summer. That being said, the Carolina Bulldogs 15U (2028) is already shaping up as one of the top teams in North Carolina. In addition...
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NCHSAA 1A Girls Championship Preview
East Bladen vs. Cherokee East Bladen advances after taking down Perquimans 77-63, while Cherokee knocked off Bishop McGuinness 65-61 Two very hot teams come into this one, as East Bladen has won 14 in a row and Cherokee is riding a 16-win ride towards the end of the season. Both have racked up the wins all season long and has proven to be two strong teams, but only one will be able to walk away...
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Unsigned Senior Spotlight: Devin Sims
At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned prospects in the senior class. Last season, over one hundred players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III, or NAIA levels (with several others exploring the JUCO path). That number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class....
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NCHSAA 3A Girls Championship Preview
Western Alamance vs. Stuart W. Cramer Western Alamance took down Terry Sanford 64-48, while Stuart W. Cramer knocked off North Lincoln 62-38 Two of the top teams will meet up for the 3A championship as Western Alamance and Stuart W. Cramer will take the court for all the marbles. Stuart W. Cramer has been impressive all year long and they showed that once again vs. North Lincoln as 2025 Hadley...
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Who Will Emerge Victorious: Corvian Community and Southern Wake Academy
On Tuesday, the NCHSAA 2A Classification played their semifinal games to determine who will ultimately make the championship contest. Corvian Community and Southern Wake Academy each advanced and will now battle for it all in the title game. Although they’ve been here before, Corvian’s utter dominance against Queen’s Grant was largely unforeseen and unexpected. Predicting the Cardinals to win...
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Unsigned Senior Spotlight: Gabe Erbeck
At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned prospects in the senior class. Last season, over one hundred players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III, or NAIA levels (with several others exploring the JUCO path). That number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class....
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Sad Sam’s Weekly Furious 5 for Week Ending 3/8
Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the playoff watching Piedmont! The Great One is here to release his latest F5 rankings. States are winding down to the Ring Round later this week and as usual the West Regional Finals is doubling as the Furious 5 Championship game. Several games last week featured F5 members playing knockout with each other as Chambers took out both Myers...
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High-Upside Names to Know from Phenom March Showcase
6’6 ’29 JT Tuck (Team CP3) It doesn’t take more than a quick glance to see the obvious appeal of someone like Tuck. He’s already incredibly long and fluid with tons of upside on both ends of the floor. Right now, Tuck primarily impacts the game through finishing around the basket, battling for rebounds, and blocking shots defensively. He displays quality two-way instincts and will be even more...
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Returning to Full Health: Donyeh Baird
This past weekend, Phenom Hoops hosted our annual March Showcase at Rise Indoor Sports in Bermuda Run, North Carolina. Although we’re still in the early stages of the travel ball season, there were still several noteworthy takeaways from the event. Teams like NLPB, Carolina Bulldogs, and Team FLY were among the several standout groups on display. The NLPB squad has an intriguing mix of unsigned...
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Sad Sam’s Regional Semi-Recap and Regional Picks
Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the springlike Piedmont! The Sadster is here to recap the Regional Semis and let you know who will be playing in the Ring Round. The Great One posted, what for him, was a lackluster 12-4 record, bringing the is overall mark to 197-42 or +/- 83%. He went 3-1 in every category, with 2-0 sweeps in the 4A and 2A West, and in the 3A and 1A East brackets. He...
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Southern Durham or Ben L. Smith: Who Will Claim the 3A Championship'
Now that we’ve reached the final stage of postseason play for 3A, we can preview the championship matchup between Southern Durham and Ben L. Smith. In our initial previews, Smith was labeled as a darkhorse contender. At the same time, we referred to Southern as “arguably the most appealing squad in the field, as they have a well-structured team and the best player, Jackson Keith, in the entire...
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Deserving of Recognition: Phenom March Showcase
There was plenty of young talent on the court this past weekend at the Phenom March Showcase, as we were introduced to several new names. Here is a list of players that earned our recognition from the event, and what was said about them. 2028 Avery Scales (Team United GSO) “5’8 ‘28 Avery Scales (Team United GSO) continues to make visible strides in his progression. He showed an improved handle,...
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Player Standouts at Phenom March Showcase (Part Two)
5’10 ’29 Ant Gray (Team CP3) Although still coming back from injury, it’s easy to see the level of IQ and poise Gray brings to a team. He’s an extremely smart, skilled guard who offers terrific balance between playmaking and three-level scoring. Gray handles the ball very well and doesn’t allow defenders to speed him up. He touches the paint, creates for others, and picks his spots as a scoring...
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Player Standouts at Phenom March Showcase
6’4 ’26 Adam Grier (Team FLY) Arguably the most impressive 17U performer in attendance, Grier was simply terrific throughout the weekend. At 6-foot-4 with excellent IQ and natural playmaking instincts, he’s able to cause a ton of problems for opponents. Grier excels at getting downhill, touching the paint, and finishing or making sharp reads as a passer. He sees the floor extremely well when...
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Lady Phenom covers Charlotte Dream Elite Media Day
Lady Phenom Hoops went out Sunday afternoon to Huntersville to check in at the Charlotte Dream Elite Media Day, a program that will be featured throughout the summer on Phenom Hoops and be a must-see organization throughout. It was a great opportunity to learn new names and get an early viewing. Here is what was said from the media day about a few of the players. 2032 Lilyana Green is a scrappy,...
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Top Five Forwards/Bigs from Phenom March Showcase
2029 Grant Duggins (CP3) Duggins has been really impressive over the last two weeks. For a prospect in the Class of 2029, Duggins has an incredible feel for the game and still presents upside with his overall game. At 6’8, he does an exceptional job in knowing how to operate in the post and in the paint, showing footwork, feel, and touch around the basket. He also has excellent timing on the...
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Top Five Guards from Phenom March Showcase
2030 Tavion Lawrence (Reidsville Tigers) Tough, gritty guard that impressed our scouts. Good positional size, has a nose for the ball, and plays hard and is active in a variety of areas on the court. He was strong out in transition, attacked off the dribble, and proved to be a very good playmaker for his team throughout the event. Feel like he will be a name you hear more about. 2026 Adam Grier...
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POB’s Eye Catchers from Day 1 at March Showcase
2031 Chase Neeley (Kernersville Bulls) Neeley was one that caught my attention with his handles, playmaking, and creativity. Neeley has intriguing length to go along with a good overall skillset. He attacked downhill, pushed in transition, was able to showcase the ability to create and score effectively. A young name to keep an eye on. 2030 Michai Sutton (Reidsville Tigers) Sutton is a name you...
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Sad Sam’s 3rd Round Recap and Regional Semi Picks
Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the March-coming-in-like-a-lion Piedmont! The Great One is here to recap the Sectional Finals and give the Ol’ Cubic Zirconia Ball’s (can’t afford crystal) Final Four participants. As usual, there are a couple of major storylines that broke during the last round, one on the court and one off. We will get to those shortly...
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Unsigned Senior Spotlight: Nate Malosa
At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned prospects in the senior class. Last season, over one hundred players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III, or NAIA levels (with several others exploring the JUCO path). That number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class....
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Unsigned Senior Spotlight: Cam Flippen
At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned prospects in the senior class. Last season, over one hundred players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III, or NAIA levels (with several others exploring the JUCO path). That number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class....
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