EVENT NEWS
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Phenom Open Gym: Covenant Day
Phenom Open Gym: Covenant Day For first year head coach, Michael Laney, is without question the right person to help rebuild Covenant Day. First of all, Coach Laney is a man of faith, deeply committed to teaching the game the right way and is excited about the challenging opportunity that lies ahead. Playing in the NCISAA 4A Charlotte Independent Conference, he is literally being thrown...
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Phenom Open Gym: JL Chambers High School
Phenom Open Gym: Chambers High School Last season, JL Chambers went 22-7 before losing 58-56 to eventual NCHSAA 4A state champion, Weddington High School. From the outside looking in, many basketball pundits may not have high expectations for Coach Brian Frasier’s team. 6’2 Jaylen Curry transferred after averaging almost a “double-double” of 16.6 PPG and 9.1 APG. 6’8 All-Conference Player of the...
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Phenom Open Gym: Hickory Christian Academy
Phenom Hoops continues to bring elite coverage before the season, as we are out and about covering teams, getting an early look at what programs will be bringing to the court this upcoming season. One team that we were able to view recently was Hickory Christian Academy. Here is what we saw on the floor, as things still may continue to shake up before the season. When talking about...
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Open Gym Report: The Burlington School
On Wednesday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to The Burlington School in Burlington, North Carolina for our annual open gym tour. The Spartans have turned a lot of heads over the last decade between guys like Ron Johnson, Will Robertson, and Ryan Bernardi. Now, George Marshall is at the helm and folks still have plenty to be excited about. He’s already asserted his culture, leadership presence, and...
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Phenom Open Gym: Holly Springs High School
Phenom Hoops travelled to Holly Spring, North Carolina to cover Holly Springs High School. Coach L.J. Hepp has plenty to be excited about with a team that finished 23-5 last season and should be one of the early favorites in the NCHSAA 4A. To put it mildly, Holly Springs and Myers Park could be the two early favorites to compete for the coveted 4A state championship. Coach Hepp has a unique...
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Open Gym Report: Quality Education Academy
On Wednesday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Quality Education Academy in Winston-Salem, North Carolina for our annual open gym tour. The Pharaohs have consistently been among the most talented teams in the state over the last five-plus years, but the hiring of Andre Gould made things even more intriguing for the program. His ability to accumulate talent has always been visible, as QEA (and...
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Phenom Open Gym: Panther Creek High School
Phenom Hoops travelled to Cary, North Carolina to cover Panther Creek open gym. Coach Shawan Robinson is considered one of the top coaches in the NCHAA. Last season, Panther Creek finished with a 23-8 record losing to Weddington in the NCHSAA 4A State Championship. When you think of Panther Creek, the first word that pops up is “balance.” It’s a total team effort for Panther Creek where everyone...
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Phenom Open Gym: Combine Academy
Phenom Hoops travelled to Lincolnton to cover Combine Academy’s open gym. ACC head coaches Steve Forbes of Wake Forest and Mike Young of Virginia Tech were in attendance along with assistant coaches from VCU, Western Carolina and College of Charleston. Head Coach Mike Wright has assembled a team that will be in the conversation as one of the premier high school teams in the country. Combine has...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: “Myers Park, A National Level Team”
Phenom Open Gym Tour: “Myers Park, A National Level Team” Phenom Hoops travelled to Charlotte to cover Myers Park open gym. Charlotte, Old Dominion, and Wofford were in attendance for the Friday afternoon workout and scrimmage. Last season, Myers Park finished 17-9 playing one of the most difficult and challenging schedules for a NCHSAA public school team, but coach Scott Taylor has plenty to be...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: “Lake Norman, the future looks bright.”
Phenom Open Gym Tour: “Lake Norman, the future looks bright” Phenom Hoops travelled to Lake Norman High School to kick start the 2022-23 basketball season to cover open gym. To put it mildly, Coach Grant Hodges has plenty to be excited about, and the “The Lake Show” should be one of the favorites in the Greater Metro 4A Conference. Last season, Lake Norman finished 17-11 overall, 5-7 in...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: “Don’t Sleep on Mooresville”
Phenom Open Gym Tour: “Don’t sleep on Mooresville” Phenom Hoops traveled to Mooresville to kick start the 2022-23 basketball season to cover open gym. Last season, Coach Armard Moore led Mooresville to one of the most successful years for the Blue Devils. Mooresville finished 10-2 in the Greater Metro 4A and an impressive 21-4 overall record. Coach Moore lost his top three players due to...
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Clover (SC) High School: Open Gym Report
Clover High School: Open Gym Report Phenom Hoops travelled to Clover, South Carolina to cover open gym for new head coach Darris Jackson, who is replacing Bailey Jackson. Coach Jackson stressed fundamentals to his new team, highlighting ball handling, shooting and playing off two feet. Now, let’s take a closer look at the players on the 2022-23 Clover High School roster. 6’3 2023 JJ...
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Open Gym Report: NC Spartans 17U Haidinger
On Wednesday, Phenom Hoops (Jeff Bendel, Tyler Lewis, and Colby Lewis) traveled out to Bishop McGuinness High School for the NC Spartans Media Day. The Spartans should be well-known as one of the better independent programs across the Carolinas, and their current group is no exception. Josh Thompson is the director, but Herb Liles, Kerry Graves, Curtis Patton, Ryan Haidinger, Michael Bowers, and...
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Open Gym Report: NC Spartans 16U Liles
On Wednesday, Phenom Hoops (Jeff Bendel, Tyler Lewis, and Colby Lewis) traveled out to Bishop McGuinness High School for the NC Spartans Media Day. The Spartans should be well-known as one of the better independent programs across the Carolinas, and their current group is no exception. Josh Thompson is the director, but Herb Liles, Kerry Graves, Curtis Patton, Ryan Haidinger, Michael Bowers, and...
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Open Gym Report: NC Spartans 16U Graves
On Wednesday, Phenom Hoops (Jeff Bendel, Tyler Lewis, and Colby Lewis) traveled out to Bishop McGuinness High School for the NC Spartans Media Day. The Spartans should be well-known as one of the better independent programs across the Carolinas, and their current group is no exception. Josh Thompson is the director, but Herb Liles, Kerry Graves, Curtis Patton, Ryan Haidinger, Michael Bowers, and...
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Team Preview: Strong Center Elite 2023
Another excited year of travel basketball has started. Last week, Tyler and I had the opportunity to lead a practice with Strong Center Elite 2023. One thing that stood out with this team is that they are all made up of players who are from the same area and have been playing together for years. Let’s take a closer look at this year’s roster. 5’10 2023 Micah Jones (Holly...
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Phenom Open Gym: Rocky River
Phenom Hoops continues to make their way around the state of North Carolina, checking in on teams before the season starts. One stop that we recently made was at Rocky River, as this is a program that will have some fresh faces coming in and looking to make their mark. Let’s dive into what we saw on the court during their open gym. Senior Leadership Rocky River had to replace several...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Metrolina Christian
Phenom Hoops continues to hit the road this offseason to check in on programs as they prepare for the upcoming high school season. We made a recent stop at Metrolina Christian, a program we have seen quite a few times throughout the Hoop State League as well. We took in another practice to check in on the program, and there are several names that should have your attention. Seniors Leading...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Ardrey Kell
Ardrey Kell had a special season last year, making a deep run in the playoffs before ultimately falling just short in taking home the championship. But now the Knights are back under Coach Craft and though they may look a little different than last season, they are still a very dangerous team. Let’s dive into what we saw on the court. When you talk about Ardrey Kell, you have to start with their...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Porter Ridge
Phenom Hoops continues to make it a point to check out teams around the region, as we had a busy Thursday afternoon on the road. One stop we made was also Porter Ridge high school, as the Pirates are looking to replace a senior-led team from last year with a few new names and players looking to step up. Let us dive into the roster a little bit more. When you talk about leaders for...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Providence Day
It was a wild Thursday hitting the road for Phenom Hoops, traveling all around the state. But the first stop that we had to make in the early morning was Providence Day, a program that has produced some incredible talent and is looking to get back in making its mark on the state of North Carolina. Head coach Ron Johnson is looking to lead the charge and get the Chargers back near the top. They...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: North Meck
Phenom Hoops was in for a treat Wednesday night, as we went back out on the road to check in on another open gym. This time, we went down the road to North Meck to check in on what the Vikings had going on this season. They lost a few key players but if you have followed the tradition at North Meck, you know that this is still going to be a talented program… and they will be...
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Open Gym Report: Grimsley High School
On Tuesday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to the heart of Greensboro for an exciting open gym session at Grimsley High School. Being the oldest and longest-standing school in the city, everyone should already know about the historic program and the nonstop success they’ve enjoyed over the last century (and beyond). Regardless, Coach Darren Corbett is entering his third season since returning to the...
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Wayne Country Day Open Gym Tour
Last week, Phenom Hoops travelled to Goldsboro NC to watch Wayne Country Day. The Chargers roster is filled with talent and youth. Coach Faulk and his team will make a ton of noise this year in North Carolina. Even with the loss of Jaden Cooper, this team still has a chance to make a run to the state title game again this year. Players To Watch 6’5 2023 Collin Tanner Collin is...
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Phenom Open Gym Report: Gaston Christian
We continue to make our rounds around the state, recently heading over to Gaston Christian to check out the talent that will be on the court this year. After a strong season last year, this is a program that will have a few new names coming in but have the talent to really make some noise. Let’s dive into what we saw and who will be the players to watch. To start, you have to look at one of the...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Cox Mill
Phenom Hoops went back out on the road on Thursday to check out more teams throughout the Charlotte area, with our next stop being Cox Mill. Coach Johnson has done a tremendous job with this program and they look to be making a deep run in the playoffs once again. But let us dive into what we saw on the court as this will be a fun team to watch. 2022 Marcus Morgan looks to be the...
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Phenom Open Gym Report: Catawba College
Phenom Hoops got a special treat on Wednesday afternoon, checking in on a little college ball action. Patrick O’Brien went out to Catawba to check in on the talent they will be having on the court this season. What makes this group so interesting is that it is full of Phenom Alums and players that played in the state of North Carolina, along with a few other talented prospects. ...
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Phenom Open Gym: Mooresville
After checking at Catawba College on Wednesday, we headed just about 30 minutes down the road to check in on Mooresville high school. It is a program led by Coach Moore and is one that continues to put in the work to get better each year. When watching this team during practice, you can see that they are going to have some nice pieces this year in hopes of making some noise. ...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Butler
Phenom Hoops traveled out in the Charlotte area, this time to check in on Butler high school. Coming off a 4-5 season and going 3-4 in the Southwestern 4A, the Bulldogs are hoping they can build off from last season and make strides this upcoming season. Let’s dive into what we saw in our latest open gym. Ty Black Butler will have a few intriguing names to watch for this season, first...
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Open Gym Report: Dudley High School
On Thursday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to the heart of Greensboro for another quality open gym session at Dudley High School. The Panthers have seen a variety of talent come through their doors over the years, including some of the best athletes in North Carolina’s history. This program has never struggled with getting kids to the next level, as evidenced by their slew of college players in the...
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