EVENT NEWS
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Player Standouts at Carmel MLK Showcase (Part Two)
6’8 ’25 Kaden Hammond (The Burlington School) Given our numerous viewings of Kaden Hammond over the recent months, it’s fair to say he should have more action within his recruitment. His combination of size, skill, and physicality allow him to cause matchup problems for opposing big men. There are times when it looks like Hammond could score from the block every trip down the floor. He secures...
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Player Standouts at Carmel MLK Showcase (Part One)
5’9 ’26 Q Williams (Forsyth Country Day) Although there were several notable performers from the Furies, Q Williams clearly stands out as the leader of the Furies. He’s an incredibly smart, methodical point guard who controls the game with pace and unselfishness. Williams consistently breaks down opponents off the dribble, gets to his spots, and generates clean looks for himself or others. He...
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One of the Last Undefeated Teams Remaining: Swansboro
Every year, there are a few teams that have the right recipe of talent, veterans, and overall chemistry to contend for a state championship. These teams can emerge in a variety of different ways, but we’ve become accustomed to seeing squads go undefeated for large stretches of the season. Right now, North Carolina only has three association teams without a loss: Christ School, Reidsville, and...
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West Bladen Making Lots of Noise
While it’s common for folks to pay more attention to teams from the major cities in North Carolina (Charlotte, Raleigh), it’s proven there’s a ton of talent across the state. Some of the best college and professional players emerged from smaller schools or less-populated areas. That being said, it feels like West Bladen isn’t receiving enough attention for their highly successful season. The...
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Abijah Franklin Having Dominant Senior Season
Each year, several prospects from South Carolina burst onto the scene and start quickly capturing attention. Although we know the Palmetto State is loaded with prospects, people still tend to generally overlook the talent it produces. Abijah Franklin is a prime example. Our first viewing of the 6-foot-5 wing came last April during the Phenom Rise Showcase. He played with Team USC and clearly...
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Harrell’s Christian Poised for Best Season in School History
After nearly 20 years of being established, Harrell’s Christian is set to have their winningest season ever. Currently sitting at 20-2 and winning the last seven games, the Crusaders legitimately have the ability to win the remainder of their schedule. What’s been the secret to their success? Between Dashaun McKoy, Zicareian McNeil, Amir Moore, and the clear breakout season from Antonio McKoy,...
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Leading the Charge: Kaharri Coleman Producing at a High Level
There’s a lot of talent in North Carolina’s Class of 2028. Many of these young prospects have already established themselves as meaningful contributors or primary options at the varsity level. While team success is undoubtedly important, individual production (specifically at this stage) can reveal a lot about a player’s ability and mentality. Quietly having one of the most productive seasons...
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Target for College Coaches: Rylan Parkins Having Big Senior Year
Every year, there are tons of high school prospects who get overlooked despite checking all the boxes. It’s pretty common to see coaches take a likening to a player and then (with or without reason) nothing happens. However, it feels like more college programs should be pursuing someone like Rylan Parkins of McDowell High School. He was a favorite amongst coaches during his travel ball season...
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Chase Smith Quickly Putting It All Together
Every year, there is a new batch of incoming freshmen. Typically, expectations from the masses vary based on reputation, production, and translatable long-term ability. North Carolina’s Class of 2028 has many talented players and intriguing prospects. Although he entered the high school ranks as prepared as anyone, it’s clear that Chase Smith is rapidly making strides within his progression. The...
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The Battle for Matthews: Weddington and Carmel Christian
On Saturday, Phenom Hoops will travel to Carmel Christian in Matthews, North Carolina to host our sixth annual Phenom Hoops MLK Showcase. The one-day event will begin at noon and the final game will start at 7:30, featuring six games of exciting action between twelve highly talented programs—both from public and private ranks. In preparation for the event, we will take a closer look at each...
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The Battle for Cabarrus County: Hickory Ridge and Concord Academy
On Saturday, Phenom Hoops will travel to Carmel Christian in Matthews, North Carolina to host our sixth annual Phenom Hoops MLK Showcase. The one-day event will begin at noon and the final game will start at 7:30, featuring six games of exciting action between twelve highly talented programs—both from public and private ranks. In preparation for the event, we will take a closer look at each...
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Private Powerhouses Collide at Phenom MLK Showcase
On Saturday, Phenom Hoops will travel to Carmel Christian in Matthews, North Carolina to host our sixth annual Phenom Hoops MLK Showcase. The one-day event will begin at noon and the final game will start at 7:30, featuring six games of exciting action between twelve highly talented programs—both from public and private ranks. In preparation for the event, we will take a closer look at each...
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Cox Mill versus East Meck: Who Will Separate Themselves from the Pack?
On Saturday, Phenom Hoops will travel to Carmel Christian in Matthews, North Carolina to host our sixth annual Phenom Hoops MLK Showcase. The one-day event will begin at noon and the final game will start at 7:30, featuring six games of exciting action between twelve highly talented programs—both from public and private ranks. In preparation for the event, we will take a closer look at each...
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Players to Watch at Phenom MLK Showcase
6’3 ’27 Jordan Powell (Hickory) 6’4 ’25 Jay Powell (Hickory) 5’10 ’25 Mark Hall (Hickory) 6’0 ’27 Hayden Hillman (Hickory) 6’2 ’27 Chris Gomez (Forsyth Country Day) 5’8 ’27 JR Adams (Forsyth Country Day) 5’9 ’26 Q Williams (Forsyth Country Day) 6’3 ’25 Sacha Geremski (Forsyth Country Day) 6’3 ’27 Adam Horobey (Forsyth Country Day) 6’6 ’28 AD Dalton (Forsyth Country Day) 6’1 ’26 Terrance Badio...
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Lots of Intrigue: Butler Battles Corvian at Phenom MLK Showcase
On Saturday, Phenom Hoops will travel to Carmel Christian in Matthews, North Carolina to host our sixth annual Phenom Hoops MLK Showcase. The one-day event will begin at noon and the final game will start at 7:30, featuring six games of exciting action between twelve highly talented programs—both from public and private ranks. In preparation for the event, we will take a closer look at each...
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Public Meets Private: 3A Contenders Face Off at Phenom MLK Showcase
On Saturday, Phenom Hoops will travel to Carmel Christian in Matthews, North Carolina to host our sixth annual Phenom Hoops MLK Showcase. The one-day event will begin at noon and the final game will start at 7:30, featuring six games of exciting action between twelve highly talented programs—both from public and private ranks. In preparation for the event, we will take a closer look at each...
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Balance Leading the Way for NCGBB
Despite some ups and downs this season, it’s easy to appreciate the adversity NC GBB has faced. Between injuries and general absences, they’ve managed to stay the course and currently sit at 5-4 with several challenging opponents throughout their early schedule. Coach Zimmerman consistently gets this group to compete and has a variety of next-level pieces within his roster. Let’s take a closer...
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Karsten Swinney Averaging Video Game Numbers
There is so much quality basketball throughout North Carolina that players can easily get overlooked by the masses—even in major cities. Although he’s been talked about earlier this season, it’s unclear if enough people truly realize what Karsten Swinney is doing on a nightly basis for Freedom Christian. His averages of 29.1 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 6.9 APG, and 2.8 SPG basically speak for themselves....
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Burlington Christian Powering Through Adversity
There are so many variables that impact winning at the high school level. The combination of coaching, talent, and kids buying into the bigger picture typically pays dividends in the long run. Most teams don’t have players leaving in the middle of the season, which is a massive part of what makes Coach Myrick and Burlington Christian’s success so impressive. They lost their two leading scorers...
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Can Christ School Go Undefeated?
This season, Christ School has clearly been the best high school team within the public and private associations. They currently sit at 13-0 with a majority of their toughest opponents in the rear-view mirror. Outside of Combine Academy, no team has been able to challenge them with a single-digit result. The Greenies are coming off a state championship run, but one could argue this year’s roster...
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New-Look Furies Shining as Real Contenders
After winning a state championship and graduating four scholarship-level seniors, many folks naturally assumed Forsyth Country Day would be rebuilding for the future. Well, the future is now. Coach Esleeck and the Furies have picked up right where they left off, currently sitting at 18-3 with a slew of impressive wins under their belt. Following two early back-to-back losses against Charlotte...
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What Makes Josh Leonard the Best Prospect in the Carolinas?
Although the state of South Carolina is largely known for football and producing a sizable number of NFL athletes, it continues to grow as a hotbed for NBA talent. Headlined by names like Ja Morant, Zion Williamson, Khris Middleton, Aaron Nesmith, and GG Jackson, there are over a dozen active players from the Palmetto state. Several historically great players (Kevin Garnett, Alex English,...
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Senior Duo Posting Impressive Numbers for North Lincoln
The state of North Carolina is incredibly fortunate to have such an overabundance of talent within the basketball scene. Whether teams or individual players, there’s seemingly always someone to know in every pocket of the Hoopstate. Although they aren’t necessarily tucked away, North Lincoln is a team worthy of attention from the masses. The Knights have seen some ups and downs this season, but...
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Kameron Taylor Shining as X-Factor for UNC Asheville
While it’s likely common knowledge amongst those within the grassroots scene, recruiting North Carolina is a polarizing subject for some college programs. Fortunately, the hesitance of others hasn’t deterred Coach Mike Morrell from trusting his eyes and aggressively recruiting the state (both out of high school and the transfer portal). The Bulldogs’ top seven players in minutes all came from...
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LJ Smith’s Potential Record-Breaking Season
The phrase “some records aren’t meant to be broken” is strange. While often coined as a term of respect for the past generations and historical context, all records are meant to be broken. That being said, the difficulty required can certainly vary from one historical feat to the next. Most people have accepted that Rasheed Wallace’s 41 technical fouls (in a single season) won’t be broken, but...
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Worthy of Increased Attention: Dynamite Johnson Producing at a High Level
The talent within the high school basketball landscape seems to unveil more and more college-worthy players each year. Although there’s an influx of next-level prospects, we regularly see guys falling through the cracks. It’s not uncommon for someone to have individual production, team success, and translatable tools, yet don’t receive the appropriate amount of attention from the masses. There...
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Establishing a Winning Culture: Coach Baker and The New-Look Cannon
In a time when so many long-tenured coaches become content, Jim Baker is the type who doesn’t shy away from a new challenge. Across 40 years, he enjoyed consistent success coaching in the college (Catawba College) and high school (Central Cabarrus) ranks. Baker spent nearly two decades in the collegiate game before his next endeavor—Central Cabarrus. Following some initial struggles in his first...
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Player Standouts at Phenom Ambassador Classic (Part Two)
6’4 ’26 KJ Shouse (Carolina International) Despite Carolina International narrowly suffering defeat, Shouse continues to shine as the all-around focal point for the Comets. He utilized his versatility to set the tone on both ends of the floor. Shouse consistently secured rebounds, defended multiple positions, and produced in several ways offensively. Although he’s shown visible improvement as a...
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Player Standouts at Phenom Ambassador Classic (Part One)
6’0 ’26 Cam Newman (Gaston Christian) Arguably the top performance of the event, Newman was undeniably impressive. Although he offered his usual amount of playmaking and defensive prowess, the 38-point scoring outburst was easily the most memorable part of this showing. Newman applied pressure as a downhill threat and finished well at the basket but legitimately set the nets ablaze from beyond...
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Ambassador Classic Previews: Young Stars Collide
This weekend, Phenom Hoops travels to Ambassador Christian in Huntersville, North Carolina to host our inaugural Ambassador Classic. The one-day event features six games with a healthy mix of programs from the public, private, and independent sectors. In preparation for the showcase, we will take a closer look at each matchup and overview some of the anticipated storylines… Burlington Christian...
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