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An X-Factor: 2023 Truman Claytor (Word of God)
Player: Truman ClaytorSchool: Word of GodClass: 2023Height: 6’4 There is no doubt about it this year… Word of God is loaded with talent everywhere you look. College coaches will be flocking to check out the talent and this looks to be a team that could make a national push if everything starts clicking. But during our Phenom Open Gym Tour and at the HoopState League, one player...
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Phenom Spotlight: 2023 6’4 Noah Van Bibber (Concord Academy)
Player: Noah Van BibberSchool: Concord AcademyClass: 2023Height: 6’4 It looks to be an exciting upcoming high school season, especially with the talent around the state. There are a few new talents though coming in that college coaches should be looking at quickly, as they have showcased early on that they can play at a high level. One player that I’ve personally watched on a few occasions this...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Under the Radar Players (Part 2)
With all the trips we have been making during our Phenom Open Gym Tour, it has shed some light on a few players that have been going under the radar and should be ones to watch this season with their play. Coaches could certainly use players like these in their program to help their winning ways. Here is Part 2 of the series, as these players will play pivotal parts for their team. 2022 Tyrone...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Under the Radar Players (Part 1)
With all the trips we have been making during our Phenom Open Gym Tour, it has shed some light on a few players that have been going under the radar and should be ones to watch this season with their play. Coaches could certainly use players like these in their program to help their winning ways. Here is Part 1 of the series, as these players will play pivotal parts for their team. 2023 Derek...
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Open Gym Report: Ben L. Smith
On Friday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to another quality open gym session with one of the Triad’s top public-school programs in Ben L. Smith. Coach Derrick Partee is entering his tenth season at the helm, maintaining their success while consistently getting his players to the next level. Just in the last five years, he’s put over a dozen prospects into the collegiate ranks. Although they were...
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Player Standouts at Day Two of Phenom All-American Camp
#1- Jamey Patterson- Despite being the smallest and youngest player in attendance, Patterson consistently found ways to make his presence felt. He lacks physical strength but possesses IQ and an excellent understanding of how to position himself for success on both ends of the floor. Patterson is a reliable ball-handler and playmaker with the ability to set up others or knock down shots. ...
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Player Standouts at Phenom All-American Camp
#65- Damani Day- It’s easy to appreciate the steady, unselfish point guard presence from Day. He possesses IQ, toughness, and a sturdy frame for his size/position. Day handles the ball well, makes quality passes, and scores as needed. He continues to show nice development as a prospect. #128- Dallas Gardner- Easily one of the most impressive performers on display, Gardner continues to shine in...
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“Getting to Know” 6’0 ’22 Maxwell Coles
We’ve seen a lot of players come through our doors over the years, varying in appearance, skill level, and everything in between. We decided to put forth a “Getting to Know” series on some players who have attended events but still remain on the lesser-known side of things. Each of these prospects embody being a student-athlete and getting it done in the classroom as well as on the basketball...
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Why is Jordyn Surratt So Severely Underrated'
Each year, the grassroots scene is full of prospects who receive varying amounts of attention from college coaches. Generally speaking, these programs know who they should be targeting and find ways to act accordingly. However, it seems like there’s always a select grouping of players who get brushed aside by appropriate-level coaches. The souring on prospects is usually a result of...
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UNCG Secures Elite Shooting Threat in Donovan Atwell
Each year, three-point shooting becomes increasingly valuable at every possible level within the game of basketball. Like most ideologies, the emphasis on perimeter shooting really started to heighten in the professional ranks (coming over the last decade or so) and trickled down from there. Now, everyone seems to be in universal agreement with its value. In turn, this makes Donovan Atwell’s...
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Cade Tyson Calls it for Belmont
Given everything with covid and general restrictions over the last year, the recruiting landscape in Division I basketball has arguably become more brutal than ever before. Receiving an offer is starting to become a rarity unless a player is nationally ranked or pursued by other programs of the same (or higher) levels. In less than twelve months, Cade Tyson went from a standstill in recruitment...
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Deserving of Offers: Five Scholarship-Worthy Seniors
The state of North Carolina is consistently filled with some of the top basketball talent across the entire nation—especially per capita. This can be a blessing and a curse. Due to the number of programs competing for kids of similar levels, it typically becomes a waiting game. Understandably, no college coach wants to reveal their hand to the competition, but there has to be a certain level of...
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Freshly Departed Prospects from North Carolina
Player movement has become a common practice within the overall grassroots landscape, and the prospects within North Carolina are no exemption. Whether for exposure, playing opportunities, or something different, guys have found ways to maneuver around various obstacles within the high school scene. The development of programs like Link Year Prep and Vertical Academy have followed somewhat in...
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Welcome Back: 2022 Amare Haynie returns and looking to make some noise
Winston Salem Christian was loaded with talent last year and looks to be loaded once again this coming season. Coming into the season though last year, this team took a big hit with the injury to 2022 Amare Haynie, a dynamic guard that is a playmaker on the court. After sitting out the entire season and rehabbing this summer as well, Haynie is now back on the court and ready to show what he has...
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Open Gym Tour: Northwest Guilford
On Tuesday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Oak Ridge for an open gym session with one of the Triad’s top programs in Northwest Guilford. The Vikings were somewhat disappointing last season, especially by their standards, but look likely to bounce back in aggressive fashion. Structurally, this group is very well-defined. They have a clear rotation with cohesive individual pieces from top to bottom....
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“Getting to Know” 6’2 ’24 John Campbell
We’ve seen a lot of players come through our doors over the years, varying in appearance, skill level, and everything in between. We decided to put forth a “Getting to Know” series on some players who have attended events but still remain on the lesser-known side of things. Each of these prospects embody being a student-athlete and getting it done in the classroom as well as on the basketball...
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Poised to Breakout: James Scott
The recruiting scene is somewhat strange to comprehend, as the explanations and reasoning for offering kids are incredibly inconsistent from program to program. Some schools feel compelled to see a player a dozen times before even considering the idea of extending an offer, whereas various others will present scholarships without ever seeing said prospect. Neither method is particularly...
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“Getting to Know” 5’11 ’22 Evan Presnell
We’ve seen a lot of players come through our doors over the years, varying in appearance, skill level, and everything in between. We decided to put forth a “Getting to Know” series on some players who have attended events but still remain on the lesser-known side of things. Each of these prospects embody being a student-athlete and getting it done in the classroom as well as on the basketball...
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Open Gym Report: Page High School
On Thursday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Page High School for another exciting open gym session. For those who haven’t been watching, the Pirates have steadily trended upward in each of the last two seasons under Coach Evan Fancourt. After back-to-back seasons of success, Fancourt and company should only continue getting better and better. Although they lost two major pieces in Jaden Ellis and...
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Open Gym Report: Bishop McGuinness
On Wednesday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Bishop McGuinness for another noteworthy open gym session. The Villains have been led by Coach Josh Thompson since 2004. Regardless of roster composition, they’ve found consistent success and regularly competed for state championships throughout his tenure. Although they had some struggles last season, the Villains seem guaranteed to bounce back with...
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“Getting to Know” 6’9 2022 Luke Grace
We’ve seen a lot of players come through our doors over the years, varying in appearance, skill level, and everything in between. We decided to put forth a “Getting to Know” series on some players who have attended events but still remain on the lesser-known side of things. Each of these prospects embody being a student-athlete and getting it done in the classroom as well as on the basketball...
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Open Gym Report: The Burlington School
On Tuesday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to The Burlington School for a high-level open gym session with one of the top programs across North Carolina. For the last two seasons, the Spartans have been led by Coach Ryan Bernardi and, regardless of roster composition, found a way to make it to the title game. After suffering a state championship loss, they reached their goal last season and seized...
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Phenom Spotlight: 2025 Justin Hunter
Justin is an elite athlete who brings great energy on both ends of the floor. He’s also a very good shot maker who can knock down shots from all levels both off the dribble and when spotting up and is especially effective shooting off the dribble in the mid-range.
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Oozing with Upside: Jaxon Prunty
While majority of the folks within grassroots basketball tend to primarily focus on the older prospects (who are eligible to receive offers and actually speak to coaches), there’s always a new slew of up-and-coming talent across the younger age groups. Between the Classes of 2024 and 2025, folks should be really excited for what’s to come over the next few years. The current collection of 14U...
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Expect Collin Tanner to Become a Priority for College Coaches
Each year, there are various prospects who seem to enjoy a noticeable boost in recruitment immediately upon reclassifying and/or transferring. Guys like Jakwon Moore and Brandon White are probably the two best examples of this notion after seeing a massive uptick in offers over the summer. However, it seems like Collin Tanner is on the cusp of a major blow-up amongst Division I coaches. Between...
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Five Names College Coaches Need to Pursue in North Carolina’s Class of 2023
After an incredibly bizarre calendar year of question marks and high school prospects suffering the negative effects of covid, we finally return to some semblance of normalcy. There is no denying the impact for guys in the Class of 2021, and even 2022. The combination of on-court restrictions and additional year of eligibility would ultimately hurt the kids still in high school—not the college...
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“Getting to Know” 6’7 2025 Trent Steinour
We’ve seen a lot of players come through our doors over the years, varying in appearance, skill level, and everything in between. We decided to put forth a “Getting to Know” series on some players who have attended events but still remain on the lesser-known side of things. Each of these prospects embody being a student-athlete and getting it done in the classroom as well as on the basketball...
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North Carolina’s New Names Worth Noting
The North Carolina high school basketball scene is certainly unique, given the combination of history, noteworthy programs, and enticing talent across all classes. Some folks have placed a ton of emphasis on the fact that players have opted to leave a talent-laden area for a challenge at national powerhouses like Oak Hill, IMG Academy, Montverde, and various others, but there are also plenty of...
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Remember the Name in NC: 2022 6’10 Thomas Tut (Moravian Prep)
It was recently announced that 2022 6’10 Thomas Tut (also listed as Roman Tut) would be coming to North Carolina and playing with Moravian Prep; we are telling you now that this is a young man that you will want to learn about quickly.
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JUCO Priorities Worthy of Attention (Part Two)
The grassroots landscape is an intensely competitive setting for young kids to try and achieve their goals in making it to the collegiate ranks. Given the overabundance of talent within North Carolina, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing extremely talented players take the JUCO route as opposed to other alternatives. Whether for grades, lack of exposure, or something completely different, each of...
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