Head coach Jody Barbee has good reason to be all smiles these days. He has the services of 6’5 freshman Wendell Moore who is considered on the top players nationally in the 2019 class.
Moore already has offers from Charlotte and Tennessee and has already planned unofficial visits to NC State, Kentucky, Tennessee and Wake in the coming months. Moore has a physically mature frame and his game is advanced beyond his years. Moore grew up a Duke fan and the multiple talented wing will have his choice of elite level schools.
While Moore will be the cornerstone of the program for many years to come, Coach Barbee has some nice pieces to the puzzle. Now, let’s take a closer look at the other players that will contribute nicely to a successful season.
6’1 ’17 Francis Sio
We have watched Francis Sio at the NC Phenom 150 camp and also this past summer with Team Charlotte travel ball team. One thing clearly stands out, no matter the setting or venue, Sio brings effort and energy to the game. At our NC Phenom 150 camp, we wrote “with Francis Sio, you never have to coach effort, as he was one of the hardest working players of the camp. He has the ability to score from multiple spots on the court and he can attack the rim or can knock down the outside shot.” Francis is the perfect teammate. He has an outstanding attitude and buys in to the team approach. In addition, Francis sports an impressive 3.5 GPA in the classroom. Currently, he does not possess any D1 offers, but is getting serious interest from D2 schools.
6’0 ’16 Messiah Baptiste
We first watched Messiah Baptiste extensively at the Phenom Hoop Challenge as he went from a virtual unknown to a legitimate D2 prospect. He is a physically strong lead guard that demonstrates excellent on court leadership. He has proven to be an effective scorer from all levels on the court and has outstanding range. This past summer, he was lethal from the 3-point line and was the “go to” guy on this travel ball team. Currently, Baptiste is getting interest from Newberry, Catawba, Pheiffer, Lenoir Rhyne, and Queens. The All Conference performer will be looked upon to provide senior leadership. In addition, Messiah carries a 3.4 GPA in the classroom.
Highlights from the Phenom Challenge featuring Messiah Baptiste https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/news_article/show/514113'referrer_id=1591172
Top Newcomer
6’2 ’19 Caleb Stone Carrawell
Caleb has excellent bloodlines (his father Chris Carrawell played at Duke and is now assistant coach at Marquette). Caleb stands a “youthful” 6’2 and has plenty of growth in his frame. The baby faced Caleb has extremely long arms and defends extremely well. He is still learning the game and it’s easy to see the upside and potential in his game. Caleb is good at attacking the rim, but has a nice go to move in the dribble drive pull up jumper. Go ahead and put Caleb in your SIM CARD.