The inaugural Phenom 3G event was a huge success and the acceptance by the city of Fayetteville was unbelievable. Fayetteville has been a hotbed of basketball talent and there was no shortage of talent displayed at Freedom Courts this past weekend. Today, we want to take a closer look at the Phenom 3G champions at each age division.
17U Gold Champion
CBC Elite (Carolina Basketball Club)
Coming into the Phenom 3G, CBC Elite was probably not in anyone’s pick to come out on top in the Gold Championship. The early favorites were Team ENC, Flight 22 Fayetteville, Hoop State Elite and WBC Elite. After going 2-1 in pool play, CBC Elite pulled out a 65-56 semi-final win over NC Empire to advance to the championship game against WBC Elite. On paper, WBC Elite was the heavy favorite, but the toughness and resiliency of CBC Elite earned them a 72-71 championship win over a very talented WBC Elite team. For CBC Elite, the sum was greater than the parts, which is what team basketball is all about. CBC Elite was led by 6’3 unsigned senior Jermain Jones and 6’0 unsigned senior Cameron McCravy. Jones was the ultimate utility guy that did a little bit of everything well. He played with a high motor, displayed unique toughness and was simply around the ball the entire weekend. McCravy was the team’s glue player and ran the show perfectly as they finished on top with an impressive 4-1 record. Jones finished with 26 points in the championship game while 6’4 ’18 Kyle Austin chipped with 24 points
16U Gold Champion
NC Empire Go Hard
The name NC Empire “Go Hard” is all you need to know. They simply play at an intense pace and the bench is actively involved the entire game chanting “defense” throughout the course of the game. NC Empire went a perfect 5-0 and completely dominated the competition. In the semi-finals, they defeated a very talented Boo Williams NC Team 60-47 and cruised to an impressive 71-46 championship win over Team Wall SE. NC Empire was led by 6’9 ’20 Myles Evans who chipped in a game high 20 points including one 3-pointer. Evans was simply sensational the entire weekend. After Evans, it was a total team effort with balanced scoring. 6’0 ’20 David Murphy tallied 12 points while 6’4 ’20 Lemarion Wilkerson Jr. chipped in 10 points.
15U Gold Champion
Taking It By Force
Taking It By Force did exactly what their name applies. The locally based team out of Raeford, North Carolina “took the 15U championship by force.” They went a perfect 4-0 for the weekend and 5’10 ’21 JaQuantae Harris emerged as one of the event’s top overall performer. The athletic and skilled scoring point guard simply put on a scoring clinic in the championship game with a game high 30 points. Harris has a unique blend of strength/length combined with a smooth and fluid game. 5’10 ’20 JaVonne McAllister rounded out the scoring with 12 points while 5’10 ’21 James Brodie Clark also chipped in 12 in the championship game.
14U Gold Champion
Flight 22 Fayetteville
After losing the opening game to Team Wall SE in pool play, Flight 22 Fayetteville fought and crawled back to capture the super competitive 14U division to go 4-1 and capture the Gold championship. In the first game of bracket play, Flight 22 Fayetteville pulled out a thrilling 68-66 win over B2W, followed up by a 54-46 over the Carolina Warriors in the semi-finals, only to capture the championship over unbeaten Team Wall SE by the score of 62-59. Jaylon Johnson led the way the entire weekend and got ample support from the balance of the team while Masaun Bryant provided the outside shooting touch.
17U Silver Champion
Team Premier
Team Premier came one point away from being in the Gold championship bracket. They lost a tough 59-58 game to a talented WBC Elite team. One thing is for certain, Team Premier overcame injuries and showed toughness and resiliency throughout the weekend. 6’3 ’21 Joseph Cherry-Blue was a monster the entire weekend and was terrific in the Silver championship game by pouring in a tourney high 35 points. The locally based team out of the Rocky Mount area demonstrated a no quite attitude and played intensely throughout the weekend. They were definitely a fun team to watch.
17U Bronze Champion
Main Event
Main Event finished in a 3-way tie in Pool D division and actually beat the Gold champion (CBC Elite 56-53) in pool play which showed how tough the competition was in that respective pool. 6’1 ’18 Jide Huntley was the driving force behind a well-rounded and athletic team. In addition, 5’11 ’20 Salem Streater provided a three level scoring approach.