Check out some the latest recruiting news around the region, as Phenom Hoops provides you all the latest.
Recruitment continues to stay open for 2023 Elijah Strong
One of the top unsigned senior big men in the state of North Carolina, 2023 Elijah Strong certainly has been making noise last in the season. Not only does he have his team looking for a state title, but he also reopened his recruitment not long ago and schools are coming his way hard.
Since he opened up his recruitment, Strong has added offers from St. Bonaventure, George Mason, Samford, Duquesne, and most recently Illinois State.
“They’ve just been saying they want me to come in and make an immediate impact,” he told Phenom Hoops. “Everyone who has offered is in the mix, my recruitment is still 100 percent open.”
When we asked about any visits or timeline, Strong does have plans to make some visits.
“I definitely plan on taking visits, just not sure where yet though. And after the season ends for us, I’ll start actually thinking about where I’m headed.”
2024 Isaiah Evans earns big in-state offer
2024 Isaiah Evans has had quite an impressive few weeks as of late. He not only was ranked as a Top-10 prospect by 247Sports, but he also was putting on a show in the playoffs for North Meck which included a 62-point outing vs. Chambers.
But recently, Evans earned a huge offer from an in-state blue blood, as Duke sent an offer his way. The staff at Duke has been recruiting and showing interest in Evans for quite some time now, and he also has been able to make a visit there as well.
But on Tuesday night, Duke (along with Alabama) was the latest to offer and the Blue Devils could be a very interesting program to watch out for.
2023 Jakel Powell has a timeline of when he wants to decide
Another unsigned senior that Phenom Hoops recently talked to was 2023 Jakel Powell, a 6’5 prospect from Raleigh Christian Academy. Powell recently talked to Phenom and mentioned that schools are still staying strong with him, but a few new schools have also been coming his way.
“Siena, High Point, and Austin Peay,” have been staying strong with him. “A few new schools have reached out, so I’m still exploring and waiting to see about coaching changes. Schools like Temple, Seton Hall, Presbyterian, Jackson State, Mount St. Mary’s, and Gardner-Webb have reached out.”
As far as timeline, Powell is looking towards the end of the month and understands what he is looking for in a program.
“Probably the end of March,” Powell said about his timeframe of when he may ultimately decide. “Overall, I really want to play as a freshman. I’m a shooter/scorer, so I’m looking for places that need shooters in a good competitive conference. Coaches that can develop me and prepare me to play professionally.”
2025 Hayden Assemian earns his first ACC offer
Not going to say that we said to watch out for this young man, but this could be just the start for the 2025 prospect down in South Carolina. 2025 Hayden Assemian has been on the Phenom platform quite a few times, with us saying this back in October about his game:
“He has shown to be an absolute physical force at 6’8 down in the paint, carving out space, playing strong with his back to the basket, and bullying opponents around. And he has a knack for just finding ways to get the ball in his hands, especially on the boards. But he is also quite skilled for a forward, showing the ability to put the ball on the deck, his explosiveness in finishing at the rim, and playing with such motor/energy. It is why he should be a player quickly rising up the ranks and boards for college programs; production has been the name of the game and he did that consistently at the South Carolina Top 80.”
Well, the sophomore big man just received his first ACC offer, as Wake Forest offered on Tuesday. It is his second offer so far, as Western Carolina offered a few months ago. But we have a strong feeling this won’t be the last time you will be hearing his name in the recruiting world.