Phenom Hoops College Basketball Coverage
Florida State’s 2026 Recruiting Class Tops the Nation After a Huge Summer
The Florida State program has had a great start to the fall season, both on the football field and on the basketball court. FSU looks to be back in the national spotlight with a huge Week 1 win vs. Alabama, but we are here to talk about the wins FSU has been racking up in the recruiting world for basketball. In the latest news, FSU landed two more Top 100 prospects in Collin Paul and Brandon...
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Rookies Who Could Outperform Draft Position (First Round)
#6- Tre Johnson (Washington Wizards) It’s probably a little overzealous to say that a top-six draft pick could outperform his draft position, as they’re already expected to be quite useful. However, Johnson looks like a steal for the Wizards. During two games of summer league, he more than solidified his status as an elite all-around shooting threat, and the numbers back this sentiment. He’ll...
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Could Duke’s Title Hopes Be in the Hands of Two Players?
College Basketball will be here before you know it, so we are looking at different topics around the country to talk about and when diving into the roster for Duke, there is plenty of talent to go around as they have a chance to compete for a national championship. However, when you fully dive into this roster, could those title hopes be strung to the play of two key players? We dive in a bit....
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The Five Worst Contracts in the NBA
Considering August is one of the only periods of the year when basketball isn’t being played, there’s no better time to look at a different collection of topics…like NBA contracts. The salary cap is one of the biggest separators between collegiate and professional basketball, but it’s unclear if the general masses truly comprehend contract value. People see Karl-Anthony Towns making $53 million...
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The Five Best Contracts in the NBA
Considering August is one of the only periods of the year when basketball isn’t being played, there’s no better time to look at a different collection of topics…like NBA contracts. The salary cap is one of the biggest separators between collegiate and professional basketball, but it’s unclear if the general masses truly comprehend contract value. People see Karl-Anthony Towns making 53 million...
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Can Wake Forest’s Juke Harris Take the Next Step in Leading the Demon Deacons?
Wake Forest has been an interesting team over the years, building strong seasons but coming up short in making the NCAA Tournament as of late. Coach Forbes and the rest of the roster would love nothing more than to end that with yet another successful season after going 21-11 last year. After losing some strong talent from last year’s team, Wake Forest will be looking for others to step up and...
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Friday Five: Most Intriguing Things Entering the NBA Season
Now that we’ve reached August, high school basketball will slow down for a brief period before the start of next season. During this time featuring fewer events, we will start looking at other topics worth discussing (typically in the basketball space) during this “Friday Five” series. Whether it’s players capturing headlines, stories in the media, or something completely unrelated, we will...
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Winners from NBA Free Agency
Denver Nuggets Arguably, the biggest winners of the entire draft or free agency period, Denver really maximized their opportunity to improve along the margins. Flipping Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick into Cam Johnson is a major win. Make no mistake, Porter Jr. is a lethal shooter with legit size. Although Porter has made considerable strides since entering the...
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Could NC State’s Paul McNeil Jr. be a sophomore to break out in the ACC?
The freshman year for Paul McNeil Jr. at NC State brought a mixture of growth, adjustment, and flashes of the scoring talent that a very interesting prospect to watch this upcoming season. Certainly, being a familiar face around the state of North Carolina, he will have plenty of fans supporting him and are excited to see what he can show. With a year of college basketball under his belt, the...
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NBA Draft 2025: Second Round Thoughts
Although one could argue that the talent level in this draft drops drastically after the first handful of picks, there was still some value in the second round. Obviously, it’s more likely that these guys don’t crack NBA rotations, but some will inevitably work their way into meaningful minutes. This is typically somewhat of a crapshoot, but let’s see some guys who could carve out roles for...
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NBA Draft 2025: Additional First Round Notes
Teams Outsmarting Themselves It’s amazing how a team like Brooklyn entered a draft with five first-round picks, used all of their selections, and somehow walked away without adding any major pieces. They aggressively reached on Demin before drafting Nolan Traore, Drake Powell, Ben Saraf, and Danny Wolf. Although he was the fifth guy taken, Wolf might be the most appealing player within that...
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NBA Draft 2025: First Round Reactions (Picks 11-15)
Minimal Excitement to Conclude Lottery Picks Although most of the popular prospects were positioned atop this draft board, there was still real value in the late lottery. Memphis trades up to grab Cedric Coward–one of the fastest risers in this year’s class. His story is fascinating. Going from Willamette to Eastern Washington to Washington State to getting drafted in the lottery is truly...
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NBA Draft 2025: First Round Reactions (Picks 6-10)
Wizards Add Shooting in Johnson, Pelicans Take Fears Entering the second half of the top ten picks, Washington secures one of the draft’s most universally loved players in Johnson. He’s an elite shot-maker whose ability to hit NBA-level jumpers will make him a meaningful contributor for many years to come. There are some justified concerns about his lack of finishing ability around the rim, but...
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NBA Draft 2025: First Round Reactions (Picks 1-5)
Flagg First, Harper Second There were no surprises between Dallas and San Antonio, as the only two “locks” in the draft were taken off the board with the first two selections. Even if we look back in five or ten years and see others surpass Flagg or Harper, these were still the correct choices. The 18-year-old Flagg is coming off one of the most dominant college seasons in history, especially...
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A balance of new names and returning prospects make UNC-Pembroke highly interesting to watch this upcoming season
Never too early to talk about some college basketball, and a program that has earned our attention early here in North Carolina is UNC-Pembroke. Coming off a season in which they finished 25-7 and 18-2 in conference play, the staff will have a strong blend of returning players and new names coming into the program. We dive into what we know about the roster and what fans should be excited about...
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