Phenom’s Open Gym Tour
West Charlotte (Charlotte, NC)
By Rick Lewis
Phenom Hoop Report traveled to Charlotte, North Carolina to check out West Charlotte High School coached by Jacoby Davis. Coach Davis is in his second season as head coach. West Charlotte finished with a 13-11 in the NCHSAA 4A classification for the 2016-17 seasons.
Last year this time, Patrick Williams was a slender 6’4 and 180 pounds. He just turned 15 years old. Fast forward and today, Patrick Williams is a young 16-year-old junior, but things have changed just a tad. He is now a legit 6’7 plus and now weights a strong & muscular 205 pounds. Williams has definitely put time in the weight room and now possesses a college ready frame. In our 2016 Phenom Hoop Report “Open Gym Tour,” we stated, “Without question, Patrick Williams is a marquee player in the North Carolina class of 2019 and is on the verge of a huge uptick in his recruitment.” At the time, Williams sported offers from Charlotte, UNC-Greensboro and Hampton. Williams now has offers from NC State, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Virginia, Wake Forest, Florida, Texas A&M and Temple. At open gym on Thursday, Georgetown and Ohio State were in to watch the blossoming star while Michigan was in the day before.
We have always been impressed with his advanced skill set and athletic ability. Williams has always enjoyed a very smooth and fluid game at the point guard position. He has an unbelievable feel for the game and has tremendous poise and maturity for his age/grade. Remember, he just turned 16 this month and plays more like a seasoned veteran. While Williams talents and athleticism will garnish him high major attention and rightfully so, we have also been equally impressed with his high character and academics. When one gets a chance to speak with him, he’s an easy young player to root and pull for. First of all, he is a well spoken young man that gives full attention to the person he is speaking with, not to mention every question is answered with a “yes/no sir” response. It’s just refreshing to see young players with his talent, upside and potential to be so grounded in his values. For Patrick Williams, we are huge fans of his basketball ability, but also his mannerisms and maturity.
6’0 ’19 Cartier Jeringen
When speaking to head coach Jacoby Davis, one can easily see the reason for excitement in the addition of Cartier Jeringen. He is blessed with tremendous athleticism and compared him to former West Charlotte star Marquis Rankin. Jeringen has always been known as a tough and relentless defender, but has really shown glimpses of being an effective perimeter shooter. Coach Davis is expecting big thing this coming season from the transfer guard and could bring added offense.
6’3 ’18 Christian Koonce
Christian is a very athleticism wing that will be counted on for coach Davis. He has played his role well over the years, but will be put in the limelight this coming season. Like Jeringen, Koonce is a willing and able defender that understands the team approach. He could easily be West Charlotte’s glue guy on the court.