Harding looks to be a team to Watch Out for in the Future
It was good to see Harding at the event, and this is a team that certainly caught our attention and will be a team to watch down the road. A different-looking roster, Coach Cooke has a lot of interesting parts that bring a mixture of young talent and older players. Overall, though, this is quite a young roster that will get plenty of experience in the coming years, led by players like 2030 Traylin Jackson, 2029 Nasir Cooke, 2029 DJ Caviness, 2030 Lloyd Concepcion, and several others. As they continue to build continuity and earn minutes on the court, this is a group that has the talent to make noise in the coming years, along with a veteran coach who understands winning.
West Meck Looking to Make a Bigger Statement this Season
No doubt about it, one of the biggest storylines around North Carolina was the dramatic change at West Meck, going from a team that didn’t win a game the year before to finishing with an 18-10 overall record, making the playoffs, and securing first place in the conference. Coach Ewell has done a great job in making his mark early on with the program, but he understands that this is just the start of his story with the program. Getting a chance to check out this year’s roster, this group has a few new names that will be looking to step up, but also plenty of experience returning as well. Watching them in action, though, this looks to be a balanced group with strong guard play, leaders, and versatility at different positions, as well as being an impactful group both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. 2027 Rylan Leak, 2027 RJ Grier, and others return to make another strong statement but they will have others looking to step up, including 2027 Jaylen Liggins, 2028 Jex Gerringer, and several others. And knowing Coach Ewell, he has his eyes on an even bigger season this year.
Phoenix Montessori has talent to be found with a new roster
One of the more intriguing overall teams in terms of talent was Phoenix Montessori, as they clearly put themselves on the radar as a team to watch this upcoming season. This is a team that offers a lot of firepower, balance, size, and strength, as they can hurt you in a variety of ways. The guard play will be again strong with players like 2027 Malik McCotter, 2027 Tim Burris, and others, while versatility won’t be an issue with 2027 Ayden Fisher, 2028 Kam Lucas, 2027 D’Rock Nchinda, and others. When it comes to size, Jakari Jordan, Jayven Bakari, and Gavin Glover all bring tremendous size at their position, giving this team an excellent inside-out presence. Phoenix Montessori clearly put themselves as a team to watch this season, as they will be looking to make a statement with strong guard play, athleticism, and size all over the court. They gave us an early preview at the Phenom Team Camp, going undefeated on the weekend.
Several Teams Make an Early Statement
There were plenty of other teams that walked away with a strong weekend. New Garden Friends looked ready to roll once again with an undefeated team camp, showcasing balance, scoring power, and impact on both sides of the court. Rocky River and Palisades could be two teams that take a step forward this upcoming season, as they were able to play strong throughout, allow new players to shine, and bring balance overall. Providence and Indian Land were two other teams that played well; Hodgson led the way for Providence while new names look to step up for Indian Land with strong guard play. South Point, Carolina International, and Maiden all finished undefeated as well at the event. Could they carry that momentum into the season? We shall see but they clearly put themselves on notice early on this summer.