Phenom Hoop Report made its way back to Greensboro, NC for another great event, the Stay Positive Live tournament. As always, tons of talent was in the gym, a regular occurrence when Phenom comes to town.
Cress Worthy
Phenom Hoop Report made its way back to Greensboro, NC for another great event, the Stay Positive Live tournament. As always, tons of talent was in the gym, a regular occurrence when Phenom comes to town. Some of the talent that stood out is as follows:
Cress Worthy, 6'1 G with Charlotte Nets/Marrow – Related to famous UNC Alum James Worthy you knew that this WV product would show out once in the Tarheel State. He was all over the floor for his team in the one we were courtside for this morning, scoring at will and grabbing boards with regularity. Per his coach, Cress has only been with this team for a few weeks but already shows a comfort level here. He has good handles, can stroke, and the needed athletic ability to stick at the 2 at the next level. Strong showing today.
Dewan Lesesne, 6'2 G with Carolina Magic – Dewan put on a scoring show in the first half of his game today going for 18 while we were cour tside. He scored on an array of moves and drives while showing he can get to the lane when he wants. He is powerful from the G position and that power allows him to take the contact and finish strong. Has a plus motor to him and competes hard which helps him show up in other areas on the box score. He did not show off the range here in this one, getting most points in transition or off drives but kid proved he is wired to score.
Austin Hadden, 6'2 G with Charlotte Nets/Marrow – In a game that featured a ton of slashers, Austin stood out with his ability to connect from down town. His 12 points in the first half helped open up the lanes for his slashers to work off of. On offense he is mostly a spot up, catch and shoot type of player but he showed he has more to his overall game than just a shot by helping out on the glass. His defense could have been betterand we would have liked to have seen him carry over the production into the 2nd half better but still, showed well in a supporting role to Worthy in this one.
Elijah Lockhart, 6'4 F with Carolina Magic – Like Dewan, Austin is a powerful young man that plays the game strong. Shows explosion in his game and is an easy finisher with authority at the rim when he wants to be. He is a strong rebounder and surprising shot blocker for his size. He looks more like an undersized power player at the next level at this point though as while he does have a good slashing game, he does not have the range nor the handles to suggest a move out to the wing. Still, he plays hard, has some physical tools to work with, and is productive on the floor.
Rodney Hansley, 5'10 G with Carolina Magic – Shooter came alive in the 2nd half knocking down several 3's to help his team hold onto the lead. He has easy range out to the 3 and beyond and showed not only the ability, but willingness to make the extra pass to help set guys up for easy looks. Was not a ton of D played here in this one but shows the requisite speed and quickness to suggest he could hold his own on this end if he chooses.