Phenom Hoops got a great taste of the action we will be seeing for much of the summer at the Queen City Showcase and Team Charlotte is certainly going to be a popular name to watch… but that shouldn’t be any different from previous seasons.
Each year, Jeff McInnis and company bring in some of the top talent around the region and they are looking to do it once again. Charlotte 17u has a ton of must-see players that will have coaches salivating but we also got a chance to watch some of the young talent on the 16u team, one that displayed toughness in winning the 16u bracket at the Queen City Showcase. So let’s dive into the roster early on, as these all will be names to watch!
Coach McInnis brings in some familiar faces around North Carolina and you can’t help but start with 2023 forward Mekhi Grant, an athletic freak on the court that brings a tremendous two-way ability, power, and strength to the floor. He made a ton of noise once again, helping secure the championship with a big-time block but also is a tremendous offensive threat around the rim. Then you look at the guards of 2023 Kennard Davis, a point guard that just stirs the pot. He is excellent out in transition, sees the floor, and is a playmaker on the court. Alongside him is 2023 Elijah Green, another play-making point guard that is shifty, has tremendous court awareness, and understanding of how to initiate the offense.
That doesn’t mean you should look past the brothers of Marcus Brown and Jahmir Brown, two excellent guards that provide and play different roles on the floor. Jahmir is an absolute monster on the defensive end, shutting down his opponents while also using his quickness to attack and finish. Brown brings the length and size along the perimeter and one can easily see that he has continued to grow in his offensive game, knocking down shots from multiple levels and being a tough matchup for any team along with his rising confidence.
2023 Stephen Quinn is a three-point specialist. Literally, once he crosses half court, he is in range and he doesn’t need much time or space to get his shot off; one of the top 3-point shooters in the state at his age.
2024 Braylhan Thomas is one to start tracking NOW. He was still young at Combine and a ton of talent ahead of him, but he is only getting more opportunities to show what he can do on the court. We are talking about a player coming off his freshman season, that has a tremendous young frame and still growing and is one that showcases incredible offensive capability as well as impacts the floor in several other ways.
2023 Darius Abraham is much the same when talking about strength and power. He brings such a tremendous physical stature to the floor, alongside his aggressive scoring capability. Then you add in 2023 Greyson Singletary and 2023 Joe Ryyne, this is a team that has incredibly productive pieces that really showed their toughness and ability this past weekend in Rock Hill.
But again, Team Charlotte just reloads and this young group under Coach McInnis should be flying high after this weekend and will have the attention of college coaches around the country.