It has been a standard practice of the Phenom Hoop Report not to rank players in the freshman class (NC 2020 Class) until they have completed a full season of high school basketball at the varsity or junior varsity level. In the next several weeks, we will take a closer look at players we have seen repeatedly in camp setting or in travel ball situations. In this issue of the NC 2020 Class “The Stars of Tomorrow, “ we are going to talk about 6’2 Carson McCorkle of Raleigh Broughton High School.
Carson McCorkle is another name to add to the national conversation from a talented 2020 class from North Carolina. Look for Carson and Jaden Springer to battle it out over the next four years as one of the top players in the state, if not the very best! Let’s go ahead and expand on that statement and include the entire country. Only a rising freshman, Carson McCorkle is simply an all around players. The accolades are endless and rightfully so. Recently, Carson received an invitation to the Team USA Basketball Mini-Camp.
With Carson, you have a fundamentally sound basketball player with a high IQ. We first observed Carson back in 2014 at our 11th Annual NC Junior Phenom Camp. In our camp review, we stated the following. “Carson made his mark by his smooth shooting touch and accuracy from the 3-point line. Carson simply understands how to play basketball. He shoots the ball well and when he has time to get his feet set, he is knocking it in. Although Carson is a very good shooter, he is always looking to make the extra pass. Carson is the type of player that makes his team better. He’s the ultimate team player that will do all the little things to help his team secure the win.”
A year later, Carson attended the 12th Annual NC Junior Phenom Camp. A more developed and mature player, Carson was clearly one of the top players in attendance. In our evaluation, we stated, “Carson has such an advanced skill set that is simply beyond his years. To put it bluntly, McCorkle is a special young player that can do so many things well. He can handle, pass and shoot as well as any prospect for his age/grade that has come down the pike. Yes, he is that good and talented. He’s the real deal and is one of the more polished prospects in the state for his age/grade. If he continues to work on his game and get physically stronger, the sky is the limit for this talented young prospect.”
After Carson’s superb performance at the NC Junior Phenom camp, we invited him back the following day to participate in the NC Phenom 150 camp for high school players. As an eight grader playing in the high school division, Carson proved his stock and value. In the three games against high school competition, Carson scored 16, 18 and 27 points for an average of 20.3 PPG.
The expectations are extremely high for Carson. He has proven time after time that he can play at an elite level. The soft-spoken young player is humble and has his feet firmly set with an unprecedented work ethic. He combines an advanced skill set along with good athleticism and tremendous bounce. As we correctly stated over a year ago, Carson McCorkle is a special young player. Yes, go ahead and put his name in your SIM CARD. He’s one you won’t forget.