At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, hundreds of players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked and underrated, and today’s edition will highlight Jamori McDougald of Overhills High School.
We’ve seen McDougald a ton over the years, including the past summer, where we stated, “Now, the dynamic, heady floor general is coming off an amazing summer season with Fayetteville Flash, and looks more than prepared to take over as the undisputed leader of Overhills High School. In terms of his actual identity, McDougald is a smart, unselfish point guard with phenomenal vision andthree-level scoring ability. He’s quick and crafty, but his overall pace and understanding of how to attack certain angles is what separates him from other players. McDougald stands out as a sharp defender and decision-maker with natural instincts for forcing turnovers and making plays in the open floor. He’s also equally as reliable in transition as the half-court set. After announcing his growth to 6-foot-2, there is absolutely no possible justification for McDougald’s lack of offers. He has been legitimately forced to fight for every opportunity, so this is pretty familiar territory. Only time will tell, but a next-level program will getting a true gem in McDougald.”
Since then, McDougald has only continued to solidify himself as an obvious scholarship-level piece for various college programs. Overhills High School is currently 6-0 and McDougald’s nightly averages of 14.8 PPG, 5.7 APG, and 2.7 SPG is a massive reason as to why. For a balanced, dynamic floor general, it’s genuinely perplexing to try and understand what is preventing coaches from extending offers. The kid is simply better than his recruitment and, given his body of work and current abilities, should be way more coveted than majority of the available floor generals. Unfortunately, McDougald has always been somewhat underrated in the eyes of college coaches. His ability to run a team while actively taking advantage of easy scoring opportunities and being a pesky defender makes him a useful player with any collection of teammates. Only time will tell, but whoever gets McDougald should be very excited.