At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, over one hundred 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 Wy’Kise Allen of South Granville and Garner Road.
South Granville has quietly become one of the most exciting teams in North Carolina with their talent, structure, and up-tempo style of play, and Allen is arguably the x-factor of it all. Easily the most versatile player on the roster, Allen already does a phenomenal job of filling up the stat sheet and operating across various roles/positions. He can defend, initiate offense, create off the bounce, score from all three levels, and basically everything in between. Allen is a terrific rebounder with the ability to grab and immediately push in transition. He’s something of a matchup problem, because he’s too strong for opposing guards/wings and too crafty for opposing forwards to hope to contain. Allen has only gotten better over the recent months and could take another step forward in his development prior to joining the next level.
Allen attended our Eastern North Carolina camp in August, where we stated: “Continuing onto a player that provided his team with a productive two-way presence throughout camp, Wy’Kise Allen. He’s a versatile, strong-bodied wing/forward prospect that knows how to do a strong amount of everything. Allen is a capable ball-handler and creator with the ability to score effectively from all three levels. He displays a nice IQ and understands how to affect various facets of the game. Allen showed the ability to play in a variety of different roles and positions on both ends of the floor while utilizing his body extremely well. Next in his development process is working to become quicker, as it would make him even tougher for opponents to contain on the perimeter. Coach Williams on Allen: “Wy’Kise is a great scorer. He scores at all three levels and can play three or four positions on the court. He has a body like Draymond Green and knows how to make his presence felt on both ends of the floor. Wy’Kise has a good attitude and was coachable throughout camp.” Allen was one of the more intriguing prospects at camp and could be poised for a breakout upcoming season at South Granville.”
Prospects like Allen have found plenty of success in the collegiate game, so it’s difficult to understand his lack of recruitment at this point in time. He has all the tools, both physical and in terms of skill, to continue being a matchup problem at a variety of different levels and programs. There should be no shortage of college coaches coming through South Granville with guys like Allen, Bobby Peittofrd, Kobe Jones, and Micah Jones among multiple others. Keep a close watch on Allen through the season’s final months, as his recruitment should take a step forward.