6’0 2018 Kavaudrick Worthy of Ransom MS in Charlotte, NC (#11)

We first noticed Worthy at our 10^th Annual NC Phenom 150 Fall Evaluation camp back last October.  He has a famous bloodline and is the great nephew of NBA Hall of Fame player James Worthy. The younger Worthy is a highly skilled and athletic player and lives in the West Charlotte school district, which is a perennial 4A powerhouse in the state of North Carolina. There is so much to like about the young star. He has all the physical attributes and a skillset that is advanced for his age/grade. He has exceptional ball handling and passing skills, but more importantly he is a team player. Worthy simply understands the game and doesn’t try to dominate the game by only scoring. He is involved defensively and is unselfish on the offensive end of the court. Unlike his famous great uncle, his body frame looks much smaller and sports a 10-½ shoe size. That being said, Worthy is one of the top players in the state for he 2018 class. He plays AAU basketball with the QCAA Force. Worthy has the making for an elite level high school player and depending upon his physical growth will help determine his appropriate level. We have plenty of time to figure that out, but for now he is one of the premier players in his class.

5’10 2018 Trey Wertz of United Faith Academy in Charlotte, NC (#3)

I’ve had the pleasure of watching Wertz over the years since he has been a camper in our Drills and Skills Camp every fall. Wertz is a talented young offensive player that has a “Stephen Curry” quick release on his jumper. He is already a highly skilled shooter and his form and technique is textbook. While he is a lethal shooter from the perimeter, he has expanded his game and utilized a floater and a nifty reverse spin move. Although Wertz is playing in the 13U age division, he is quite young for his age. He has a long and slender frame and already sports a 12-½ size shoe so hopefully he will continue to grow into those huge feet. While Wertz is more of a SG, he does have above average ball handling and passing skills. That being said, Wertz’s strongest attribute is his ability to tickle the twine with his silky smooth jumper. Since he is one of the younger players in his age group, he is not as physically strong and gaining strength will be a determining factor of his success at the next level. Whatever is in store for him, he is a fun player to watch on the offensive end of the floor.

6’3 2018 Stephon Wynn of Northwood Middle School in Anderson, SC

The marque game on Saturday was the battle between Team United vs. CB Spiders, both two of the stronger AAU teams in the state. Team United prevailed with a hard earned 67-65 win and Wynn carried the team on his broad shoulders by tallying 29 points. Wynn is a physically mature athletic wing. He has extremely long arms and did just a little bit of everything in his team’s victory. He can over-power most players in his age/grade, but has the skill set “to boot.” Naturally, he was effective attacking the basket and his strength and body control was impressive. He scored at will and finished with authority. We also like his soft shooting touch from the free throw line and simply had a workmanlike attitude throughout the game. Wynn rarely shows emotions and brought a high maturity level approach to the game. Wynn looks like he has future growth and also sports a size 16 shoe. He looks like another young player that will continue to grow into those huge feet.  It will be fun to watch his development over the next five years.

6’3 2018 Michael Speight of Imagine Public Charter in Washington, DC (#44)

Speight was a warrior the entire weekend and led his Bump N Run 13U and his 14U AAU team to the championship of each age/grade division. In the championship game of the 13U game vs. QCAA Force, he was a one man wrecking crew. He tallied 28 points and is another highly skilled and athletic guards at the event. Like Wynn, he has a physically mature body with long arms. He has advanced ball handling and passing skills. His 13U team needs him to score a lot to be successful, but he has tremendous speed with the ball. He is so difficult to contain in the full or half court. We liked his basketball IQ and poise, but more importantly he dribbles with his head up constantly looking for the open teammate for the pitch ahead pass. Speight wears a size 13 shoe and looks like he has more growth ahead. If he continues to develop and fine-tune his game, he could be a really special player in the Washington, DC area.

6’2 2018 Qon Murphy of Bailey MS in Huntersville,  North Carolina (#2)

When we use the term “long,” that really doesn’t do Murphy proper justice. He is an extremely long and yes talented PG. He has a physically mature body and looks and plays more like a high school player than a youngster in middle school. He is excellent in transition and with his skillset and size, easily can finish with a high efficiency. In addition to being an excellent ball handler, Murphy has tremendous court vision and makes plays that are one play ahead. He has flair to his passing game and is quite crafty at times. Naturally, he rebounds exceptionally well for his position and often gets the defensive rebound and is able to lead the fast break in transition. While he is a solid shooter and keeps the defense honest with his outside shooting, his biggest attribute is attacking and finishing at the rim. In he game we watched against Team United in the 67-65 loss, Murphy finished with 20 points, 10 rebounds and countless assists. He already plays his natural position in high school and in college and will be one to closely monitor over the next five years. Once he fine-tunes his jumper with proper rotation and backspin, his consistency will increase as well as his stock. Murphy will be attending Hough HS in Huntersville, North Carolina.

The Rumble Part II: Class of 2017

6’1 2017 DeAndre Thomas of Richmond, VA (#7)

Thomas was a one-man show for Richmond Elite in the championship game of the 14U/8^th age/grade division. While Richmond Elite fell short in its effort, Thomas poured in 37 points while connecting on seven 3 pointers. Needless to say, he has the ability to stretch the defense with his long range shooting ability, but has the ability to knock down mid range jumpers as well as attacking the basket making him impressive on the offensive end of the court. Thomas currently attends Manchester Middle School and will be attending Clover Hill High School in the Richmond, VA area. He has solid ball handling and passing skills but his team needed his scoring ability to be competitive in the game. In speaking with Thomas after the game, he also sports an impressive 3.2 GPA in the classroom. He is a polite young man and a high character player on the court. Thomas sports a size 13 shoe so we expect some added inches to his height over the years. Be sure to monitor the progress of this sharpshooter from Richmond. 

6’2 2017 Jamon Scruggs of Charleston, WV (#54)

In the game we watched on Saturday, not many players played the game as hard as Scruggs. He is a big strong player that plays with a high motor. His full throttle approach on both ends of the court was equally impressive! Currently, he plays more of a PF position on his team; he has the ability to lead the fast break in transition. Scruggs has excellent footwork in the post and has a variety of pump fakes, up and under moves that are advanced for his age/grade. He gives maximum effort and goes HARD on every move and his body control was tremendous. Scruggs currently wears a size 14 shoe and his growth will help determine his proper level. That being said, he is one to monitor over the course of his high school career. He plays for FINAO (Failure is not an option) AAU team.

5’9 2017 Traevon Isabell of Charleston, WV (#1)

Isabell is a tough young PG that really knows how to play his position. He is the ultimate play maker, but is fully capable of creating his own shot off the dribble. That being said, he is more comfortable setting up teammates and uses his quickness and speed to get into the lane. He is very crafty and above average court vision and basketball IQ. What makes him difficult to contain is how low he gets on the dribble making him difficult to guard. He too plays for FINAO AAU team and his growth and strength over the next four years will help determine his appropriate level. Isabell has the proper understanding of the game and has the right mindset and we’re positive you will be hearing more about his young man in the future.

6’4 2017 Jatarious Smith of Fayetteville, North Carolina (#2)

We first watched Smith play during this past April live period at the SEBL Tournament in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He was playing up on the 17U D-One Sports team and we were going to write extensively about him, but he received a technical foul and showed a less than desirable attitude on the bench. Afterwards, we spoke privately with Smith and told him he was simply too good of a player to display this kind of attitude. Fast-forward to this weekend and Smith was playing on the 14U/8^th grade Game Elite team. Without question, go ahead and write this young man in your SIM CARD because he will be one of the elite players in the 2017 class of North Carolina. During the SEBL event, he played solid playing up 4 age groups, but the tournament this weekend he was simply a “man amongst boys.” Smith has an enormous wingspan! He is quick, athletic and highly skilled for his age/grade. The game comes easy to him and his ball handling, passing and offensive skillsets are advanced. He displayed a variety of offensive moves to the basket with the crow hop, euro step, and a power jump stop that was difficult to contain. He gets to the rim and loves to posterize his opponents, but the most impressive play of the tournament is when he caught a one handed alley oop pass for a monster dunk that brought the house down. Smith also showed an improved attitude on and off the court and thus is the reason we are writing about him today. No question, Smith will be one of the best players in the state, if not the best and will become a top 40 prospect nationally for his class. He does need to become more efficient with the ball and value ball possessions and play with a little less mustard at times, but when a young player is as skilled and athletic as Smith, he seemed to get bored playing with his age group. In speaking with Smith, he stated he would be attending Fayetteville 71^st for high school. High majors schools will want to get an early jump on this promising young talent.

6’3 2017 Ty-Shon Alexander of Concord, North Carolina (#23)

Alexander also played on Game Elite for the weekend tournament, but also usually plays up on the 17U age level. Alexander sports a 15-½ shoe size and looks like he could easily grow another 3-4 inches with his body frame. He is a long and lanky PG. We were impressed with basketball IQ and court vision. He dribbles with his head up constantly surveying the court for open teammates. More importantly, he uses his off hand extremely well and at first I thought he was a lefty. He has excellent athleticism, skill and size for his age/grade and will be one to watch in the 2017 class in North Carolina. In speaking with his father (who is about 6’6) he will be attending 4A powerhouse West Charlotte High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. Alexander can easily slide over to the shooting guard position with his ability to knock down mid range to 3-point shots. We also liked his court demeanor and overall attitude.

6’1 2017 Darrius Perry of Atlanta, Georgia (#12)

Perry is another long/slender and athletic guard that really caught our eye this past weekend. He plays with a full throttle approach and his high motor intensity level is appealing. Perry plays extremely hard on both ends of the court and his ability to put defensive pressure on the opposing player was impressive. Perry does have advanced ball handling skills for his age/grade and believe he will make the transition to play the PG position in high school and beyond. He wears a size 12 shoe and he may not have the growth potential of his teammate Alexander. That being said, he has a nice blend of skills and athleticism that could make him a very special high school player and beyond. In speaking with Perry afterwards, we were impressed with his mannerisms. He was a yes sir/no sir young man and that alone made a big impression on us. Not many young players take the time to say “thank you” for speaking with them. Being a high character player that combines the skill/athleticism makes him a winner in our book!

6’1 Michael Hueitt Jr. of Fayetteville, North Carolina (#24)

Playing on Game Elite, it would be hard to get loss in the shuffle with so many talented young players, but Hueitt possesses super quickness and athleticism combined with an advanced skill set for his age/grade. We were impressed with his fluidness and had a high degree of “smoothness” to his game. Hueitt scored from various spots on the court and is well rounded in his offensive arsenal. Defensively, he has really quick feet and lateral quickness and can become a defensive stopper if he decides to dedicate his efforts to that skill. Heuitt can really push the ball in transition but we liked his body control in driving to the basket. As we alluded to earlier, he just has smoothness to his game. At times, his movements look effortless. In speaking with him afterwards, he will be attending Village Christian Academy in Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Comments:

Kaleb is an auspicious and dynamic prospect.  He is a multi-faceted combo guard currently presenting at 6’3”.  Hunter has a strong athletic pedigree. His father played as a collegiate level shooting guard at South Carolina State. Kaleb adapts to the team structure, both on and off the court, but also demonstrates strong leadership attributes.  He has a robust court presence with an uncanny ability to visualize, interpret, and contribute to play development.  He rapidly identifies opportunities to collaborate with his team members to accomplish targeted game objectives.  While his physical development continues, Kaleb is remarkably coordinated, nimble, and transitions easily between offensive and defensive activities. His agility and conditioning present a continuous challenge to opponents assigned to contain him. He has excellent ball handling skills and demonstrates consistent mid to deep range shooting skills.  Kaleb’s passion for all aspects of the game coupled with his pursuit of excellence both on and off the court, perfectly positions him to being an accomplished and well-rounded player.

Academic Honors:

Kaleb has a continually improving GPA of 3.0 and is currently ranked 86^th in his class of 189.  He recognizes academics as the essential key to his success, and is committed to being successful in his academic endeavors.  He accepts responsibility for his personal development and is dedicated and driven to continuously improve his standing as a student athlete.

NC Phenom 150 Camp Evaluation:

Kaleb is a young and talented player that does a little bit of everything well. He has the right attitude and work ethic combined with a skill set. Coach John Pride stated, “Kaleb is really quick off the dribble and especially his first step. He plays with passion and goes to the basket with authority. He has a big heart and loves the game.” Like a lot of young players, Kaleb will need to improve his defense, which he has the ability to do. He has the foot speed and quickness to be more dominating on the defensive end of the court. We liked his overall approach to the game and his decision-making is advanced for his age/grade. His basketball IQ and skill set will only be enhanced by added strength over the next few years.

Basketball Statistics:

PPG: 8.1 (2013 Varsity)

REB: 5.2

STEALS: 1.2

BLOCKS: 6

TWO PT AVG: 47%

THREE PT AVG: 35%

FREE THROW: 70%

TTYL FOR YR: 203

PPG: 12 (AAU)

REB: 8

Team Honors:

Kaleb was designated Co-Captain of his Butner-Stem Middle School basketball team and was awarded Co-MVP honors.  As a high school freshman, he was introduced to cross country, and was subsequently awarded the GCHS MVP Panther award for his efforts.  In addition, he received his first varsity letter in recognition of his cross-country efforts.  Kaleb was the only high school freshman to start every game of season, and despite his freshman opposing coaches and teams as a premier player, quickly recognized status. He was an honorable mention nominee to the Carolina 12 2A All Conference team.

For the last four years, Hunter has participated in AAU basketball activities with the Durham, NC based, Mr. Ricks’ Ballerz.  He has shown continuous, steady, and constant improvement in his overall game helping the team finish the 2012- 2013 season with a 33-3 record.  As a starter, he was extremely helping the team achieve the USSSA and YBOA State Championships (D1).

High School and AAU Coaches Review:

“Kaleb has a lot of potential and is a very coachable athlete. He takes instruction well from me as well as the assistant coaches. Hunter is a very athletic and a competitive player. He also is a very humble athlete who is a team player and intense motivator. Kaleb was honorable mention All- Conference this season as a freshman in the Carolina 12 1A/2A Conference. He played on the wing as shooting guard and small forward this season. Overall in his basketball skills he finishes above the rim with ease. He shoots the ball well for such a young player. In the classroom he has a continuingly rising GPA of 3.0 and has a great personality on the court and in the classroom. -  Mike McDaniels, Head Varsity Coach – Granville Central H.S. -3/22/13

Hunter plays AAU with Durham, NC based, Mr. Ricks Ballerz. Kaleb has been a player of mine since 11 years old. We are going into our fourth season together at Mr. Ricks Ballerz   AAU organization and his future looks bright. Over the past two years, Kaleb has been a constant fixture with timely rebounds and big shots. Kaleb shows steady and constant improvement to his overall game helping to finish the season 33-3.He was a starter 2012 season and was extremely helpful in bringing the USSSA and YBOA Nationals Championship. I am looking forward to working with him again this season. - Lenell Wallace –AAU Head Coach

Personal:

Kaleb comes from a large extended family and recognizes his family as a critical element to his current and continued success.  He enjoys spending time with his family on various outings and vacations.  He is extremely close to his parents, sibling, aunts, uncles, and cousins who routinely attend games to support his efforts.  He takes great pride in the success of his sister and cousins who are currently accomplished students at UNC-Pembroke, East Carolina University, and North Carolina State University.  He is an active and engaged member in at Allen Chapel Baptist Church in Louisburg, NC.  In his spare time, he spends countless hours improving his game by playing basketball with his peers. Like most teens, He enjoys playing video games and socializing with his peers. He has recently taken an interest in improving his endurance and has begun to participate in strength and conditioning activities with a certified personal trainer.

Kaleb participates in various community service opportunities involving children and the elderly.  During the past few summer breaks, he volunteered as a physical activity assistant for the 4-5 yr old class at Kids to Care For located in Creedmoor N.C, a four star child care facility, owned and operated by Ms. K. Person.  He also participates annually at Thanksgiving and Christmas as a volunteer to the OES chapter in Creedmoor, NC with the collection and packing of food and gift baskets to provide to local senior citizen and group home residents.

Comments: 

Joseph is a well-respected and manner able young man that many teammates look up to.  His teachers regard him as a mature and bright student.  He is the leader of his junior varsity high school team as well as his AAU team.  Joseph’s dad was a first team all-conference basketball player in Charlotte, NC in 1983 and honorable mention all-state.  He has been instrumental in assisting Joseph with his basketball skill set and confidence building.

Academic Honors:

 Joseph currently has a 2.5 GPA.  He has been enrolled in advanced math since middle school, enrolled in high school Algebra I in middle school and Geometry in 9^th grade.  This year Joseph was selected and interviewed by the Cary High Yearbook Committee and he will be featured in the yearbook.

NC Phenom 150 Camp Evaluation:

Joseph is a fundamentally sound player that plays the game the right way. He has good basketball IQ and plays team basketball. He has a solid skill set equally matched by his ability to play hard and hustle at all times. Coach Che Roth stated, “ Joseph is a very solid young man with a bright future. He has a great frame for a freshman. He has a step back jumper going left that is impressive. He has a strong ability to penetrate going right. Once he learns to use his frame/body to get into defenders, he will see much more success. He has a good attitude and is very committed to becoming a better player. Joseph needs to improve his jump shot. His release is a little low at times and could improve his release time.” Overall, Joseph has the skill set to become a really good player at the HS level and with adjustments to his game, could be a potential collegiate prospect.

Basketball Statistics:

Cary High School (JV)                                             Triangle Trailblazers AAU

PPG:    14                                                       PPG:    20

Assists: 4                                                         Assists: 5

Team Honors:

Joseph hit one game winning shot with a lay-up, a game time floater at the buzzer, one three point shot that was a game winner and one three point shot that tied the game into overtime.

He also had a team high 41 points in a AAU tournament in Durham, NC. His Team the Triangle Blazers lost in the championship game.

Evaluation: 

Joseph Sykes is a freshman that has great shooting ability.  He has great confidence and a natural love for the game.  He is a hard worker and has aspirations of becoming a successful ball player through increasing his knowledge of the game and enhancing his skills.

Personal: 

Joseph enjoys spending time with his family as well as with his friends.  He is avid member of the local YMCA and volunteers when needed. He also plays football for Cary High’s JV team and was frequently invited to workout with the varsity team.  In middle school he received the most improved award at the football banquet.  Joseph has assumed the role as the leader of his basketball team from his 7^th grade year in middle school into high school.  Joseph’s coaches’ depend on him to lead the team and prefers the ball to be in Joseph’s hand at all times during “critical moments/crunch time”.  His father played basketball during his high school years and received a number of college scholarships for basketball. He played collegiately at Livingstone College and NCCU in the mid 80’s before a knee injury shorten his career.

Comments:

Jaylen is a great young man that takes his academics just as serious as his basketball. Jaylen’s main objective on the floor is to win and get his teammates involved, he can get to the basket and score at will, but looks to pass first and play tough defense. He works out daily as well as studying daily, as evident by his 3.8 GPA. Jaylen takes 1 or 2 Honor classes a semester. Jaylen comes from a basketball family, his father and grandfather played D1 and D2 basketball.

Academic Honors:

As stated in the above paragraph Jaylen takes his academics seriously. He challenges his self by taking honor classes. Jaylen also attends the MSEN program at UNCC for math, science and engineering.

NC Phenom 150 Camp Evaluation:

Jaylen received very high marks in all categories of his player evaluation and deservingly so! Jaylen has the right ingredients to be a special player at the HS level and don’t be surprised to see this young man at the collegiate level one day, providing he continued to work and perfect his game. Coach Chase Stevens stated, “Jaylen is a really good player who is willing to be coached. He has tremendous leadership potential in him. He can make shots from the perimeter but also finish nicely from the interior.” Overall, Jaylen has an advanced level to his game for his age/grade and it will be fun to watch his continued development over the next few years.

Basketball Statistics:

PPG: 10

RPG: 4.5

APG: 2.5

SPG: 1

Team Honors: Started on the Varsity basketball team as a sophomore, Jaylen is better with the ball in his hand, but played most of the year off the ball. This up come year he will be the fulltime PG. Jaylen will play for Team Charlotte this summer on the AAU circuit.

Comments:

Dwight’s character and personality is low key, kind, polite, and good manners off the court; but on the court he’s skilled, tough, aggressive and competitive.  He has such a smooth, finesse game and executes plays well. He is a good overall player.

Academic Honors:

Dwight’s GPA is a 3.0. He has received Varsity Letter awards in football and basketball freshman through junior years. He’s also made academic all-conference for football and basketball freshman through junior year. For the last three years he’s taking honor classes.

Basketball Statistics:

PPG: 10.3

APG: 4.6

SPG: 2.0

NC Phenom 150 Camp Evaluations:

Dwight is a very athletic guard that can really shoot the basketball. His shooting mechanics were outstanding and we were impressed with his shot selection. Coach Jim McCallister stated, “Dwight is an athletic shooting guard with nice form, although he could have a little more lift on his shot at times.” He hit many nice shots during the course of the day.” Dwight has good footwork and quickness and the next step is to develop more ball handling skills. With his size, he will need to transition into the PG position to enhance his stock. He has the ability to be a really good HS player especially with his shooting and athleticism. 

Team Honors:

Dwight led his team in scoring and assists his freshman year. During his sophomore year he was the only sophomore that made varsity. He has played with Wake County Basketball association (AAU team) for four years. His AAU team has competed in many Big Shots, Showcase and National tournaments which they had great success.

Personal:

Dwight is committed to serving others. He ushers in his church. He also serves as a leader during family and friends day helping coordinate game events. Dwight has love for family. He spends every Sunday fellowshipping with them at his grandparents’ house. Dwight developed a love for the game from his father. His father has been teaching him to game since age four. Even today his father is still giving him basketball nuggets to become a complete player.

Comments:

Justin Tankelewicz is a pure shooter with excellent shooting form and unlimited range.  An extremely hard worker and “gym rat”, Justin puts in tireless hours of work to perfect his basketball game with the goal of being a complete player.  This combined with an impressive 4.3 GPA, sets Justin apart from most SG in his class.  Justin is a natural leader that never cuts corners and will always go above and beyond both on the court and in the classroom.  Don’t let Justin’s 5’11” size fool you, he is sneaky athletic and can get to the rim as well as shoot from long distance.

Academic Honors:

Justin is an Honors student at Apex – Middle Creek High School maintaining a 4.3 GPA.

Basketball Statistics:

• PPG:   15.7 (JV) / 5.2 (Varsity)
• Made 67 three – pointers to break the JV single season record

NC Phenom 150 Camp Evaluation:

Justin displayed an excellent attitude and work ethic while having a solid understanding of the game. He played with energy and hustle. We were impressed with his shot selection and shooting mechanics. He could spot up and knock down open jumpers or shoot off the dribble and create his own shot. In addition, Justin was able to use his off hand effectively. While Justin is mostly known for making shots, we were also impressed with his ball handling and passing ability.

Coach Drakeford stated, “Justin really excels in getting his teammates involved in the offense, but has the ability to make plays and score. He has a good basketball IQ and can make the right decision with the ball in his hands. He can shoot and penetrate. Justin is a pest on the defensive end of the court.” Justin knocked down eleven 3 pointers for the day and hit five 3 pointers in the last game of the day which is even more impressive. Usually by the third game, the players are tired and have little to no legs left. The next step for Justin like many players his size is to simply gain strength and more athleticism. That will help dictate his appropriate collegiate level.

Team Honors:

Justin led his high school JV team as a freshman to a 20-1 record and an impressive 37-5 record over two years.  He was named team captain both for his JV and middle school teams.  Plays for the Raleigh Capitals AAU team coached by former Clemson star Shawan Robinson.

Personal:

Justin comes from a basketball family.  His older brother Tom plays for Western Carolina and led the SoCon in three-pointers made during the 2012-13 season.  Justin aspires to playing college basketball and to continue his studies with the goal of one day becoming a college coach.

Comments:

Emmett is a very promising prospect; at 6’1 he is a versatile combo guard.

Tilley comes from an athletic family with sports history. He has great court vision and instincts that add to his understanding of the game. A super strong athlete Emmett has an aggressive style of play. He is quick in transition with a flawless shooting form. He can handle the ball and shoot from deep or mid range. Tilley’s hard work and dedication are evident both on and off the court. He is the complete Student Athlete.

NC Phenom 150 Camp Evaluation:

Emmett is a quick and athletic guard that displayed the right work ethic and desire that you like to see in a young player. While he showed excellent team play and unselfishness, we really were impressed with his overall ball handling and passing skills for his age/grade. Coach Kevin Graves stated, “Emmett has great quickness, but needs to work on decision making in the open court and shot selection sometimes in dribble drives situations.” Overall, Emmett has the pieces of the puzzle at his disposal for being an outstanding player at the HS level. We really liked his footwork and quickness on both sides of the ball. With the proper improvement in his mental aspects of the game, he should become a collegiate prospect at some level. He does get into the paint easily and finishes at a high percentage.

Academic Honors:

Emmett maintains a weighted GPA of 4.46 taking all AP and Honors courses. He is currently ranked 11^th in his class of 427. As a selected member of his Middle School “CATCH” program, Tilley mentored and tutored his fellow peers. His high character and success in the classroom made him a Counselors choice for Peer Support. As a Freshman Emmett was a chosen member of Northern High School’s “Young Men of Progress”, an academic cohort that focuses on developing “Leadership Skills” and “Academic Excellence”.

Basketball Statistics:

PPG: 16.1 (2013jv)

PPG: 4.1 (2013varsity)

PPG:  19 (AAU)

Team Honors:

Emmett was the QB and Captain of his Middle School Football team. His baseball team had an undefeated season record. Emmett also ran Track for the first time ever as an 8^th grader and placed second overall at Conference Finals in the long jump. He also placed in both the 100-meter and 400 meter dash the same year. For his continuous points contribution he was awarded the “Cougar Award” for the 2012 Track Season.

As a freshman Emmett led his JV basketball team in scoring averaging 16.1 PPG playing in only eight games before being moved to Varsity.

Tilley plays AAU with Durham, NC based, Mr. Ricks Ballerz.

He was a starter on the 2011 and 2012 USSSA Regional National Championship winning team. Emmett was named 2012 USSSA Regional State Championship MVP.

High School and AAU Coaches Review:

“Emmett is an excellent student athlete who has shown great promise.  Emmett is a very athletic player, who can play the 1 – 3 positions.  He does a good job of attacking the basket and has a good touch on his shot.  Emmett is a great teammate and is dedicated to improving his game.  Emmett has shown commitment to improving his defensive skills and finishing strong at the basket.  In the classroom, Emmett is one of the brightest at Northern High School.  He currently has 4.4 GPA and has a great attitude in class.  He is always willing to assist his classmates and is a student leader in the Young Men of Progress program. “ -  Ronnie Russell- Head Varsity Coach – Northern H.S. -3/14/13 -

Emmett Tilley first played with me when he was 11 years old, even at 11 I could see that he had a good work ethic. His 11U team was very successful (43-10) and won a few big tournaments, Boo Williams being one. Emmett was a very big part of that success, with his speed and quickness, offense and defense; he was a mainstay for his team.  For the past two years (13U and 14U), I have had him again, and he has again been an important part of our organization, helping to lead us to a National Championship (USSSA D3) in 2011 and finishing 33-3 in 2012 with two state D1 titles (USSSA and YBOA). -Lenell Wallace –AAU Head Coach 

Personal:

Family is extremely important to Emmett. He is a wonderful role model to his younger brother Landon. He enjoys helping Landon with his schoolwork and can often be found outside teaching him basketball drills.

Emmett’s love of Art accounts for countless hours spent drawing, (he has received several art honors and awards).

Emmett’s father Emmett Tilley III played football for Duke University earning All- Conference and All-ACC Academic Honors. After graduating from Duke he went on to play in the NFL as a Linebacker for the Miami Dolphins.

Player: 6’3” Erik Hodge
Class : 2017
High School: Lee County
City: Sanford
State: North Carolina

Comments: In one word, Erik Hodge is dominant. He has incredible footwork on the low block and holds his own in the paint. He understands his responsibilities in the low post and any player that enters his space quickly understands as well. Erik’s court presence is quite impressive. He is an all-around great young man who demonstrates strong promise academically as well as athletically. Remember the name, at 14 years old he is just getting started.

NC Phenom 150 Camp Evaluation: Erik’s physical attributes are currently more advanced than his skill set which is normal for his size and grade. He displayed a great attitude and strong work ethic while playing under control and as a team player. Coach Carver stated, “Erik is a good young talent with good size. He has strong basketball instincts. He attacks the basket aggressively and is an active rebounder. He is best in transition since he runs the floor rather well for his size.” Overall, Erik scores the majority of points off transition or hustle points. Erick will need to develop a few go to moves in the post area and learn to play hard all the time. He has spurts of intense play but needs to be more consistent in regard to that. Erik has all the physical attributes to be an outstanding player at the high school level. With the proper desire and determination, we will be hearing a lot more from him in his career.

Basketball Statistics:

PPG: 10.8
RPG: 11.4
Avg Blocks PG: 4.6
Wingspan: 6.5’
Reach: Ft 8

Team Honors:

2012-2013

Erik led his team to the conference championship with an 11-1 record.

Personal: Erik is committed to his craft. He is a dedicated son with strong family pride and values. He understands and appreciates the sacrifices being made for him to play ball 35 miles away in his family’s hometown of Durham with his AAU team Carolina Kings. His father James Hodge, a Hillside Hornet alumnus, has instilled in him what it takes to be a champion on and off the court. Even after beating two strokes, he works with his son consistently and Erik does not take those lessons for granted.

Lee Senior High School Head Coach: Reggie Peace

Erik plays AAU basketball with Coach Tony Vanderburg of the Carolina Kings Basketball Club in Durham, NC.