June 19, 2013

Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for Craig Hinton

2nd Annual Basketball Elite Southeast Summer Showcase

May 6, 2012 by Leave a Comment

After covering many different events this past spring, there is one thing for certain and it is not enough emphasis in recruiting is placed on winning. Do you win and make your team better relative to the overall talent?

In our coverage of the Nike EYBL in Hampton, Virginia last week, we tried to capture just that and not take the “cookie cutter” approach that is often seen today. Without question, our game summaries were a “grand slam” with our readers/subscribers.

One coach had shared this comment and it still stands out, “would you rather coach this kid twice a year or coach against this kid twice a year” and this comment makes perfect sense. But the best comment came from a coach that stated the following about the Phenom Hoop Report. “This is great stuff with heartfelt input. You are right; knowing how to win is a key component that is a lost art even by top rated players. They tend to focus on getting better and building the supporting cast around them better. I have read all of your material; you have a true eye for talent and a great sense of verbal expression that puts the reader in the moment.”

In addition, the Phenom Hoop Report tries to cover events at all levels, especially local and regional events like the 2nd Annual Southeastern Summer Showcase sponsored by Marcus Shockley and staff of Basketball Elite. The Southeastern Showcase was held at the beautiful campus of Forsyth Country Day in Lewisville, North Carolina. Over 75 players were in attendance and one thing was for certain, the high school prospects played with passion and played hard!

The best player in attendance and camp MVP belonged to 6’1 2013 PG Charis Fitzgerald of West Gadsden HS in Quincy, Florida. The town of Quincy is located in the Florida panhandle approximately 30 minutes northeast of Tallahassee. The trip from Quincy to North Carolina must have been a long journey for the relative nationally unknown player, but this young man is definitely a player division one colleges should monitor over the spring and summer months. While he may project as a mid-major level player, this young man made a big impression on us.

Listed at 6’1, Fitzgerald plays much bigger than his listed height. He has a physically mature body and long arms. He has a quick and powerful bounce to his step and he combines athleticism and skill that was head and shoulders above the competition. He has good open court speed and advanced ball handling and passing skills, but his biggest attribute is his ability to shoot the basketball. He was simply dialed in from deep and shot the cover off the ball. In one 5 minute segment, he came down in transition on three consecutive possessions and tickled the net which time. He was shooting threes of the dribble, off pick and rolls, you name it Fitzgerald absolutely loved the nets at the Forsyth Country Day School.  In addition to his superb shooting touch, he was efficient in his pump fakes and jab steps, which is rarely seen at his level today.

One of the most improved young players in the 2014 class is 6’1 PG Colton Bishop of Forsyth Country Day School and is now getting serious attention from SoCon and Big South schools. Make no mistake about it; the “gym rat” list of schools will grow rapidly this summer and next season. Colton is a long 6’1 and also sports good bounce off the dribble. He is a very unselfish player and showcased his passing skills as he continuously made lengthy passes off the dribble (using both hands easily and efficiently) for nice pitch ahead assists that were dead on. He has been ability to stretch the defense with his accurate three- point shooting, and is excellent with his left to right cross over pull up jumper. In transition, he favored the one handed “inside-out” cross over move that would have made Bobby Hurley envious, but our favorite move was when he switched hands from right to left to make a beautiful transition layup against a bigger defender. The next step in his development is to become more vocal and learn the leadership role that comes with being a division one PG.

One of the fastest guards in the state of North Carolina is 6’2 2014 PG Larry Curry of East Forsyth HS in Kernersville. Curry has “jet like” quickness/speed in the open court and has good size, strength, and power for a young PG. It would be hard-pressed to find another NC PG with more end to end speed with the ball than this young man. While he is a lefty, Curry loves to attack using his right hand only to cross over to his left hand for his mid-range jumper or direct move to the basket. Another favorite move by Curry is the “euro step” in transition as the young and talented PG has strong body control. That being said, the one move that was even more impressive was his put back dunk off a missed shot as he elevated above the rim for the mix tape highlight jam. The next step in his development is to become a more efficient shooter from the perimeter to expand his overall value.

2013 6’7 WF Craig Hinton of East Forsyth of Kernersville, NC may challenge Donte Buford as the state’s best dunker. It seems to be old habit that both players have run out of closet space to house the many slam dunk contest trophies and the Southeastern Showcase was no exception. The explosive and wiry WF gets anyway close to the basket; you know he is going to “throw it down.” He will need to diversify his offensive perimeter skills to garnish a division one offer, but many schools are definitely sniffing around and don’t be surprised if his first division one offer comes sooner than later.

Other players that made an impression were 6’7 2013 PF TqQuan Biting of Mt. Tabor HS in Winston-Salem, NC. He looks more physically mature and has toned down quite a bit from the last time watching him play at the DTCC. Biting does post up well on the interior and gets good positioning with his feet. He did get wide and low and did a solid job of calling for the ball, but more importantly he was effective in knocking down the mid-range jumper from the free throw line that is appealing. He has good fundamentals and runs well in offensive transition, but would like the same effort in defensive transition. He has improved a lot since we first watched him as a freshman at the NC Phenom 150 camp and his improvement is steady and forward!

6’6 2013 WF David “Tyler” Rose of Calvary Baptist in Winston-Salem, NC is an intriguing prospect that showed good mobility and is versatile for his size/position. We were surprised by his handles in the open court, but more importantly has a soft shooting touch from the perimeter. With added strength, Rose could easily position him as a potential division one prospect.

6’5 2014 Corey Hanes of High Point Central was a surprise player. We were impressed with his hardnosed and blue collar work ethic on the court. He hustled on both ends of the court, but really handled the ball in the open court well. He has surprising athleticism and made numerous baseline moves with a quick bounce off the dribble for impressive dunks. He has excellent body control. We really liked his ball handling and passing skills for his size/position and if he fine tunes his outside jumper, he could elevate his status to a division one prospect. He could use a quicker release on his jumper.

6’4 Lepreece Lynch of Mt. Tabor HS in Winston-Salem is a smooth and athletic WG that is fundamentally sound. He has uncanny body control and rarely took a poor shot. He was patience on offense and loved his steady diet of pump fakes and jab steps to get defenders off their feet. More importantly, he was a solid defender and took pride in his defense which was impressive.

6’2 2014 SG Spencer Scott of Charlotte Christian is growing rapidly into a solid prospect. He has good strength and sports a feathery touch from 15-20 feet.

6’3 2013 PG/SG Oshon West of North Rowan HS in Salisbury, NC is a strong and powerful guard. He uses his strength well getting into the paint where he finishes with at a high rate.

6’3 2013 WF Trey Mitchell of Olympic HS in Charlotte is a wiry and long athletic wing that is outstanding in transition, but his ability to set screens correctly and properly along his overall team defensive understanding made a strong impression on us. He also was efficient at boxing out, again not a trait often seen at showcase events.

Last, 6’4 2015 Zaqwuan Matthews of Myers Park in Charlotte, NC has all the looks to be a solid division one prospect and his skill sets definitely matched his athleticism. While the 2015 appears to be a rather weak class in North Carolina, he just could be one of the more talked about rising sophomores in the state. Below is the All Star Roster produced by Basketball Elite. Congratulations to all the players who were selected.

All-Star Rosters:

Jameal Robinson, 6’3”, SG, 2013, Greer SC (Greer HS)
Daryl Myers, 5’10”, PG, 2015, Fredericksburg, VA (Oak Hill)
Ty’Quan Bitting, 6’7” PF, 2013, Winston-Salem, NC (Mt. Tabor HS)
Tyler Rose, 6’6”, SG/SF, 2013, Pfafftown, NC (Calvary Baptist)
Oshon West, 6’3”, SG 2013, Spencer, NC (North Rowan HS)
Lepreece Lynch, 6’4”, SG, 2013, Winston-Salem, NC (Mt. Tabor HS)
Craig Hinton, 6’6”, SF, 2013, Kernersville, NC (East Forsyth HS)
Parker Smith, 6’1”, PG/SG, 2013, Winston-Salem, NC (RJ Reynolds HS)
Charis Fitzgerald 6’1 PG/SG 2013 Quincy, FL (West Gadsden HS)
Colton Bishop 6’1 PG/SG 2014 Winston-Salem, NC (Forsyth Country Day)
Trey Mitchell, 6’4”, SG/SF, 2013 Charlotte, NC (Olympic HS)
Zaqwuan Matthews, 6’4”, SF, 2015 Charlotte, NC (Myers Park HS)
Michael Bowman, 6’1”, 2014, G, Spencer, NC (North Rowan HS)
Cory Hanes, 6’5 SF/PF 2014 High Point, NC (High Point Central HS)
Larry Curry, 6’2” PG/SG 2014 Winston-Salem, NC (East Forsyth HS)
Nehemiah Stafford, 5’11 PG/SG 2013 Fleetwood, NC (Ashe County HS)
Broderick Avery-Ellis, 5’8 PG/SG 2014 Cleveland, NC (North Hills Christian School)
Enoch Koudja, 6’3 PG/SG Charleston, SC (Christian Sports Academy)
Jalen Ford, 5’9”, PG, 2012, High Point, NC (Andrews HS)
Kendrick Stukes, 5’10 PG, 2014 Thomasville, NC (Thomasville Prep)
Jake Turner 5’10 PG/SG 2014, Clayton, NC (Clayton HS)
Michael Conner, SG, 6’1, 2014, Spencer, NC (North Rowan)
Nigel Williams 6’2 PG/SG 2012 Charlotte, NC (Queen City Prep)
Evan Peatross, 6’3 PG/SG 2013 Pfafftown, NC (Reagan HS)

Filed Under: Phenom Reports Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

NC Phenom 150 Camp Recap, part 2

March 28, 2012 by Leave a Comment

In today’s issue we will take a close look at Part 2 of the NC Phenom 150 Camp Recap. We will be publishing additional reports in the next several weeks. Next week, we will have Part 3 and 4 up on our website.

1.      Player: 5’9 Dalen Dotson
Hometown: Matthews, NC
School: Charlotte Christian
Class: 2015
Evaluation:  The thing that stood out about the young point guard’s game for me was his outstanding North/South speed.  Little to no wasted movement/dribbling when Dotson hones in on the rim.  Could be an invaluable 64-foot guy in a few years for a college program in years to come (getting the ball FT line extended from a big after a defensive rebound/penetrating to the opponents’ FT line within 3 secs.).  Add to that his ability to contort his body and absorb contact in the lane while finishing and you start to realize the impact he could have down the line.  Quiet-ish demeanor will need to be tweaked a bit for this PG to reach his full potential.  He’s doesn’t necessarily need to become the often used “vocal leader”, but he will need to at least be vocal.  One to watch.

2.      Player: 6’6 Craig Hinton
Hometown: Kernersville, NC
School: East Forsyth
Class: 2013
Evaluation:  I debated on where to place Hinton in my list, if at all.  First off, the fact of the matter is that he will play Division 1 ball (most likely in a power conference).  His athleticism allows him to TRULY play above the rim when he wants to.  It’s the “want to” part of that equation that has Hinton at #17 on my list instead of in the Top 5, where he absolutely could be.  His body language in the two contests I took in was poor.  Playing defense rarely, if ever, crossed his mind.  I understand that most players at events like this don’t play defense – but Hinton isn’t like most players.  They dream of college scholarships and playing on television – he’s virtually guaranteed it yet seemed content to coast through on Sunday.  Broke down a defender at the top-of-the-key and got to the rim in one dribble in a move during the last game of the day that cemented the fact that his talent may eventually override any attitude/energy issues.  For basketball’s sake, I hope we see a motivated Hinton soon because the potential is sky high.

3.      Player: 6’11 Chuck Ogbodo
Hometown: High Point, NC
School: High Point Christian
Class: 2013
Evaluation:  It would have been nice to see Ogbodo square off against more posts with a variety of body types.  Heck, seeing him match up with Kane every game would have been more beneficial for a true read of his game – but it is what it is – these games are absolutely dominated by guards.  In the lone game of Ogbodo’s I was able to catch he displayed above average hands, understanding of offensive spacing and how to properly roll in a PNR situation (actually got a feed off one of ‘em for a finish!), and the willingness and strength to pass out of double teams.  Conversely, he didn’t hustle.  Rarely did he run the floor after corralling a defensive board and giving it up to a teammate, but the few times he decided to he looked agile and fast.  His length allows him to block/alter shots at a high rate.  Rebounding success at the next level will be about positioning, effort, and improved lower body strength.

4.      Player: 6’1 Hansen French
Hometown: Durham, NC
School: Trinity School of Durham
Class: 2012
Evaluation:  A true coach on the floor, French led his team on Sunday by playing the right way.  He set guys up, made the extra pass, reversed the basketball if spacing was there, hustled for loose balls, and basically anything else you can think of.  He wasn’t the best player on the court but he defied the stereotype of a typical white guard anywhere around 6’.  Led the break well and finished strong around the cup.  Surprisingly athletic – can dunk with two hands from a dead stop type athletic.  Could absolutely play at the D3/D2 level and possibly scratch his way onto a D1 squad as a walk-on.

5.      Player: 6’1 Gregory Joyner, Jr.
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
School: Kannapolis Middle School
Class: 2016
Evaluation:  Absolutely dominated the younger division at the event.  Unveiled a spin move with his back-to-the-basket that’s difficult for most guys his age to pull off when they’re alone in the gym.  Unselfish – plays hard on every possession (both ends), solid overall handle but needs to work on his left.  Jumper needs a lot more lift and reps.  A player.

6.      Player: 5’6 Chandler Murray
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
School: Randolph Middle School
Class: 2016
Evaluation: I was excited about this kid after about 2 minutes of watching him play.  Smooth.  Excellent court vision, hit a 17’ catch and shoots j with no hesitation, and finished around the rim regularly.  Sour body language early turned into competitive fire as the day wore on and he found more success.  Needs to initiate the offense from the left side of the court – one trick pony’s are easily broken at the level he wants to get to.

7.      Player: 5’4 James West
Hometown: Woodbridge, VA
School: Rippon Middle School
Class: 2017
Evaluation:  For being as young and slight as he is, West commanded attention on the floor.  He’s a very good ball handler at this stage and proved capable of knocking down the deep 3.  Although he has the ball on a string, he tends to stay within a 25 ft. square radius when dribbling in the half court (which a ton of players do).  Dribbling with a purpose and showing the ability to put it on the deck and either finish or exploit the kill spots with runners/floaters/pull-ups is next on his agenda.

8.      Player: 5’9 Gibson Jimerson
Hometown: Mechanicsville, VA
School: Oak Knoll Middle School
Class: 2017
Evaluation:  Jimerson doesn’t pass the eye test.  He looks like the only thing he could possibly do is shoot.  And, to be honest, I don’t remember him doing much else.  But his stroke was so consistent and so effortless that leaving him off our list just felt wrong.  Could become an absolute assassin.  Learning how to play in a structured continuity offense in the half court will be huge for the young gunner (LEARN HOW TO NEGOTIATE SCREENS!).  Every time he shot it I anticipated it was going down.  May end up being just another shooter – but could become elite.

9.      Player: 6’6 Harrison White
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
School: High Point Wesleyan
Class: 2013
Evaluation:  Got better and better as the day wore on.  Fundamentally sound with good size, White looks like a prototypical 2/3 college player.  Physically strong and not afraid to bang down low.  Looked good off the bounce in one-on-one situations and rebounded nicely.  Didn’t do anything spectacularly but did a little of everything.  And did them well.  D2/D3 guy at this point with a low major D1 ceiling as of this date.  He grows 3 inches this year and it’s a different conversation.

10.  Player: 5’10 Adam Durden
Hometown: Matthews, NC
School: Charlotte Christian

Class: 2014
Evaluation:  He’s 5’10, a good player, but didn’t show me anything exceptional at the event.  That said, he was THE HARDEST WORKING PLAYER AT THE CAMP AND IT WASN’T CLOSE.  There are guys with motors and there are guys with scary motors (think Rodman).  That’s how active this kid was.  He was involved in every exchange – diving for loose balls, hugging up on his man on defense, rebounding, getting out in transition, taking open looks if they were there, etc.  None of it looked ‘pretty’ but when you put the Durden package together it is EFFECTIVE.  For his sake I hope he grows 4 inches, tightens up his handle, and becomes a great shooter off the catch (either spotting up or coming off screens).  If he can do some/all of those things, he can be a great college player.

At the Phenom Hoop Report we rate guys on what we see.  Stay tuned in the next several weeks as we will have more updates added to the NC Phenom 150 Recap.

Filed Under: Phenom Reports Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Scout Focus Elite 80 Showcase

March 19, 2012 by Leave a Comment

We traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina Saturday to cover the Scout Focus Elite 80 Showcase and once again Joe Davis had his fair share of campers. Over 180 campers took part in his “Showcase” and we will take a close look at some of the top players in attendance plus two players we knew little about in 6’11 Yousoppha Kane of Word Of God and 6’6 Craig Hinton of East Forsyth.

Player: 6’11 Yousoppha Kane
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
School: Word of God
Class: 2013
Evaluation: Kane didn’t suit up this past season for the Holy Rams of WOG, but we expect him to be a name mid majors schools will want to keep track of. Kane is a slender and lanky 6’11 and has room to add weight and muscle to his frame. He is extremely long and his strongest attribute is his “activity” on both ends of the court. Offensively, he is still somewhat raw but does an excellent job of getting out in transition and finishes well in traffic. While you don’t want him handling the ball, he has surprising solid ball handling and passing skills in the open court. Defensively, he is intimidating with his length and ability to block shots. He has excellent timing and does a superb job of putting block shots into play and not out of bounds. He has quick hands and feet and can guard smaller opponents 15 feet away from the basket. Kane played with a lot of energy and was active all day.

Player: 6’6 Craig Hinton
Hometown: Kernersville, NC
School: East Forsyth
Class: 2013
Evaluation: We knew very little of the lanky and slender Hinton prior to Saturday, but is another definite mid major prospect that schools should put in their SIM CARD. Hinton is extremely explosive and has tremendous leaping ability, but also has the ability to step out and knock down the mid range jumper. He does sport a soft shooting touch although he could have a higher release point on his jumper. What was impressive was his ability to grab a rebound underneath the basket and go quickly up with two feet for impressive dunks during the course of the day. Hinton’s strongest attribute is his athleticism and his skill sets have improved tremendously over the course of his high school career according to Coach Short of East Forsyth. One thing is for certain, there are not many wings in the state of North Carolina that has his ability to quickly get off the floor. Hinton is a player that looks like he could add 20-30 pounds to his 190 pound frame. With added muscle and skill, he could be one to watch over the summer and his senior season. Check out a brief you tube video

Player: 6’2 Josh Newkirk
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
School: Word of God
Class: 2013
Evaluation: Newkirk shared the PG responsibilities this past season with Jaylen Robertson of WOG. This summer, he will be the lead PG for D One Sports. Newkirk has good length and athleticism and looks like he could grow a few more inches. Newkirk has all the physical intangibles to become a high major PG with his explosiveness in the open court and tremendous leaping ability. His ability to get into the lane is effortless and will continue to be one of the upper tier PG in the state for the 2013 class. The next step for Newkirk is to develop a consistent outside jumper. His mechanics are solid and with the ability to become a consistent threat from the 3 point line will only enhance his value as a PG.

Player: 6’6 Shane Whitfield
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
School: Word of God
Class: 2013
Evaluation: Whitfield is a strong and active PF that has a tremendous skill set for his size/position. He has the ability to use his strength near or around the basket to finish well, but loves to get out in transition as he is exceptionable at running the lanes. In addition, he has adequate ball handling and passing skills for his position especially in the open court. His strongest attribute is his desire to play hard and play hungry. He plays both ends of the court and is a true competitor. He does a lot of the little things that goes unnoticed such as boxing out, which is usually non-existent in a camp setting. Whitfield is a hybrid SF/PF that can play on the interior or step out and knock down the open 15 foot jumper. He is very versatile and has good mobility.

Player: Jaylen Robertson
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
School: Word of God
Class: 2014
Evaluation: Robertson is one of the top players in the 2014 class for the state of North Carolina especially at the PG position. Robertson has tremendous athleticism and explosiveness in the open court and has unbelievable leaping ability for his size and doesn’t mind trying to make the “crowd appealing” dunks in transition. While he has exceptionable ball handling abilities, he does have a tendency to make careless turnovers. That being said, he has excellent court vision and has great ball speed, but we also like his ability to change speeds and change of direction. Like Newkirk, he has little to no problem getting into the teeth of the defense. While his mechanics on his jump shot are solid, he doesn’t take many outside shots basically since he has the ability to dribble penetrate and use his athleticism and speed so effectively. The next step in his development is to become more vocal and develop on the court leadership skills. As we alluded to earlier, Robertson has all the physical intangibles in terms of athleticism; he now needs to become more of a cerebral PG.

Player: 6’7 Gary Clark
Hometown: Clayton, NC
School: Clayton
Class:  2014
Evaluation: Gary Clark is a promising young prospect at the WF position. He has good length and will surprise you with his ability to handle and shoot the basketball. His ball handling and passing skills are tremendous for his size, position and youth. While he is excellent in transition, he has the ability to step out and knock down the open jumper. More importantly, he is a very unselfish player and will hit the open teammate when open. He really plays the game the right way and his team first attitude is refreshing especially in a camp setting. He has tremendous upside and potential with a skill set to match.

Player: 6’6 Donte Reynolds
Hometown: Raleigh, NC
School: Word of God
Class:  2013
Evaluation: This was the first time watching the athletic WF from Word of God and we came away impressed. Granted, it was a camp setting and sometimes players do “show out” in exposure camps vs. a regular high school game. That being said, He is really good in the open court and he can put the ball on the floor and go court to court. More importantly, Reynolds played hard and was motivated. He was aggressive and assertive on both ends of the court. He stated offers from ECU, NC Central, and Rutgers. In our opinion, he should be a can’t miss mid major prospect.

Player:  6’0 Robert Story
Hometown: Durham, NC
School: Southern Durham
Class:  2012
Evaluation: This is the second opportunity to watch Robert Story. We last watched him at the Scout Focus Elite 80 camp last October. Nothing much has changed in our evaluation of him. He is one of the “freakiest” athletes in the state of North Carolina. This young man is super athletic and has tremendous leaping ability. Naturally, with his athleticism he loves to attack the rim. Story has a strong and powerful frame and has excellent quickness in the open court.

Player: 6’4 Josh Level
Hometown: High Point
School: The Christ School
Class: 2014
Evaluation: Josh Level is a strong and athletic WF that is developing into a solid outside shooter. He has great elevation and lift on his jumper and sports a high release point. He has a nice blend of athleticism and skill set to help separate him from his peers. He has developed in a complete player by showcasing his leaping ability on the interior by attacking the basket, but also has the ability to be an effective and efficient 3 point shooter. The next stage in his development is to tighten up his handles.

Filed Under: Featured, Phenom Reports Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,