June 20, 2013

Posts Comments

You are here: Home / Archives for Ibrahima Diallo

NC Phenom 150 Camp Team 16 Player Evaluations

April 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

The 11th Annual NC Phenom 150 Spring Evaluation Camp took place Sunday, March 24th and the talent level was strong from top to bottom. As a matter of fact, this may have been one of the strongest fields in quite some time. Today, we will take a look at some of the players from each individual team. Each camp coach was to fill out a detailed individual player evaluation. While we try to focus on upside and potential, we also look carefully at intangibles such as attitude, cooperation, work ethic and team play. We hope to capture a thorough detailed resume for each player in attendance.

Team 16 (Coach Jim McCallister) 

5’11 2015 Will Pleasants of Central Academy of Matthews, NC

Will is a solid all around player with really good skill sets. He displayed an excellent attitude and work ethic. We were impressed with his team play and his biggest attribute is his ability to shoot the ball. He has outstanding shooting mechanics, extension and follow through, but more importantly he took good shots.  Coach Jim McCallister stated, “Will was a pleasure to coach. He listened and showed good leadership skills. He has a good understanding of the game, but could be more assertive at times, especially on the offensive end of the court.” We were impressed with Will’s ability to play help side defense and was solid with his man-to-man defense. The next step for Will like so many young players is to simply get stronger and more athletic during the off-season. Will has a solid foundation to be an outstanding HS player.

5’11 2014 Lee Atkinson of Wayne Country Day School in Goldsboro, NC

Lee enjoyed a solid day with his all around play. While Lee is a solid PG, we were impressed with his scoring ability. He is a really good shooter and has extended range to the 3-point line. Coach Jim McCallister stated, “Lee is the ultimate team player. He has excellent court vision and made the pass of the day that led to a dunk. He had a great attitude and work ethic and enjoyed making the extra pass for assists.” Lee is an overall solid basketball player that does so many things well. He has the right understanding of the game and his decision-making is really good. Sometimes team players don’t always show out in camp settings, but Lee’s skill set and unselfishness did not go unnoticed.

6’0 2016 Colton Cashaw of Northside Christian, but lives in Fort Mill, SC

Colton is a young player that is just starting to learn the game. He has the right attitude and work ethic and plays hard on both ends of the court. He has good size and athleticism for his age/grade and looks like he has more growing to do. Coach Jim McCallister stated, “Colton is a good shooter and really shot the ball well in game 2. He does a nice job of utilizing the ball fakes that gets defenders off their feet.” The next step in Colton’s game is to play with more passion all the time. Like many athletic young players, his physical intangibles are more advanced than his skill set. He is a young player and continued improvement on his perimeter skills such as ball handling and passing will enhance his stock.

6’0 2014 Dwight Lancaster of Rolesville HS in Wake Forest, NC

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. 

6’1 2015 Ryan Pearson of Henrico HS in Richmond, VA

Ryan is a high-energy guy and has a full throttle approach to the game. His biggest attribute is his ability to shoot the basketball. He really hustled throughout the day and exhibited his athleticism in transition with excellent body control as he knifed his way through the defense. Coach Jim McCallister stated, “Ryan has good handles for a shooting PG, but could develop more patience on the offensive end of the court and have better shot selections. He is a volume shooter and will need to balance the fine line of being a true PG vs. a SG.” Ryan is really good at creating his own shot off the dribble and his shooting mechanics are really good. He has the physical attributes to become an outstanding PG at the next level. He just needs more time being more of a team distributor to make his teammates better. Overall, he has the physical gifts along with the proper skill set to be outstanding HS player and collegiate level prospect.

6’2 2014 Hakeen Coney of Quality Education in Winston-Salem, NC

Hakeem is a solid D1 PG that has a nice blend of athleticism and skills. He has a physically mature college ready frame and the toughness needed to complete and contribute at the next level. He can hurt you in so many ways on the basketball court. He has extended range and can consistently knock down 3-point shots or can use his physically strong frame and quickness to beat you off the dribble. He is really astute at drawing contact and finishes at a high rate in the lane. Defensively, he is one of the better on ball defenders at camp. He has good lateral quickness and foot speed.

6’3 2015 DeSean Murray of East Gaston in Stanley, NC

DeSean is one of those players that will give maximum effort 100% of the time. He plays with a high motor and his energy level is advanced. It is really refreshing to watch a young player that exerts so much effort into playing. Coach Jim McCallister stated, “ DeSean has a great motor and plays hard! He is a really good teammate and plays bigger than his size. He has very good basketball IQ and understanding of the game.” Without question, DeSean has the physical strength and athleticism to become an outstanding HS player and D1prospect. With improved ball handling and additional skill development, he will be able to pick the appropriate collegiate level. He has all the ingredients, athleticism and determination to take him a long way!

6’3 2014 C.J. Melvin of Hampton HS in Hampton, VA

We really liked the way C.J. played at camp. He was a relentless warrior on both ends of the court. He played with a high motor and gave maximum energy and effort the entire day. Coach Jim McCallister stated, “ C.J. has a good motor and plays hard! He is unselfish and shared the ball and loved his attitude. He exhibited a good mid range shot off the dribble and could become a great on he ball defender.” Overall C.J. has all the physical tools to play at the next level. He has the determination and desire to reach his full potential and with increased skill development, he will become a solid D1 prospect.

6’3 2013 Armando Kozomara of FCDS of Lewisville, NC

Armando is a solid all around player and has the ability to get some interest from D2/D3 schools. He does a lot of little things well, especially his ability to shoot the basketball. He impressed us with his range and consistently knocked down 3-point shots during the day. Coach Jim McCallister stated, “Armando plays hard and is strong with his right and will need to improve going left. He shot the ball really well and was able to stretch the defense with his 3 point shooting.” Overall, Armando has a solid skill set but can play at the collegiate level, but will need to continue to get stronger and quicker.

6’10 2014 Ibrahima Diallo of Quality Education in Winston-Salem, NC

We have written about Ibrahima in the past and the 6’10 junior should have a long list of suitors for his services. The best thing about Ibrahima is he knows his position and plays it well. Coach Jim McCallister stated, “Ibrahima is a high potential big man. He is a true post player and runs the floor well and moves without the ball. He is a two handed rebounder and secures rebounds above the rim.” Without question, Ibrahima has the size and length to become a major D1 prospect. The next step in his development is to gain strength and power. He lacks concentration at times as he did miss some dunks and his footwork in the post could improve. That being said, he has the upside and potential college coaches are looking for. You can teach a lot of things, but you can’t teach 6’10.

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

Impact players from the Spring NC Phenom 150: Part IV

April 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

HunterSeacat

The 11th Annual NC Phenom 150 Spring Evaluation Camp took place Sunday, March 24th and the talent level was strong from top to bottom. As a matter of fact, this may have been one of the strongest fields in quite some time. Today, we will take a look at some of the players that made a strong impact. We will have more reports in the next several weeks, so stay tuned.

6’10 Ibrahima Diallo of Quality Education Academy of Winston-Salem, NC

Diallo has a solid skill set for his size/position. He has a good feel for the game and runs the floor adequately for his size. He does have excellent potential and the biggest improvement needs to be in strength and bulk and this will help determine his appropriate level. While Diallo scores well in transition, he will need to develop a consistent “go to” in the paint. We liked his passing ability and overall knowledge of the game. He would post up and if he didn’t have a good shot, he would make the outlet pass to the perimeter and re-establish position on the low block. His size will dictate interest from mid majors, but with added strength, bulk and a more aggressive offensive move, he may have suitors at the higher level. 

6’3 2014 SG Jarron Withers of Fayetteville Academy in Fayetteville, NC

Withers is a big strong physically mature guard with tremendous athleticism. He already possesses a college ready frame and has extra-ordinary explosiveness. Naturally, he uses his athleticism extremely well in attacking the rim and loves to dunk in the defenders face. He will surprise you with his ball handling and passing skills for a SG and will make the extra pass to set up his open teammate. The biggest improvement for Withers is to keep improving on his perimeter shooting. He is definitely a solid D1 prospect and his ability to perfect his jumper will help determine his appropriate level. If his skillset matches his athleticism, he will be a popular player on the spring and summer circuit.

6’5 2015 WG Corey Haines of FCDS in Lewisville, NC

In high school, Haines is used mostly as a PF or C, but there is no question Haines the ability to play the SF at the D1 level. First of all, he plays with a high motor and full throttle approach, which is appealing. He has the ability to drain perimeter shots and is a consistent 3-point shooter, but more importantly he will use his strength to battle for rebounds and loose balls in the paint. Haines is a blue-collar worker that plays with passion and endurance. He anticipates miss shots and was one of the stronger rebounders at camp. He can play above the rim and is excellent in transition. 

6’6 2014 WF James Scott of Carrboro HS in Carrboro, NC

Scott is one of those players that simply get after it on both ends of the court. He is no nonsense player that hustles on every possession. When we hear of players not taking plays off, one has to loo no further than James Scott. We all loved his passion and intensity throughout the day and kids that give 100% effort 100% of the time. Currently, he is an undersized PF, but he finished well on the interior all day. He has an adequate midrange jumper and with continued improvement will garnish interest from lower tier D1 schools or high academic schools. Every team can use a “junk yard dog” type of player and he clearly passes the test. 

6’8 2015 Hunter Seacat of Lake Norman HS in Mooresville, NC (pictured above)

Seacat has the making of a player that can be really good over the next year or so. He has excellent size and soft hands, which is essential for his size/position. He has nifty and crafty moves around the basket and a high basketball IQ and understanding of the game. He has the proper fundamentals and the next step in his development is simply strength! He runs the floor well, but not great but his probably more effective in the half court like he was for his high school team. His size will garnish him D1 interest, but with dedication in the weight room and improving explosiveness and lateral quickness, you could easily see his stock skyrocket.

Filed Under: Featured, NC Phenom 150, Phenom Reports Tagged With: , , , ,

Hoop Hall Classic recap

January 17, 2012 by Leave a Comment


Prior to leaving for the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall of Fame Classic, Oak Hill returned to school after a ten day lay-off. They played Christian Faith Academy and won easily by the score of 87-57. Jordan Adams led the way with 25 points going 10-21 from the floor (1-4 from the 3 point line) and 4-6 from the free throw line. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double for another solid all around performance. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera tallied 18 points going 6-11 from the floor (3-5 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line. Tyler Lewis pumped in 17 points going 5-11 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and 6-8 from the free throw line. Lewis also dished out 5 assists and had 3 steals. AJ Hammons also finished with a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Oak Hill now stood with a 26-0 record and traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts against national powerhouse and the prestigious City of Palms Champions Prestonwood High School of Texas.

Oak Hill jumped on Prestonwood early and never looked back as they recorded an impressive 85-55 win over a really good team. One of the unsung heroes for Oak Hill was 7’0 senior center AJ Hammons. Hammons set the tone early on both ends of the court. While his stat line will not wow you, but it was his enormous frame and girth that created problems for 6’9 Junior All American Julius Randle and 6’9 Kansas signee Zach Peters. Hammons finished with 6 points and 8 rebounds while blocking 4 shots and even dished out 2 assists. More importantly, Hammons altered countless shots for the opposing team and his presence alone in the middle was huge. Leading the way for Oak Hill was Jordan Adams with 23 points. Adams was an efficient 9-14 from the floor (5-7 from the 3 point line) and had 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. Simply put, this was Adams best game of the season and it came at the opportune time. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera tallied 16 points going 5-17 from the floor (2-9 from the 3 point line) and 4-4 from the free throw line and also dished out 4 assists. Tyler Lewis finished with 15 points going 5-9 from the floor (3-4 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. Lewis also dished out 10 assists and had 4 rebounds and recorded 4 steals to record an effective and efficient floor game. Charlotte signee 6’6 PF Darion Clark also got into double figures with 10 points going 5-6 from the floor and also collected 6 rebounds.

For Prestonwood, 6’9 PF Julius Randle finished with 23 points going 10-23 from the floor (0-3 from the 3 point line) and went 3-3 from the free throw line. Randle also collected a team high 9 rebounds. Kansas signee Zach Peters tallied 9 points going 3-9 from the floor and 3-5 from the free throw line. Peters also collected 4 rebounds for Prestonwood. Rounding out the bright spots for Prestonwood was 6’8 freshman sensation Mickey Mitchell who some are already touting as the best freshman in the country. Mitchell finished with 9 points going 3-9 from the floor (3-6 from the 3 point line.

For the game, Oak Hill shot the ball extremely well and they went 51% from the floor and an impressive 52% from the 3 point line. They also went 8-8 from the free throw line. On the other hand, Prestonwood shot 38% for the game and only 27% from the 3 point line. That being said, the big difference in the game was the ability of Oak Hill to share the ball as they had 19 assists for the game.

In another marquee matchup on Saturday, Gonzaga (Washington DC) defeated Riverside of New Orleans by the score of 77-65. The star of the game belonged to 6’6 junior Kris Jenkins as he tallied a game high 30 points going 12-16 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 4-6 from the free throw line. Jenkins also grabbed 11 rebounds to record an impressive double-double. We went back to the Phenom Hoop Report archives from August 2010 and this is what we had to say about Jenkins two years ago.

August, 2010

Player: 6’6 Kris Jenkins
High School: Gonzaga
Hometown: Upper Marlboro
Class: 2013
Phenom Hoop Report: HM-

Jenkins is a strong and powerful PF that uses his strength extremely well. HE may be one of the best young 6’6 PF that really knows how to use his body and post up on the block. He has really soft hands and does an excellent job of finishing in the paint. In addition to being a strong PF, he has the ability to step out and know down the open 15 foot jumper to be a nice face up 4.

It looks like we were again spot on in our evaluation of Jenkins two summers ago!

6’1 junior PG Nate Britt finished with 16 points going 7-16 from the floor (0-1 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. Britt dished out 2 assists, but had an enormously high 8 turnovers for the game. For Riverside, it was 6’8 senior PF Ricardo Gathers leading the way with 22 points going 8-21 from the game (0-2 from the 3 point line) and 6-7 from the free throw line. Gathers also grabbed 8 rebounds for the game. Gathers is simply a “man among boys” and his strong physical play always leaves you with a lasting impression of the coveted unsigned senior. Gathers already sports a NBA body and knows how to use his body extremely well in the post area. That being said, we felt Gathers settled for too many midrange jumpers and didn’t attack the basket as in previous tournaments.  In addition, he does have a nice mid range jumper. We were also impressed with the play of senior SG Lucas Martin-Julien who finished with 19 points. Martin-Julien went 8-17 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 1-2 from the free throw line. That being said, college coaches should put the following names in their SIM card for future reference. 6’1 freshman PG Tharvon Julien finished with 11 points going 4-7 from the floor (1-1 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. While he does possess outstanding speed and quickness, the next step in his development is to play more under control and cut down on careless turnovers, which is typical of a young PG. Another name to remember is 6’9 8th grader Khalea Turner who finished with 7 points. This young man has a soft touch around the basket and has huge and soft hands which are a complete luxury for big men.

The game changing stat was the inability of Riverside to take care of the basketball. Riverside committed 19 turnovers and only had 7 assists for the game. On the other hand, Gonzaga had 15 turnovers but had 16 assists for the game.

We will now move to the action on Monday at the 10th Annual MLK Day North Carolina Scholastic Classic and finish with some final thoughts on the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall Classic.

In one of the day’s most surprising games was between High Point Wesleyan and Greenfield. HPW entered the contest with a 10-3 record and has one of the state’s most talented trios in 6’7 senior SF Montay Brandon (Florida State), 6’5 sophomore WG Theo Pinson, and 6’0 sophomore PG Jaquel Richmond. Greenfield is led by 6’8 senior WF Aaron Roundtree (Wake Forest) and 6’4 senior WF Sam Hughes (UNC-Asheville) who was the difference maker for the game as Greenfield won going away with a 73-64 victory over High Point Wesleyan. Between Brandon, Pinson, Richmond and Roundtree, you have four high major college players, but it was the play of Hughes that made the biggest impression. Hughes finished the game with 22 points while Roundtree had another all around performance with 15 points. In addition, Greenfield got balance scoring as 5’11 senior PG T.J. Hinnant chipped in 14 points while 6’3 junior SG Jordan Sharpe finished with 10 points. Theo Pinson led the way for HPW with 16 points while Montay Brandon chipped in 15 points and Jacquel Richmond finished with 12 points. While Greenfield’s coach Rob Salter is one of the state’s best coaches, he too was surprised with the impressive win over a very talented Wesleyan team. Greenfield who is ranked number 1 in the NCISAA 1-A  led by as many as 17 points in the 3rd quarter over the NCISAA 3-A number 5 team in the 3rd quarter. Greenfield now moves to 16-1 for the season while High Point Wesleyan drops to 10-4.

In the city matchup between private school Greensboro Day and Greensboro Smith, it was Coach Freddy Johnson and the Bengals winning easily over cross town Smith by the score of 61-48. As usual, it was a total team effort on behalf of Greensboro Day and balanced scoring once again was the point of the day for the Bengals. 6’3 senior SG Reed Lucas led the way with 17 points and his stock continues to soar. Lucas has always been an excellent catch and shoot player, but he has added strength and athleticism to his game and is able to put the ball on the floor with authority as he made a nifty baseline cross-over move for a beautiful slam dunk that put the explanation point for his MVP performance. Without question, schools in the Big South and Southern Conference should definitely be recruiting his young man. He has outstanding basketball IQ and has a great feel for the game. 6’7 senior PF Quayshad Williams chipped in 10 points and is quickly regaining his stamina after pre-season injuries. Williams made a big time college low post move where he had a drop step and then went in for a reverse layup that showcased his skill and ability. He is another player area schools in the Big South and Southern Conference should be recruiting. 6’7 junior Christian Hairston finished with 9 points while 5’10 PG Eastern Michigan signee Jalen Ross chipped in 8 points. Hairston is a long and athletic WF that rebounded well and has the ability to put the ball on the floor. Ross is simply the engine of the Bengals well balanced team. He is a heady PG that plays with excellent poise and will be an excellent prospect for Eastern Michigan. Greensboro Smith was led by 6’5 senior WF Adrian Wimbach with 15 points while 6’3 senior WG Tracy Gathings chipped in 14 points.

In the fifth game of the day, it was Oak Hill Academy vs. Greensboro Dudley. Oak Hill was fresh off its impressive win Saturday over Prestonwood and flew home Sunday. Oak Hill players attended class on Monday and then made the 2 ½ hour drive down to the Greensboro Coliseum. Oak Hill won easily by the score of 84-58 and it was another good homecoming for senior PG Tyler Lewis. Lewis finished with 21 points going 7-11 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 5-6 from the free throw line. Jordan Adams tallied 16 points going 6-15 from the floor (2-7 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. AJ Hammons continued his impressive play with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 block shots while RJ Curington enjoyed double digit scoring with 10 points going 4-7 from the floor (1-1 from the 3 point line) and 1-3 from the free throw line. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera finished with 9 points going 4-9 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) The top player for Greensboro Dudley is 6’1 junior PG Sam Hunt who is a legitimate division one prospect. Oak Hill now moves to 28-0 for the season and should secure the number one spot in both USA Today and the ESPN high school poll.

In the final game of the day and the most exciting game, it was High Point Christian squeaking out a 59-58 OT win over Quality Education. Leading 52-48 with less than a minute remaining, HPC could have iced the game on several occasions but missed 7-8 free throws that allowed QEA to get back into the game. Coach Brandon Clifford and HPC moves to an impressive 19-0 record for the season while QEA falls to 12-4. Leading the way for HPC was 5’11 junior PG Diante Baldwin with 23 points. Baldwin is a crafty and quick PG that can easily get into the lane. Without question, Baldwin is a solid division I prospect and area schools in the Big South and Southern Conference should continue to monitor and recruit. Baldwin attended the 8th Annual NC Phenom 150 Camp last October and below is our evaluation of him.

Player: 5’11 Diante Baldwin
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
School: High Point Christian
Grade: 11 (Class: 2013)
Evaluation: IQ Baldwin recently “reclassed” to the 2013 class with his transfer to High Point Christian and he is another name MM schools will want to monitor. Baldwin has “sneaky” athleticism and has exceptional ball handling and passing skills. He sees the floor really well. Baldwin does have good strength and athleticism and even had a few nice dunks in transition. Overall, Baldwin is a very active PG that has good fundamentals and basketball.

Next up for HPC is the ever improving Jackson Kent. The 6’7 junior WF has always been known as a “lights out” shooter, but he has improved his athleticism and especially his lateral quickness. He has also shown the ability to handle the PG responsibilities if need be. Kent also attended the NC Phenom 150 camp last October and here’s what he had to say about him then.

Player: 6’7 Jackson Kent
Hometown: Greensboro, NC
School: High Point Christian
Grade: 11 (Class 2013)
Evaluation: Kent recently transferred to High Point Christian and reclassed to the 2013 class. Kent is another regular at the NC Phenom 150 camp and I’m totally impressed with his improvement over the past year. Basically known as a “dead eye” from the 3 point territory, he has worked hard on his ball handling and passing skills and has really raised his level of play. He even played PG at times at camp. Kent is excellent in transitions and with improved strength and quickness, he is more comfortable attacking the basket and finishing well. He has always been a fundamentally sound player with a high basketball IQ and is a legit D1 prospect.

That being said, Kent continued improvement will garnish interest from mid majors and even some high majors. Currently, Kent has the overall skills and ability to score and the next step in his development is to gain strength. If he continues to improve as much in the next two years as he has in the past year, don’t be surprised to see him playing at a high level. Kent finished with 16 points. 6’11 junior center Chuck Ogbodo played with a severe ankle sprain and gave 100% effort, but it was evident he was having trouble playing on it. He had little to no elevation but one has to give the young man tons of credit for playing with heart and passion. Below is our evaluation from our NC Phenom 150 Camp on Ogbodo.

Player: 6’11 Chuck Ogbodo
Hometown: High Point, NC
School: High Point Christian
Grade: 11 (Class: 2013)
Evaluation: Ogbodo is a very long and athletic center that is starting to garnish interest from ACC schools. He is a quick leaper and is excellent in transition. He has a tremendous wing span and is definitely a defensive presence in the paint. He alters and blocks a lot of shots due to this length and timing. Like many athletic big men, he is more advanced on the defensive end of the floor, but is making huge strides in his overall offensive development. If he continues to improve his overall game in the next year as he has in the past year, he will definitely be a major target of HM schools. When you are 6’11 young, energetic, athletic and have the length, quickness and bounce, high majors will quickly take notice. The next step for his development is play hard consistently on both ends of the court.

 

Leading the way for Quality Education was 6’4 senior combo guard Tevin Findlay. Findlay tallied 13 points while 6’7 senior PF Dominique Williams tallied 11 points. QEA has tons of talent and 6’9 Freshman Ibrahima Diallo is a promising young prospect that high majors should be all over.

Final thoughts from the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall Classic

All Tourney Players: 

National: Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman

2012 Hoophall Classic All-Tournament First Team
Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman
Nerlens Noel, Tilton
Tyler Lewis, Oak Hill
Aaron Thomas, Brewster
Kyle Anderson, St. Anthony

2012 Hoophall Classic All-Tournament Second Team
Dominic Artis, Findlay
Kris Jenkins, Gonzaga
Katin Reinhardt, Mater Dei
Grant Jerrett, LaVerne Lutheran
Jabari Parker, Chicago Simeon

While we were not physically able to watch the Sunday and Monday games in person of the 2012  Spalding Hoop Hall Classic, we were fortunate to tape and watch the games shown on ESPN. After watching Shabazz Muhammad countless times this past summer, there is no question that he is the number one player in the 2012 class and there is no close second. In addition, we simply don’t buy the fact that many scouting experts are touting junior Jabari Parker as the best player in the country regardless of class. I will agree Parker may be the most complete all around player and his overall skill package at 6’8 is second to none. That being said, the Phenom Hoop Report went against “conventional wisdom” and selected 6’11 Nerlens Noel as the number one player in the 2013 class and here are the reason why. First of all, Noel may be the best defensive player at the high school level since a Patrick Ewing or Alonzo Mourning and his ability to change the outcome of the game is unequal without scoring a single point! That being said, his defensive and shot blocking ability is far ahead of his offensive skill set, however after watching his development and improvement on the offensive end of the court against Brewster, we are confidence that Noel may even become the number one pick in the draft by the time he enters his name for the NBA. Below is our evaluation from this past August after watching him at the NBA Players Camp.

August 2011 Report

Player: 6’11 Nerlens Noel
High School: Tilton School
Hometown: Tilton, MA
Class: 2013
Committed: Undecided

Phenom Hoop Report: What is there not to like about this young man!  Noel is an extremely long and athletic shot blocking machine and is one of the few players in the country that can impact a game without scoring a single point. His length, timing, and quick bounce off the floor are a recipe for many balls ending up in the first and second row of spectators. On the offensive end of the floor, he didn’t get many touches but that had little to no effect on his ability to play hard and with a passion and purpose. While Noel only averaged 7.4 PPG, he put together two strong performances in the semi final game and also in the championship game. (18 & 15 points respectively) His team lost by one point and if his team had won, one could make a strong argument that he could have been named the tournament MVP. The majority of his points came off missed shots and running the floor in transition, but in a few games we noticed him taking a jump hook shot as his main offensive weapon. Without question, Noel has no equal on the defensive end of the floor and reminds me of a younger and lankier Alonzo Mourning.

In the next couple of days, we will be updating our 2012 national rankings!

 

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

Oak Hill vs. Quality Education Academy

November 2, 2011 by Leave a Comment

Last night, we covered the much anticipated matchup between Oak Hill Academy and Quality Education at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Oak Hill jumped out early on QEA and led 21-5 at the end of the first quarter and maintained a comfortable 41-23 margin at halftime. The final score was 84-67 and below is a quick wrap up on the top individual performances.

First of all, back in our in September, we wrote the following about 6’11 A.J. Hammons. “We first watched Hammons two summers ago at the Nike Top 100 camp in St. Louis, MO. Without question, Hammons has tremendous size. He is a wide body center that can occupy a lot of space on the low block. Hammons has a “super soft” shooting touch around the basket and has the ability to use either hand. In addition, one of his strongest attributes is his “soft hands.” Over the past two years, Hammons’ rankings have dropped due to his “perceived lack of effort” at times. It is very difficult to argue that this young man has a tremendous upside when he is motivated to being as good as his potential. Simply put, this young man is a “sleeping giant” and once the “light bulb” goes off on a consistent basis, Hammons has the ability and potential to be as good as he wants to be.”

Last night against Quality Education, Hammons (Purdue) looked motivated and played with the ability many expected out of this young man. He was dominant in the low post area and he had a stellar performance. Hammons tallied 6 points, but blocked 9 shots and altered many more and grabbed 9 rebounds. This performance reinforced my thoughts on Hammons and he could be the missing piece of the puzzle for Oak Hill this season. If Hammons can dominate a game defensively with his shot blocking ability and rebounding, it could be a banner year for the Warriors. It was evident that Hammons change the tempo of the game early with his presence defensively in the paint for Oak Hill.

Next up is 6’5 Jordan Adams! Adams (UCLA) continues to bring the Larry Bird approach to his game. Adams is in really good shape and he torched the nets for a game high of 23 points. He made 5 three pointers and went 4-4 from the free throw line. Recently, I made the comment that Adams is a legitimate top 40 guy and I may have to retract that statement. If he keeps this performance up, he is a definite top 30 prospect based upon his performance and productivity.

It was homecoming for 5’11 Tyler Lewis (NC State) and it was a sweet homecoming indeed for the floor general of Oak Hill. Lewis had 19 points, 14 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal and 2 turnovers. It was no secret to the thousands in attendance that Lewis was in total control and simply ran the offense to perfection.

6’3 D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (Georgetown) is getting use to playing the off guard position and this transition has been as smooth as silk. Smith-Rivera like Jordan Adams are two of the better perimeter shooters in the country and he tallied 18 points for the night and also knocked down 4 three pointers.

6’6 Darion Clark was again rock solid and steady has he chipped in 8 points and 7 rebounds as he continues to become a hot commodity in the recruiting circuit. He took an unofficial visit to Charlotte last weekend and is may be taking an official visit this coming weekend. At this point in time, Charlotte has jumped out and is the current leader.

On the Quality Education team, 6’11 Brandon Bolden (Georgetown) had a very quiet night and was a nonfactor in the contest. As a matter of fact, 6’9 freshman Ibrahima Diallo started in his place. Coach Pitts of QEA has been quoted as saying, “Diallo may be the best freshman” in the country. Diallo is a long and athletic post presence that does have big time potential. He is very active around the basket and runs the floor extremely well. While he is still a little raw on the offensive end of the court, Diallo does have a promising future. The biggest surprise of the night for QEA was 6’4 WG James Ford. Ford had high expectations several years ago and fell off the radar on the summer AAU circuit and this may have hurt his recruitment somewhat. That being said, Ford was dialed in from deep last night. Ford has good length and solid athleticism, but more importantly Ford has outstanding range. In the first half, Ford single handedly kept QEA in the game and while many people had him pegged as a solid mid major prospect, Ford gave a high major performance last night and should see his recruitment sky rocket. He looked the part of someone who could fall into the right situation based upon supply and demand and there always seems to be a demand on shooters with range.

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