The Phenom Hoop Report was on hand to cover the 11th Annual MLK Day North Carolina Scholastic Classic at the Greensboro Coliseum. Six games were played and we will recap the team scores along with the top individual performances by the perspective players.
Greenfield 69, Charlotte Christian 62
Greenfield played without 2014 PG Xavier Mills and 6’7 2014 WF Logan McClane, but they were led by the 1-2 scoring punch of 6’5 2014 WG Ashley Williams with 18 points and 2014 SG Jaime Johnson tallied 21 points knocking down seven 3 pointers for the game. 6’3 Clemson signee Patrick Rooks finished with 23 points while 6’4 2014 WG Matthew Fisher-Davis scored 13 points for the losing team. Ashley Williams continues to have a solid all around year and has been instrumental in the team’s overcall success. We have seen Williams countless times in evaluation camps and through AAU basketball and he is the perfect team player. He plays the game the right way and has an outstanding understanding of the game and high basketball IQ. Williams is averaging 15 PPG and 6 RPG and already sports several D1 offers.
Jaime Johnson is a name to remember, as he is a prolific marksman from the 3-point line. He finished with 21 points knocking down seven 3 pointers. Johnson is averaging 14 PPG and is shooting 45% from the 3-point line. Coming into the game, Johnson had connected on 65 3 pointers and added seven to his total against Charlotte Christian.
6’3 senior WG Patrick Rooks should be an instant impact at Clemson next season. Rooks is a scorer’s deluxe and has a beautiful shooting stroke from the perimeter. Rooks is averaging 20 PPG for Charlotte Christian. He has improved on his ball handling and passing skills and should be a perfect fit for Clemson. Matthew Fisher-Davis is a mult-dimensional player and can play both the guard and forward position. He is averaging 17 PPG and has the skill set and fundamentals to be a legitimate D1 prospect.
Oxford Webb 64, Mt. Tabor 63
The Oxford Webb/Mt. Tabor game was clearly the best game of the day. Oxford Webb featured consensus All American and UNC signee 6’8 Isaiah Hicks. Hicks came into the contest with impressive stats and looks to be a lock as a McDonald All American. He averages 20 PPG and 11 RPG. In addition, he is one of the country’s best-shot blockers as he has impeccable timing. He is quick off his feet and will be an important member of the 2013 UNC recruiting haul. Hicks finished with 18 point and 12 rebounds. The backcourt duo of Tyrek Beverly and Stefan Cates played well and finished with 13 and 14 points respectively.
Mt. Tabor was 15-0 coming into the contest and is coached by Andy Muse, who we consider one of the top high school coaches in North Carolina. He has a veteran squad and unfortunately they dug themselves a deep hole by trailing Oxford Webb by 20 points in the first half. That being said, Coach Muse installed confidence in his team and you knew a comeback was eminent. He starts five seniors and every one of the starters averages in double figures. Mt. Tabor was led by 6’3 Matthew Madigan with 16 points while 6’3 Lepreece Lynch tallied 15 points, 6’5 Nate Long with 12 points, 6’4 Deion Robinson with 10 points. 6’7 Tquan Biting only chipped in 6 points, but did an admirable job of the boards and battled hard against Isaiah Hicks. Madigan has signed with Brown University, but the remaining four seniors for Mt. Tabor remain unsigned. We personally like the upside and potential of 6’7 Tyquan Biting and feel like he can be a quality player in the Big South and Southern Conference. Lynch, Long and Robinson should continue to garnish lower tier D1 interest. They are well coached and play the game the right way. All three had good athleticism and proper skills and fundamentals.
High Point Christian 68, Greensboro Page 49
High Point Christian came into the contest with a 15-3 record and the talented group of seniors proved too much for the youthful Greensboro Page Pirates. 6’0 PG Diante Baldwin ( UNC-G signee) led the way with 15 points while 6’6 Jackson Kent (James Madison) and 6’8 Mike Kobani (Appalachian State) scored 12 and 10 points respectively. Greensboro Page was led by 5’11 2016 PG Ty Graves with 17 points knocking down four 3 pointers for the game. Graves is a solid D1 prospect and if he continues to grow and develop will have many high major programs knocking on his door. He has a great feel for the game and played with poise and purpose. He has a beautiful shooting touch and his fundamentals and basketball IQ are advanced for his grade/age. 6’0 2014 Anthony Eaves also played well and finished in double figures with 13 points.
Greensboro Day School 67, Fayetteville Northwood 42
This game was a TKO early in the 1st quarter as GDS roared out of the gates and never let up. Without question, Coach Freddy Johnson is the best high school coach in the state of North Carolina. GDS was led by 6’7 2013 point forward Christian Hairston (Furman) with 18 points and his size/skill/athleticism is advanced and we have a hard time understanding how so many teams in North Carolina missed out on this young man. He was clearly one of the better players at the MLK event on Monday. He can shoot the 3 pointer and has the ability to dribble drive and penetrate, but he is also an outstanding teammate. He is unselfish and knows how to play the game the right way. All I can say is “shame on you schools in NC for letting this young man slip away.” 6’3 Reggie Dillard (Presbyterian) chipped in 15 points and was solid all game. He has a physically mature body and is tremendous on the defensive side of the ball. 6’3 Reed Lucas (West Point) did what he does best. He is an excellent perimeter shooter and is under-valued for what he brings to the team. Lucas is a high basketball IQ and fundamentally sound player. Another player we liked was 6’3 senior Montel Goldston who finished with 8 points. While his offensive stats will not blow you away, but his young man flat gets after it on the defensive end of the court. He has superb athleticism and clearly should be recruited by schools in the Big South or equivalent. Greensboro Day now moves to 26-0 and did not have any leftover effects from their impressive win over High Point Wesleyan.
Many ACC coaches were in attendance to watch 6’10 Sidy Mohamed Djitte of Northwood. He came into the contest with impressive outing of 25 point/rebound games, but one has to question the level of competition. Djitte finished with 13 points, but the majority of points came later in the game when the outcome had already been decided. While high major schools because of his size, length and athleticism will recruit Djitte, he is missing a “go to” move on the interior. He does have a strong upside and potential and should be considered a top 150 recruit nationally.
Christ School 83, Ravenscroft 47
We expected this game to be a little more competitive, but Ravenscroft simply had a bad day at the office. That being said, 6’8 2013 PF Shannon Hale (Alabama) was simply fantastic for the Greenies of Christ School. Hale has improved tremendously since last year and especially from the perimeter. Hale consistently knocked down 15-foot jumpers and will be a valuable member of the Crimson Tide next season. Hale finished with 23 points and showed great maturity on the court. Another player to definitely put in your SIM card is 6’5 2017 D.J. Harvey. Harvey is a physically mature 8th grader that played like a seasoned veteran. He finished with 12 points and could be special if he continued to develop. 6’3 2013 SG Jaylen Allen chipped in 10 points for Greenfield.
Leading the way for Ravenscroft is 6’8 Marcus “Double Double” Bryan. Bryan came into the contest averaging 17 PPG and 15 RPG and is the only player in the school’s history to record a 1000 career points and rebounds. Bryant finished with 18 points and proved he is going to be a priority for many mid major schools. 6’0 2014 PG Chris Corchiani is the team’s second leading scorer with 8.6 PPG and 4.7 APG. He enjoyed a solid game, but unfortunately Ravenscroft was simply outmanned as a team.
High Point Wesleyan 65, Greensboro Dudley 56
Greensboro Dudley led the majority of the game, but the superior size and length of HP Wesleyan was simply too much for the underdogs. That being said, the star of the game was 6’2 Sam Hunt (Jacksonville) Hunt tallied 27 points and was scoring from all areas on the court. He was knocking down jumpers and driving beautifully to the basket with nifty and crafty moves. Clearly, HPW simply had no answers for him. Again, we are left scratching our heads on how this young talented PG was not heavily recruited by schools within the immediate area. I will simply say no more! On the other hand, High Point Wesleyan has a who’s who list of the nation’s top prospects in 6’5 2014 Theo Pinson, 6’0 2014 PG JaQuel Richmond and 6’8 2016 Harry Giles, who may be one of the best players in the state regardless of class. Then you throw in 6’7 man-child Donovan Gilmore and this game should have been a no contest! Leading the way for HPW was Gilmore with 18 points while Theo Pinson chipped in 13 points. JaQuel Richmond and Harry Giles both tallied 11 points each. Gilmore play was impressive and he reminds me of a stronger version of Davidson College 6’8 Brooks. Gilmore is a relentless warrior in the paint and will battle you tooth and nail for rebounds. Much has already been written about Pinson and Richmond who are both ACC targets. That be being said, one of the most gifted freshman players we have seen in a long time is 6’8 Harry Giles. Giles has tremendous length and skill set and sports a size 17 shoe so there is plenty of room for growth. He has advanced ball handling and passing skills and we really believe he could be a Kevin Durant clone by the time he is a senior in high school. Yes, he is that good!
