The Phenom Hoop Report was on hand to cover the 10th Annual QCAA The Rumble. The Rumble is sponsored by Ed Addie and the Queen City Athletic Association and was held at the Carolina Courts in Indian Trail, North Carolina. The Rumble is annually one of the largest and most anticipated tournaments in the basketball-crazed state of North Carolina. Over 120 teams in over nine different age groups participated in this event. The Phenom Hoop Report was on hand the entire weekend and today will focus on some of the top players in the class of 2018.
6’0 2018 Kavaudrick Worthy of Ransom MS in Charlotte, NC (#11)
We first noticed Worthy at our 10th 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.