At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, over one hundred players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked and underrated, and today's edition will highlight Logan Botts of Forestview High School.
Often times, there are players that simply get overlooked because they don't look or play a certain way'regardless of their production. That seems to be one of the main reasons for Botts' lack of recruitment or even overall acknowledgement over his high school career. However, he's quietly been one of the most electric, productive point guards in North Carolina throughout the last two years. Botts is tasked with being the absolute focal point for Forestview, needing to score nearly thirty points on a nightly basis just to contend with opponents. That being said, we've seen him play with different collections of talent and his passer-friendly game was on full display. Botts is an exceptional three-level scorer with craftiness and the ability to consistently generate something out of nothing. He's intelligent and understands how to properly lead a team on both ends of the floor. His size shouldn't be a deterrent, as it has yet to prevent him from dominating a game.
We've been fortunate enough to see Botts most recently at our Phenom All-American Camp, where we stated: 'Moving onto a player that highlighted an incredible understanding of how to run a team, Logan Botts. He's a smart, all-around point guard prospect with vision, ball-handling, and the ability to make others better'simply with his presence. Botts defended very well and was capable of thriving alongside another ball-handler, given his excellent shooting and off-ball movement. Next in his development process is working on his off-ball defense, as it would allow him to force more turnovers through jumping into passing lanes. Coach Simmons on Botts: 'Logan is a flat-out baller. This kid just has the ‘it' factor!!! He is a complete floor general that can get the whole team involved and is a scoring threat anytime he has the ball. He can beat you off the bounce, get to the rack and finish or make a great pass as the defense collapses. 'Lob-city' is the style of play that he brought to our team, as he must've had at least ten alley-oop passes to teammates. Logan is creative, which allows him to make something out of nothing. I am not easily impressed but this kid had the 'wow' factor. I could go on and on about his game, but I was most impressed with his character. Between our first and second game, I overheard him talking to a teammate, building chemistry and learning how to work well together. He has natural leadership qualities and will for sure be playing at the next level one day.' Botts was among the most electric floor generals on display and should have college coaches pursuing him sooner than later.'
Hopefully college coaches will begin to account for his ridiculous production or all-around skillset, because it's criminal that he has little to no action within his recruitment at this time. Botts is averaging a robust 29 PPG this season after averaging 24.4 PPG as a junior, so just imagine what he's capable of with a surrounding college-level roster. The fact that Division III schools aren't breaking his door down is absolutely perplexing and should change while there is still time.