This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled down to Rock Hill, South Carolina for our annual Queen City Showcase. There were dozens of quality teams from each age group and countless prospects worth noting for college coaches. Quietly, the Cobras 2021 squad was among the most intriguing groups for next-level programs to track. They’ve done a great job of collecting and keeping talented kids across the Greensboro area over the years. After adding numerous guys, their roster is as impressive as ever, and this article will shed light on each prospect…
Obviously, Kadyn Dawkins has to be mentioned within the first breath whenever discussing this roster. He’s their undisputed leader and primary conductor on both ends of the floor. We wrote about Dawkins at length in our “Bendel’s Best: Phenom Queen City Showcase” and his overall solidification as a diamond in the rough. His recruitment is genuinely maddening, because he continues to thrash any and all opposing point guards in his path.
One of his backcourt mates, Jaden Ellis, is another smart, scrappy presence from the guard position. He typically plays as the primary creator but has shown the ability to successfully operate with or without the ball in his hands. Ellis is a fairly well-rounded guard with toughness, defensive prowess, and quality creation instincts off the bounce. He did a little bit of everything on offense while standing out as a great defender at the point of attack. Numerous college coaches could certainly benefit with Ellis at the next level.
While the aforementioned duo is already pretty well-known, Ayden Gamble and Courdae Gravely also understand how to impact the game while maximizing their respective roles. Gamble is a great athlete with a high motor and the ability to make a ton of plays defensively and in transition. He plays very hard, possesses solid passing and ball-handling, and finishes well around the basket. Meanwhile, Gravely offers another pretty well-rounded presence on both ends of the floor. He’s a steady guard with a solid scoring arsenal and equally useful defensive abilities. Despite being lesser-known, both of these guys can find success at the next level.
As far as glue-guys go, the Cobras easily have two of the best in Daniel Cooper and Adonijah Whitley. Cooper is a long, high-motor forward that plays such an incredible role in every possible setting. He makes up for any lack of size with absolute will and determination, and stands out as a phenomenal rebounder as a result. Cooper embraces his identity extremely well and doesn’t try to do things outside of his ability. He runs the floor well in transition, makes a ton of plays on defense, and naturally finds ways to score the ball without needing to be an offensive focal point. On the other hand, Whitley offers a similar identity but more often from the wing than as a forward. However, he does possess great positional flexibility and can actively toggle between multiple positions on either end of the floor. He pursues rebounds, handles the ball, makes smart passes, and really understands how to fill in the gaps within the flow of the game. Both guys should be viewed as college-level prospects with the tools to justify offers from a variety of schools.
Although he’s known as a high-level football player, Kamell Smith has also showcased his translatable value on the hardwood. At 6-foot-5, Smith is another guy with the all-around skillset to make his mark in various different ways. He’s a great rebounder, especially for his position, and can push the break with relative ease. Smith makes a ton of noise with his leaping ability and how he properly uses it to his advantage, rather than as a draw for highlight-reel plays. He does everything at a quality level, from pass to score to defend multiple positions, and should have scholarship-level coaches buzzing after his showing this past weekend.
While most of these prospects have possessed and embraced their identity for majority of the last few years, Juwelz Hargrove is truly just beginning to realize his long-term capabilities. After highlighting flashes for most of his career, it was refreshing to see Hargrove take the next step in his progression. In terms of physical tools, he was already the most appealing prospect on this roster. Add in his newfound confidence and rugged two-way mentality, and Hargrove legitimately has all the tools to emerge as a scholarship-level player. He’s long, athletic, shoots the ball well, defends multiple positions, and brings a massive burst of toughness on either end of the floor. It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold going forward, but Hargrove is definitely one for college coaches to track.
Rounding out the roster, Sterling Brewer III brings toughness and leadership to the table. He simply goes out and shows a willingness to do whatever possible to provide his team with an edge. He utilizes his length well defensively and plays with a high motor on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, Cameron Lutterloh stands out as one of their most reliable spot-up threats from the perimeter. He moves well without the ball, doesn’t force the action, and plays hard at all times. Like the rest of this roster, both guys could find next-level opportunities in the right situation.
With this much talent flowing through a single roster, college coaches should definitely be doing their due diligence and prioritizing prospects from this team. There’s something for nearly all types of coaches, and this group appears to be just getting started.