We always love our travels throughout the state of South Carolina. It is such a fertile ground of talent and that talent usually goes unnoticed. Luckily Phenom Hoops is fortunate enough to have great connections to the state, and we make it a priority to get out and go find the talent.
This past week we went to go see six games throughout the state. Each game had players who college coaches need to start recruiting now. We found some prospects that no one was talking about and we saw some prospects that a lot of people were talking about.
Here is a listing of the teams we saw
Andrew Jackson HS (Kershaw)
Wilson HS (Florence)
Cheraw HS (Cheraw)
Indian Land HS (Fort Mill)
Lewisville HS (Richburg)
Calhoun Falls Charter (Calhoun Falls)
South Pointe HS (Rock Hill)
Marlboro County HS (Bennettsville)
Sumter HS (Sumter)
Richmond Senior (Rockingham, NC)
Here is Part 1 of the Standouts and Storylines of Our Week in Review
The 2020 Class is Shaping Up Nicely
This week we saw the top two freshman in South Carolina’s freshman class. Both players are completely different, but both players should be tracking as Top 100 type of players. We also saw a third who has incredibly upside, which we are very excited to watch progress.
6’5” Jordan Burch of Wilson HS
Burch is a sturdy framed prospect. He plays with a great pace, but also has good strength and body control. Burch, who is a lefty, stands about 225 and is the back up point guard on his varsity team. Now his long term position isn’t as a PG, but it could be as a play making wing. He is tracking as a major prospect.
5’11” Jalen Coit of Cheraw HS
Upon first sight, there isn’t much to Coit. He stands 5’11 and weighs in about 140 pounds. Once that ball is tipped off, everything changes. Coit, also a lefty, has an incredibly natural feel for the game and innately has great touch and footwork. Coit is the 5th leading scorer in the state, and in his last 3 games went for 38, 32, and 28 points. He is tracking as a major prospect.
6’1” Destin Clark of Indian Land HS
While Coit and Burch are tracking as Top 100 types, it Destin Clark is one who should be popping up on radars asap. Already the starting point guard for his varsity team, Clark finished with 20 points, 4 boards, and 4 assists in the game we watched. He has great vision and is able to get into the paint when he wants. He also stands around 6’1” and 215 pounds. Coaches say he is possibly more advanced, in a similar fashion to South Carolina freshman Rakym Felder at the same stage. He is one to watch!
D1s Need to Start Looking Closer
In our travels we made it a point to go watch a few of our South Carolina Top 80 alums, and see how their seasons were going. Each of these players really opened our eyes during the Top 80, but for whatever reason their recruitment hasn’t taken off like we thought it would. After closer inspection, we were spot on during the Top 80 and college needs to start making it a point to get down and catch these kids.
6’6” 2018 Isaih Moore of Sumter HS
Moore’s upside is through the roof. He is a lanky 2/3 who is still growing. Moore has good ball skills and deep range with a quick release. His game (and overall trajectory) is reminiscent of Brandon Ingram. We understand Ingram was the #2 pick in the NBA draft, we aren’t saying Moore is as good, but their styles and the way they bloomed late are very similar. He has great timing and a great skill set with and upside that he is quickly growing toward. He currently carries offers from Colorado State and SC State, which should grow 10 fold.
6’7” 2018 DJ James of Andrew Jackson HS
We were floored that we sat and watched a game James was playing in and no college coaches were in there with us. James stands 6’7” and weighs 225 pounds. This season he is South Carolina’s second leading scorer at 28.5 per game and its leading rebounder at 13 per game. He is also averaging 3 assists and shooting 45% from 3. He is very strong, very athletic, and offers a very unique game. Old Dominion and South Carolina saw it first hand with offers, most schools from around the region should follow suit.
5’11” 2018 Alex Caldwell of Wilson HS
Caldwell is a name many know, but for whatever reason he isn’t burning up the recruiting trail. Caldwell has great control of the game to go along with explosion and deep range. Caldwell is averaging 15 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals per game this season as he is the starting point guard for the number 1 team in the state. Caldwell carries offers from College of Charleston, Rhode Island, South Carolina State, Mercer, and Winthrop. This list should grow, there is a lot to like here.
6’8″ 2019 Javarzia Belton of Calhoun Falls Charter
Javarzia Belton is Worth the Trip
We took the four hour trek to go check out Belton, we were the first to do so. This trip was well worth it as now it seems like everyone knows about the young man. Blessed with incredibly gifts, he stands 6’8” and carries a 7’1” wing span. He has the highest standing vertical on the team and runs up non-stop up out down the floor like a guard. When you add in the fact that he weighs 220 pounds, has around 7% body fat, and seemingly catches everything in his area, you begin to see what excites us about Belton.
In the week since we saw Belton, he has had the likes of Wake Forest, Middle Tennessee State, College of Charleston, and Yale call on him. Expect this trip to be a lot more frequent one as the word continues to get out. On the season, Belton is averaging 20 points, 12.6 boards, and 4.8 blocks while shooting 76% from the field. His production is only going up.