The summer is coming to an end, and that just gets us excited about the high school season, even though we still have some time before we tip off here in North Carolina. But that doesn’t mean we aren’t already looking at teams, as we dive into teams early with Phenom Hoops.
One team that will have plenty of attention its way will be Caldwell Academy. Under head coach Brandon Clifford, this is a team that is coming off a 19-12 season, but they also have the talent to be something special this year as they look to make a run at a title.
When you start with this team, 2025 Jaylen Cross is the clear leader on the court as he has elevated his play, showing why he is looking like a Top-100 player nationally, and he continues to get better and better. Cross has the mindset to go with it as well; a clear team player but one that can also take over a game, something he certainly has shown this summer even more. Cross will be the go-to player for this team, but this will also be a team that will have options as well alongside him that can step up as well.
The brothers of 2024 J3 Swindell and 2026 Neal Swindell will be two players that can take the weight off Cross’ shoulders. Swindell has been a consistent presence at 6’4 and has developed nicely with his overall scoring impact. Neal, though injured this summer, can be that downhill presence and a strong finisher as he should only continue to develop his game. 2026 Ayden Johnson will be another as well, coming off a season in which he averaged 8.7ppg for his team.
Adding a big like 2024 6’9 Ahmed Jawo should also help this team in the paint, not only being a presence on the boards and a scoring option in the paint but also being a rim protector on the other side.
This will be a very interesting team to watch this year, to see if they can take that next step as a program. And with another year under these players’ belts, can they look to compete for a state championship'