Phenom Hoops recently took a trip to Greensboro to check out the battle between Grace Chrisitan and Greensboro Day, with the Bengals ultimately taking home the victory. It was a great opportunity to check out an array of talent, but what enticed me was the opportunity to watch two rising stars on the court, as I believe they have a ton of potential.
2026 6’5 Michael Phillips for Grace Christian and 2027 6’4 Jagger Emerson for Greensboro Day should start becoming household names if they haven’t already, and we had an opportunity to get an updated viewing of each.
Starting with Phillips, we have spoken a lot about him over the past year and that trend should only continue, as he has a ton of tools and potential that should garner a lot of attention his way. Though he is still developing and understanding what he can fully do on the court, you see those big flashes in his game that could make him special. He has tremendous length, and though shots didn’t quite fall as they usually do from behind the arc, Phillips is one who can stretch the court with his perimeter shot. But he is adding more to his game in understanding his length in scoring inside and over defenders. Phillips also uses that athleticism and length to be a strong defensive presence, blocking/altering shots and being a presence on the boards. Yet again though, he is just scratching the surface of what he ultimately could be in the end, which makes him fascinating to watch.
Secondly, we look at 2027 6’4 Jagger Emerson at GDS. He is another player we recognized the talent with over a year ago, but now part of the freshman class, Emerson already has the buzz surrounding him. His blend of size, versatility, handles, athleticism, and skillset are special for a player at his age, and he should only continue to develop under Coach Johnson and the rest of the staff. At the game, he was able to mix it up extremely well, rebounding and pushing in transition, scoring from multiple levels, and even had a thunderous dunk that made a statement to start the year. Emerson already has the attention of many college coaches, but that should only continue to grow this year and into the summer.