Last weekend Phenom hoops assembled some of the best talent across the states of North Carolina and South Carolina for the Feast of Champions. Here are some of the highlights from some of the Marquee games.
Game 1 on Friday featured South Brunswick vs Eastern Guilford.
South Brunswick fell to Eastern Guilford. But Jace McKenney a 6-6 small forward class of 2019 stood out in the crowd. Jace has a smooth floor game with confidence and Swagger. His 16points, 8 rebounds and 6 blocks. Help keep his team in the game and make a tremendous third quarter run. Jace proved to be a serious weapon. At 6’6 he runs the floor extremely well and transition and he understands how to establish positioning on the Block but he also brings the capability to score from Deep he hit a pair of Threes in the corner and showed a nice touch from mid-range what stood out defensively was finished footwork and quick lateral movements. A solid performance that earned him a spot on the list for Best in Show.
6′ Unsigned Senior Montez Venable of Eastern Guilford (NC)
Also in game one Eastern Guilford had some standout guards. Montez Venable and Jalen Alston might have been the best backcourt tandem at the feast. Montez a 6’0 combo-guard from the class of 2018 went for 15 points and six assists. Montez is a superb open floor distributor. He has great Court awareness. He also brings a scores mentality with a good mid-range game, he is very creative he is a problem for the defending team in transition he makes plays.
His back-court team-mate Jaylen Alsten, a 6’4 combo-guard from the class of 2018 also. Is long and athletic. He can play the point guard position as well as the two. Whether it’s in transition running or simply running a set offense. His basketball IQ and athleticism combined with his length create a problem for Defenders. Jaylen utilizes a terrific change-of-pace to set up his move and his man he is also a very strong rebounder. In a winning effort Jaylen contributed 28 points and 12 rebounds from the guard position and 3 blocks. In the second half Jaylen and Montez combined to deliver the knockout punch.
Game 2 featured Fayetteville Academy the host school vs Cape Fear Christian.
Two nearby rivalries. This was a hard-fought game Fayetteville Academy, Eric Bethea stood out and earned himself a spot on the Best in Show list for Friday night. We love watching this kid and haven’t seen him since this fall when he was a standout at the Phenom camp in September in Greensboro. He is a smooth combo-guard that pushes the ball and plays with great pace. Eric has a great feel for the game and gets his teammates involved early and often with his penetration and drive draw and kit or drop off passes. He keeps the defense on its heels. He then truly plays to his strengths a shooter off the dribble coming off screens this kid can flat-out shoot the Rock. with a smooth stroke quick-release and Eagle Eye watching him shoot the ball is a thing of beauty. Also, very active on the defensive end with good lateral movement and quick hands he’s a Lockdown Defender. And good enough to make the list for Best in Show.
6′ 2019 Riley Adams of Cape Fear Christian (NC)
And for Cape Fear Christian Riley Adams a 6