Phenom Hoops traveled to Greensboro, North Carolina on Saturday for our High School Jam Fest. The showcase featured over a dozen of quality teams and there was a ton of talent in the gym, but the top players quickly separated themselves from the pack. This article will breakdown the top performers from the event.
6'1 '19 Nas Tyson (Forest Hills)
Throughout the day, no player was more impressive than Nas Tyson. He leads by example on this Forest Hills squad, and it starts with his unselfishness. Tyson is from the combo-guard mold, yet thrives at either position, on both ends of the floor. He possesses the combination of passing, shooting, and strength that other guards simply cannot match. His IQ is exceptionally high and he makes great decisions with the ball. Tyson frequently looks to create for others and has the necessary combination of vision and craftiness to shred defenses apart. That being said, he is a phenomenal three-level scorer with great efficiency. Tyson is a Division I guard, and it's perplexing how he doesn't have at least a handful of offers by now.
6'6 '19 Matt Smith (Independence)
One could certainly argue that Independence High School was the strongest team at our Jam Fest, mainly because of the leadership and consistency from Matt Smith. At 6-foot-6, Smith has an impressive frame and has upside as an extremely versatile two-way prospect. Offensively, he put on quite the scoring display throughout the event, knocking down shots from all three levels while finishing through every foul and bit of contact at the rim. The amount of three-pointers that Smith hit on Saturday was very impressive and, if he continues to maintain this level of efficiency, there is no limit to his abilities. On the defensive end, he's already quite capable of guarding multiple positions and can switch across all five in most scenarios at the high school level. Smith is a great athlete with productivity and upside, so it'll be interesting to track him over this next year.
6'6 '21 Ja'Dun Michael (The Burlington School)
There was no prospect with a stronger blend of production and upside than Michael, who is the heart and soul of The Burlington School's game plan. He burdens most of the scoring load on this squad and has terrific maturity for a player in the Class of 2021. Right now, Michael is somewhat of a tweener, but possesses the necessary perimeter skills to dominate multiple positions at the high school level. He's unselfish, sees the floor well, and consistently makes plays for others. His efforts on the glass didn't go unnoticed, as he was their most productive rebounder on both ends of the floor. Michael displays a high IQ and will only continue to improve as time passes, but he certainly make a huge impact this weekend for TBS.
6'6 '19 Cortez Marion-Holmes (Northside Christian)
Naturally, we expected Marion-Holmes to have a breakout year as one of the only seniors for Northside Christian. After his play at our Jam Fest, there is no doubt that he should be firmly placed on the Division I radar. Marion-Holmes' versatility was a big part of Northside's attack, especially on defense, where he showcased the ability to switch and defend against multiple positions. Offensively, his skillset is continually growing, but right now he knows how to destroy opponents from midrange-in. Marion-Holmes is relentless on the glass and finishes really well around the basket. He has intriguing upside as a two-way forward, but it'll be interesting to see how much Marion-Holmes expands his offensive abilities over the next year.
6'7 '19 Brice Williams (Hopewell)
Every prospect on this list has one thing in common: versatility. However, each one of the aforementioned players are quite different than Brice Williams, who is one of the most unique prospects in the state of North Carolina. At 6-foot-7 and built with excellent strength, Williams causes a ton of matchup problems for opponents, given his ability to create a shot from nothing and defend multiple positions on the other end. Offensively, Williams is intelligent and attacks all three levels in a variety of ways; he knows how to properly utilize his size, length, and post abilities to score efficiently. He's very difficult to contain in transition, especially if he leads the break. Williams high-level performance over the weekend could result in a nice bump for his North Carolina ranking in the Class of 2019.
