The weather on the outside for the final day of the Bojangles Bash was cold and rainy, but the action inside Ridge View High School was getting hot and was once again packed to a capacity sold out crowd. There were plenty of storylines and exciting games that continues to make the Bojangles Bash one of the premier basketball tournaments. Before we get started with Saturday’s Standouts, be sure to check out our Friday night standouts.
https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/2018/12/08/bojanglesbashfridaynightstandouts/
6’6 2019 Caleb Stone-Carrawell (Cox Mill High School)
Back in 2015 at our Phenom Hoop Report Open Gym Tour, we wrote, “Caleb has excellent bloodlines (his father Chris Carrawell played at Duke and is now assistant coach at Marquette- now Duke) Caleb stands a “youthful” 6’2 and has plenty of growth in his frame. The baby faced Caleb has extremely long arms and defends extremely well. He is still learning the game and it’s easy to see the upside and potential in his game. Caleb is good at attacking the rim, but has a nice go to move in the dribble drive pull up jumper. Go ahead and put Caleb in your SIM CARD. https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/2015/09/18/open-gym-tour-a-look-at-cox-mill/
Flash forward to 2018, Caleb Stone-Carrawell stands a strong and sturdy 6’6. He recently committed to UNC-Charlotte and will be a valuable piece to their recruiting class. Over the years, Caleb played in the shadow of consensus All-American and Duke commit Wendell Moore, but in the game vs. Trinity Christian, he was as smooth, fluid, but most of all efficient in the exciting 81-78 win over one of the state’s private school teams. Caleb finished with a game high 23 points, going 8-13 from the floor, 3-4 from the 3-point line, 4-4 from the free throw line and collected six rebounds. In addition, Caleb is a high IQ player that is fundamentally sound has excellent understanding of the game. It was an impressive overall performance and 49ers fans should be extremely happy about the commitment of this young man.
6’8 2019 Greg Gantt (Trinity Christian)
Within the past year, there were times Greg Gantt may have had an “off game” in terms of his point production, however one thing was always crystal clear, he never took a play off. You could always count on Gregg to play with grit, toughness, but most of all resiliency. In the game vs. Cox Mill, Trinity Christian trailed Cox Mill by nine points at half (44-35). Saddled with two early fouls and lack of offensive touches (Only went 1-2 from the floor), Gantt was a man on a mission midway through the third quarter and his inspired play rallied Trinity into a lead with little over about two minutes to go in the game. Unfortunately, the game went back and forth and in the end, Cox Mill was able to pull off the 81-78 win in what was the most exciting game of the day. That being said, Gantt finished with 18 points going 7-9 from the floor, 3-5 from the 3-point line, 1-1 from the free throw line. In addition, Gantt collected six rebounds, dished out three assists, blocked three shots and even had two steals. We were fortunate to watch Trinity Christian at our Phenom National High School Showcase along with the Hoops and Dreams Showcase, we continue to be impressed. We’re talking about an athletic, versatile, explosive player that makes plays on both ends of the court, however we absolutely love his passion, competitiveness, and never say quit attitude will make him a fan favorite at Providence from day one. One more thing, he’s a future All Big East prospect.
The Supporting Cast
The Cox Mill vs. Trinity Christian game was a classic. We had two talented teams that are well coached. While Caleb Stone-Carrawell (Cox Mill) and Greg Gantt (Trinity Christian) were each team’s best player in this particular game, it was a game that had many outstanding performances by members of each starting five. Let’s start off with the players from Cox Mill.
First of all, we can’t forget about the steady and reliable play of Duke signee Wendell Moore. We’re talking about one of the country’s best and most unselfish players you will find. The best part of about Wendell Moore, he allows his teammates to get their “shine,” and often has the ability to take over a game whenever he chooses. We’ve admired his selflessness over the years and he make plays when needed. Moore finished with 16 points going 7-18 from the floor, 0-4 from the 3-point line and 2-3 from the free throw line. He collected nine rebounds, but also had two big blocks.
6’2 senior Cody Cline and 5’11 senior Khalid Davis also deserve mention. Cline is a high academic player that does so many things that don’t often show up in the box score. He hustles, defends and plays with passion and purpose. Cline finished with 10 points going 4-9 from the floor, 2-2 from the free throw line, but dished out a team high five assists. Another high academic player, 5’11 Khalid Davis knocked down “daggers” when it mattered most. He finished with 15 points going 5-8 from the floor, 2-4 from the 3-point line, and 3-4 from the free throw. It was a big time win for Cox Mill and the defending NCHSAA 3A state champion will be poised for a repeat. They are very well coached and have all the ingredients for another title run.
DJ Horne and Talton Jones (Trinity Christian) both finished with 15 points apiece. Both guards play with tremendous effort, energy and enthusiasm on the court, not to mention emotion. They simply give you everything they have. Horne shot the ball extremely well and went 6-10 from the floor, 3-6 from the 3-point while his Jones went 6-11 from the floor and 3-3 from the free throw line. At the end, it was a well played, hard fought game.
6’2 2020 Tristan Maxwell (North Mecklenburg High School)
North Mecklenburg was one of the best teams in the NCHSAA 4A last year, they went undefeated before being upset by Rocky River in the sectional playoffs. They loss point guard Vaud Worthy (graduation) and 6’8 Louisville commit Jaelyn Withers (family move). Many pundits picked them to be somewhat down, but if Saturday’s 80-50 win over a very good Nation Ford team is any indication, opponents in the NCHSAA are now on notice. They are smaller than previous teams, but are deeper and quicker with their overall team play. Leading the pack for North Meck is scoring guard Tristan Maxwell. While he can be somewhat streaky at times, he has the ability to put up points in a hurry. Maxwell finished with a game high 28 points going 11-25 from the floor, 4-12 from the 3-point line, and 2-3 from the free throw line. He has gotten stronger and becoming a better all around two-way player.
6’4 2021 Chris Ford (North Mecklenburg High School)
Chris Ford is simply a walking double double and what’s even more impressive, he does it in such a quiet way. Ford brings a blue-collar workmanlike approach to every game and his game vs. Nation Ford was no exception. First of all, Ford is a high academic, high character young man that does all the little things that are necessary to win. Ford finished with 16 points going 6-11 from the floor and 4-7 from the free throw line. He addition, he collected 10 rebounds, dished out one assist and had one block. Simply stated, Ford is a high return player. He’s going to play within the team concept and will battle you tooth and nail on both ends of the court.
6’8 2019 Quinn Slazinski (Huntington Prep)
What’s not to like about a tough, gritty, blue-collar combo forward that gives you maximum effort. Simply stated, Slazinski plays with passion and purpose. He hustles both ends of the court, but the one thing he can do is put the ball in the basket. He has terrific size, strength, and a matching skill set. It’s not often you find a 6’8 forward that has such velvet touch from the perimeter. In the game vs. Aspire Academy, Slazinski had 16 points going 7-14 from the floor, 2-3 from the floor. In addition, Slazinski collected eight rebounds and dished out five assists.
6’3 2019 Cole Anthony (Oak Hill Academy)
For Cole Anthony, it’s the same song, same verse. Every game is the opposing team’s Super Bowl, every game is the opposing player’s chance and opportunity to make a name for themselves. Every game, Cole Anthony steps up and answers the challenge. That’s what top players do and each game Cole Anthony stamps his signature on his performance. Opposing teams, opposing players come at him hard. He doesn’t get many calls and as a matter of fact he gets very few. That being said, Cole Anthony quietly goes about his business. He just plays basketball. Rarely do you find a player that is so tuned in, so poise and so mature; but again you wouldn’t expect anything else from a Coach Steve Smith’s point guard. For the game, Anthony almost had a triple double in 22 minutes. Anthony finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds and dished out eight assists. For Cole Anthony, just another day on the basketball court!
6’4 2019 Chico Carter (Cardinal Newman)
While we had to leave the event due to the upcoming weather, we had to mention the performance of 6’4 Chico Carter. Carter finished with a tournament high 39 points going 13-22 from the floor, 3-10 from the 3-point line and 10-12 from the free throw line. We were fortunate to have Carter and his Cardinal Newman team at our Summer High School Jamboree this past June. In the three games at the event, Carter averaged over 33.5 PPG so this performance is quite impressive but not surprising. While we physically did not see this game, but his performance was well worth mentioning.