On Saturday, Phenom Hoops is hosting our annual Carmel Christian MLK Showcase in Matthews, North Carolina. The schedule is set to feature six games of competitive battles, as public-school teams will face private-school opponents. Given all the open discussion surrounding the 'who's who' of North Carolina basketball, this event should be a strong indicator of what teams are beginning to hit their stride. Now, we'll go game by game through the upcoming schedule and preview some players and/or storylines we are monitoring. Looking at the second contest of the event, we have Asheville School versus Rocky River…
Given everything we saw last season, it should come as no surprise to see Asheville School right back in the mix as one of the top teams in the state. Although they lost a few key pieces, Derin Saran has continued to perform at an extremely impressive level and is effortlessly leading the charge for the Blues. The true point guard is averaging nearly 20 PPG while still clearly making others better on the court. That being said, Kaden Holbrook has maintained his status as a knockdown shooter, Michael Mora does a variety of useful things as a strong wing, and Ryan Soulis has emerged as a useful player and intriguing prospect in North Carolina's Class of 2024. Despite suffering their third loss of the season last night, the Blues should be poised for a highly entertaining contest.
On the other side, Rocky River is a tough, gritty squad that epitomizes what it means to be a public-school program. The senior grouping of Shamari Johnson, Henry Price, and Emannuel Toress do a lot for this squad, but Jaden Lyles is clearly the undisputed leader. Lyles excels as a strong, rugged downhill guard who can consistently apply pressure as a finisher or pull-up shooter. He's a capable playmaker, reliable defender, and useful overall player who has made visible strides on both ends of the floor. Coach Donald Kirby has done a lot to make this program competitive once again, so it'll be exciting to see how they approach their upcoming battle against one of the better teams in the state.