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 fourth contest of the event, we have Cannon versus East Mecklenburg…
Despite suffering losses in their last two contests, East Meck has quietly made noise as one of the better squads in Mecklenburg County over the last few months. Last season marked their best year across the last decade, and this current group looks likely to be even better. It all starts with the 20+ PPG duo of Jordon Nevill and Jonah Lawrence. Though somewhat unassuming at first glance, Nevill is an incredibly exciting player who can effortlessly fill it up offensively. His per-game numbers of 22.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.6 APG, and 2.5 SPG (with ridiculous 48/49/81 shooting splits) speak for themselves. He's hitting an unbelievably high percentage of three-pointers on a massive volume. Add in Lawrence's averages of 21.5 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 1.3 SPG (with 49/39/74 shooting splits) and it's easy to see why this group has been so effective. Guys like Thomas White and Ahmari Hicks also play vital roles for this group.
On the other side, everyone should be well-informed about Cannon and the excitement they bring on a game-to-game basis. Isaiah Henry has taken another clear step towards stardom, Sean Birmingham is trending upward at a rapid rate, and Austin Swartz is one of the top players in the country. That trio alone is able to completely dominate games. However, Jaylen Claggett also provides meaningful minutes while Mac Titus is an x-factor with his scrappy nature and willingness to do the dirty work. The Cougars also deploy a variety of useful guys off the bench who understand how to produce within their role. Their freshmen are even capable of providing quality minutes as needed. Between Coach Che Roth and their on-court personnel, Cannon continues to stand out as a title contender and nightmare opponent for everyone on their schedule.