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 fifth contest of the event, we have Chambers versus Greensboro Day…
After opening their season with two consecutive losses, Chambers has been quietly making noise as one of the best teams within the public-school ranks. Since the opening week, the Cougars have gone 12-2 with their only defeats coming against Cannon and North Mecklenburg. They’ve found consistency behind their senior leader in Nick Dorn, but also have a ton of talent throughout the roster. Maurio Hanson is a very reliable two-way big man who can finish, rebound, space the floor, and anchor the paint defensively. Jordan Patton adds a bouncy, versatile wing/forward presence and poses a threat to make a strong impact within the flow of the action. Marcus and Jahmir Brown are both tough, rugged, team-oriented guards who can change the game with their defensive presence and ability to make hustle plays. While that group will likely be their primary lineup, guys like Jacoby Jackson, Tarris Bouie, and Malik McCotter also provide useful minutes. Jackson is a nice shooter with a strong frame, Bouie is an intriguing, high-upside freshman, and McCotter is a young, scrappy floor general. The Cougars load of talent will be difficult for the majority of teams to overcome.
On the other side, it’s just business as usual for Coach Freddy Johnson and Greensboro Day School. They’ve become somewhat of a dynasty under his reign and still continue to find success over 45 years later. However, the Bengals’ current roster is fairly different from years past. Jaydon Young (Virginia Tech) is their clear leader and focal point, but guys like Julius Reese, Jordan Moody, and Reid Carrier (Sewanee) all provide major minutes as veteran pieces. Guys like Will Otto and Joseph Bachman have also been huge pieces as newer additions to the Bengals. Otto is capable of running a team and applying scoring pressure in a variety of ways while Bachman offers a solid interior presence with the ability to make an impact as an active finisher, defender, and rebounder. Addison Newkirk does a lot of little things to contribute to winning. They also have a slew of freshmen who will be worth monitoring. Although Greensboro Day has suffered a few losses, they’ve come against legitimate opponents (Cannon, Concord Academy, John Marshall), so it’ll be exciting to see this matchup go down on Saturday.
