Phenom Hoops HS Jamboree held at Proehlific Park in Greensboro had plenty of top notch performances these are some of the ones we observed from players in the 2018 class on the day:
Greyson Collins 6'1' CG Caldwell Academy (Greensboro, NC)
Over the many years we've scouted hundreds of guys like Collins who get ignored by D-1 schools because they're looking for the primo athlete who never works out because he has no work ethic or he can't shoot etc. while players like Collins wind up at D-II schools and have very good careers before moving on to Pro ball overseas or begin life in the business world totally satisfied with how things turned out. For this young man this scenario may well play out exactly that way but we were definitely impressed with his performance against Piedmont Classical in a one sided loss. He totaled 26pts with 6 treys and played hard till the final horn showing a fine floor game with a cerebral IQ and nice floor vision mixed with a tight handle and his stroke was impeccable as each attempt looked good as soon as it left his hand. Defensively he used his smarts to get good position and come up with a couple steals and forced turnovers. All said with a few outings like this when the real season starts perhaps Collins can pen a different ending to his story.
Adrian Delph 6'3' SG Kings Mountain, (NC) HS (Appalachian St)
In the best individual matchup of the day Delph went up against Carlisle School's BJ Fitzgerald and while his team came up short the mano a mano contest between these two was worth the price of admission (more on Fitzgerald later). Delph put up 22pts with 4 treys and showed his savvy and toughness throughout the excruciating two point loss. He has a college ready body and his strength showed through on his forays to the basket as he couldn't be stopped going to the hole and his stroke from the arc was pure and measured. His passing game was impressive too as he made several sweet dishes past out of position defenders for quick strike layups. Defensively his strong body kept opponents off balance including Fitzgerald and his quick hands led to several steals or deflections leading to some fast break buckets. App State is getting a fine basketball player who should be an early contributor in his college career.
Stephen Edoka 6'5' SF Concord, (NC) First Assembly Academy
On our first viewing Edoka our initial thought was truck rolling down a hill with no brakes. He goes hard fast and aggressive with no let up and the more we saw of him the more we like his all out no frills game. In game 1 of the two we watched he put up 18pts most of which came in the paint on power moves to the hole or 8-10 foot jumpers against a very solid Greensboro Day squad in a 77-58 loss. He battled for rebounds and loose balls and played aggressive defense never letting up until the final buzzer. In game 2 he showed a new facet to his repertoire we didn't see in the first game as he put up 24 points but nailed 4-5 treys in the contest while continuing his relentless play until he was removed from action with his team trailing big in an eventual 65-56 loss to the Christ School. Edoka certainly opened some eyes with his play here and we love to see a guy leave it all on the floor when he shows up to play.
BJ Fitzgerald 6'6' SG Carlisle School (Martinsville, VA)
Some players are hard wired to score and that would seem to describe this young man to a tee as in his first contest on the day he put up 40 plus points. We of course were watching a different game as we planned to catch his matchup with Adrian Delph and as we mentioned before it was worth it. Fitzgerald gave as well as he got against Delph with 21pts to go with 6asts and his defense at times gave Delph fits. Overall he showed a more well rounded and nuanced game than we were led to believe. He played with fire and talked some trash and showed real emotion and determination to come away with the W by a score of 58-56 while heaping praise on his Carlisle teammates for their hard work. His balanced game was impressive and his play vs. Delph clearly lead me to believe that he has a D-1 future ahead of him despite the fact that not one D-1 program had yet to offer. After his play here I think that's about to change.
John Newman 6'6' SG Greensboro (NC) Day School (Clemson)
After a solid performance in his first game of the day Newman came back vs. Concord First Assembly with an even better outing. The Clemson commit put up 23pts with 3 treys along with a half dozen rebounds and a stellar open court defensive outing causing numerous turnovers while garnering at least 4stls in the process. As time has moved on in his career at Greensboro Day Newman has transformed himself from high flying athlete to a more diverse basketball player incorporating his acrobatic forays to the hoop with solid drives and pull up jumpers all the way to the arc. His handle has gotten tighter and most impressively he can pass the ball with great touch and pin point accuracy for baskets. Most players start out as one trick ponies but if you plan on earning a coveted D-1 scholarship it helps to adapt your game by becoming more versatile and for John Newman the results are quite favorable.
Jordan Roberson 6'1' SG High Point, (NC) Christian Academy
When first we saw Roberson we looked at a guy who liked to shoot the ball whether the results were there or not. Fast forward to the Jamboree and lo and behold Roberson still likes to shoot it but now the shots are coming in the flow of the game with smoother mechanics along with a lot more accuracy. His ballhandling has improved as well and while his forte seems to be to shoot off the catch in the two games we viewed he hit a few each game off the bounce. In a 5 point win over Bertie HS he put up 17pts 5 treys and came up with a huge deflection leading to a turnover in the final 40 seconds. In game 2 an 11 point victory over NW Guilford HS Roberson hit for 22pts with 4 treys while again displaying some improved defensive tendencies. While he may never be confused with the PG role he can pass the ball with some touch thus keeping opponents somewhat off guard. However his skillset appears to be geared toward scoring the ball and as he showed here he does that very well.
Kody Shubert 5'11' CG Lincoln Charter School (Denver, NC) (Presbyterian)
As some guy named Shakespeare once said 'to be a PG or not to be a PG' or something to that effect. Well that may sum up Shubert's game in a nutshell. He gets from end to end with relative ease and mostly it seems without a plan but more often than not he makes something happen in good way of course. He can drop dimes with the best of them setting up his teammates with solid dishes or crazy seat of the pants passes that would drive most coaches batty. He also can score the ball with a picture perfect perimeter jumper or a penetrating scoop layup which also may upset a coach. The thing is we like a player who plays with panache and who lays it on the line to make a play if it looks to make sense. This young man is a winner who plays to win no question and Presbyterian is going to love his enthusiasm for the game. In game 1 of two that I observed he had 20pts 4 treys and at least 5 assists and in game 2 he dropped 23pts with 5 treys and 4asts in a pair of wins. Despite some turnovers which result from his desire to make plays we think Shakespeare would agree with me that this youngster is a PG to be albeit one who can also score it to.
We did make some notes on some other Seniors that impressed us, and will put that out in a separate article…
