Coach Rick’s Fab 5: Battle at the Rock Day 2
The action on Friday at the inaugural Battle at the Rock was outstanding. Be sure to check out the standouts from day 1 https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/2018/12/01/coach-ricks-fab-5-battle-at-the-rock-day-1/
Also, be sure to check out Coach Rick’s Battle at the Rock Stock Risers https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/2018/12/02/battle-at-the-rock-stock-risers/
The Real MVP
What can we say, the response to the inaugural Battle at the Rock was absolutely outstanding. On Saturday night, the event was officially sold out with capacity reaching approximately 2000 in attendance. The partnership with Visit York County was nothing short of amazing. Working with Andy Clinton and Billy Dunlap, Visit York County and Phenom Hoop Report put together a professional high school event that was even trending number one on social media throughout the day. With local, regional and national powerhouse programs like Oak Hill Academy and IMG Academy, the fans were treated to some high level basketball.
Allen Iverson in attendance
Even one of the greatest basketball players of all time decided to stop by. Not often, does an inaugural event have the star power that was on display at Nation Ford High School in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
6’8 2020 Jaden Seymour (Northside Christian Academy)
Sporting ACC offers from NC State and Virginia Tech, look for that to grow sooner rather than later. Assistant coach Steve Smith (Clemson) and Jeff Capel (Pitt) were both in attendance and gave both reasons for an upcoming offer. We’re talking about a long, athletic wing that has made tremendous strides in his overall perimeter game. Always known for being one of the more dynamic down hill players, Seymour has matured as a player and has really diversified his game. In the win over a very strong and local Rock Hill team, Seymour had a game high 20 points going 8-15 from the floor, 1-2 from the 3-point line, 3-6 from the free throw line. In addition, Seymour collected 11 rebounds, dished out three assists, blocked two shots and even had two steals. To put it mildly, it was another outstanding performance for this talented young wing.
6’8 2020 MJ Wildy (Rock Hill High School)
We’ve had the pleasure of watching MJ Wildy on several occasions and especially at the prestigious SC Top 80 camp. First of all, we’re talking about a young prospect that is simply oozing with upside and potential. He has excellent length, is quick off his feet and has tremendous bounce. Already early in the basketball season, Wildy has garnished offers from Tulane and Western Carolina. In addition, head coach Pat Kelsey (Winthrop) was in attendance and it didn’t take him long to extend a scholarship offer as well. In the game vs. Northside Christian, Wildy enjoyed a double double of 20 points and 12 rebounds. He went 6-14 from the floor, , 3-8 from the 3-point line, and hit an efficient 5-6 from the free throw line.
6’5 2020 Jamarhi Harvey (Northwood Temple)
At the Hoops and Dreams Showcase, Jamarhi Harvey seemed to put it all together. The next step is to do it with consistency and he is growing as a player. At the Battle of the Rock vs. local powerhouse Northwestern, Harvey had one of the more efficient offensive outings in quite some time. Harvey finished with 22 points going 10-14 from the floor and 2-4 from the free throw line. In addition, he collected four rebounds, dished out one assist and had two steals.
6’5 2019 Shaman Alston (Nation Ford High School
The “do it all” wing guard was simply sensation in the game vs. Porter Gaud. He’s active and aggressive on both ends of the court and plays with passion and purpose. In the win over Porter Gaud, Alston had a game high 24 points going 9-11 from the floor, 6-6 from the free throw line, not to mention dishing out three assists, corralling three rebounds and having four steals. Overall, it was an outstanding performance and we expect his recruitment to accelerate as the season progresses. One thing is crystal clear, Alston will give you effort and his energy on the court is contagious.
6’9 2020 PJ Hall (Dorman High School)
We were looking forward to the match up between 6’9 PJ Hall and Oak Hill’s Kofi Cockburn. Unfortunately, Hall was sidelined with an ankle injury and was unable to play. Now, you’re thinking, “how can a player who didn’t play” make Coach Rick’s Fab Five for Day 2. Simple, we were impressed with Hall’s enthusiasm, vocal leadership, and gave positive encouragement to his teammates each and every possession. It was refreshing to see a young man be such a great teammate. While Hall was unable to play, his contributions from the bench was priceless and this alone is what is being part of a team means. For PJ Hall, he simply gets it. It’s all about the team.