Hurricane Ian closed down the school systems in Cabarrus County and unfortunately we were unable to host the Hoop State Fall League-West Division at Cox Mill High School. That being said, our Phenom staff headed down to Raleigh to the Hoop State Fall League-East Division at the JD Lewis Center. While the two-court facility has 'tight quarters,' it's the perfect venue to host a high school fall league. With a list of great teams and great crowds, the atmosphere was simply electric this past Saturday. We featured part 1 yesterday. (See link) Now, let's take a closer look at part 2.
The Burlington School will be just fine
There's no question, coaching changes have a fluid moment on a team's roster. When Ryan Bernardi announced he was leaving The Burlington School to Prolific Prep, many people thought the program would be on a downturn. Fortunately, the school made a wise hire by grabbing the likes of George Marshall. Coach Marshall did a masterful job of developing Henderson Collegiate into a state power at the NCHSAA 1A level. Never one to shy away from the biggest stage, Marshall would play anyone, anywhere, all the development of his program and more importantly giving his players the best platform to showcase their abilities. Watching them this past weekend at the Hoop State Fall League, The Burlington School may not have as much talent as years past, but one thing is crystal clear, they will compete at a high level and may just be the surprise team in the state. The backcourt duo of Cam Flippin and Zion Walker will be one of the toughest defensive backcourts in the state. Both will be an extension of Coach Marshall's coaching philosophy of giving maximum effort 100% of the time. Look for The Burlington School to be back in the title hunt. The personnel may have changed, but the results will be the same.
Ma'kyi Butler flying under the radar, no more!
6'6 '24 Ma'kyi Butler averaged 22.5 points per game for Grace Christian Academy out of Sanford, North Carolina. In addition, Butler pulled down almost five rebounds per game. Pretty strong numbers for the versatile and productive forward. In their first weekend at the Hoop State Fall League, Butler did what he is accustomed to doing and that is scoring. In two games, Butler is leading the league in scoring with a 25.5 PPG clip. Not too shabby playing against absolutely terrific competition. At our Phenom Summer Havoc, Jeff Bendel wrote, 'Ma'kyi Butler is showing enticing flashes. He's a strong, mobile forward with plenty of well-rounded skillset. He is rebounding and defending 'bigs' effectively while finishing at a quality rate. Capable shooter and definitely one to monitor going forward.'
Micah Jones 'Paint touch PG'
Standing only 5'11, Micah Jones negates his size with superb speed and quickness. The 'jet quick' floor general was getting it done on the court once again. Colby Lewis stated, 'Micah Jones is an automatic paint touch. Does a great job of getting into the paint, collapsing the defense and finding the open man.' Jeff Bendel stated, ' Micah Jones is so quick, tough, and poised. Touching the paint whenever he want, finishing and setting up others. Making correct reads with unwavering consistency.' Look for Jones to the floor general in leading Holly Springs to their NCHSAA 4A title hunt.
JD Lewis Center is a hit
To say the JD Lewis Center may just be a tad 'tight,' may just be one of the understatements of the year. That being said, with a standing room only crowd, the atmosphere was off the charts this past weekend. When you have great teams, a well-organized event, and a historic venue like JD Lewis Center, he's a win win for everyone. With the unbelievable talent on the floor, fans were right on top of things and felt part of the action.