Hoop State Unsigned Seniors: Stock on the Rise
The state of North Carolina has a wealth of talent. The 2019 class is extremely deep. 38 prospects have already committed or signed with D1 schools while eight have committed or signed with D2 schools. Like every year, there is a tremendous amount of unsigned seniors going into new calendar year and this year is no exception. The month of December allowed us the opportunity to watch teams multiple times and today we will look at some of the hottest unsigned prospects in the Hoop State. Please remember these are players we have seen in person multiple times. There are others like 6’0 John Michael Wright (Fayetteville Academy) and Elbert Ellis (Quality Education) that has enjoyed a banner month on the court, but unfortunately we were unable to see them. Now, let’s take a closer look at Coach Rick’s “Unsigned senior stock on the rise.”
6’3 Caleb Burgess (Moravian Prep)
We have seen Caleb Burgess countless times since the start of the season. We first watched him at open gym and then immediately at the Carmel Christian Tip Off Classic where Moravian Prep nearly pulled off the upset of the year before losing to Oak Hill Academy in overtime. While Moravian Prep came up “a tad short,” Burgess more than held his own against Cole Anthony, who many think is the number one point guard and player in the country. In the upset win over Huntington Prep, coach Antonio Lowe stated, “Burgess finished with a great all around game. He scored 19 points going 2-3 from the 3-point line,, dished out seven assists, collected seven rebounds and even had four steals.” Burgess recently picked up an offer from St. Bonaventure.
6’2 Cody Cline (Cox Mill)
We had stated repeatedly that Cody Cline is the “X factor” for back-to-back NCISAA 3A champions Cox Mill. While Wendell Moore (Duke) and Caleb Stone-Carrawell (Charlotte) has garnished the majority of media attention and rightfully so, 6-2 Cody Cline has continued to fly under the D1 radar. That is changing, but still not quick enough in our opinion. We’re talking about a highly skilled point guard that has a unique blend of athleticism and knowledge of the game. Cline is a low risk, high return player. He is constantly making the right play on both ends of the court. He runs the team efficiently and has a terrific assist to turnover ratio (4:1) Cline also takes tremendous pride in playin hard on both ends of the court.
6’1 Shykeim Phillips (South Central)
South Central lost in the championship game against nationally ranked Ranney school in the John Wall Holiday Invitational. There’s an old saying, “if you play equal or above D1 talent, that should be a telling sign that you too are a D1 talent.” That is just the case for Shykeim Phillips. In the two games we watched at the John Wall, Phillips put together a blue-collar workmanlike game. On opening night, Phillips finished with a game high 20 points going an efficient 7-10 from the floor and 6-8 from the free throw line. In the semifinals, Phillips chipped in 16 points going 7-14 from the floor and 2-2 from the free throw line. With Phillips, we’re talking about a strong, versatile and athletic guard that does a little bit of everything well. He can handle, pass, and shoot, not to mention he plays a strong defensive game; he will rebound his position and has great anticipation that allows him to get multiple steals each and every game.
6’2 Travion McCray (Village Christian)
Simply put, Travion McCray is a big time competitor. He’s athletic, bouncy and can flat out play both ends of the court. Every game, you can count on effort and energy. He will bring intensity and tenacity on defense and can score from all three levels on the offensive of the ball. McCray easily sets the tone. He has the ability to create his own shot off the dribble/bounce with his explosive first step. We been impressed with his poise and leadership on the court.
6’11 Derrick Quansah (Village Christian)
What you currently see is not the finished product. You see, Derrick Quansah has only been playing the game for a very short period of time. He is still somewhat raw offensively, but one thing is for certain, he has the length, athleticism, bounce and explosiveness that will be cherished at the collegiate level. While is defensive game is further developed especially where he can rely on his natural athletic instincts, Quansah is definitely a player that has tremendous upside and potential. As the old saying goes, you can’t teach length, wingspan and athleticism, and Quansah has exactly that.
If you missed out on our Palmetto Unsigned Seniors “Stock on the Rise” be sure to click and read https://www.phenomhoopreport.com/palmetto-state-unsigned-seniors-stock-on-the-rise/