Jamie’s List of Five
Carmel Christian Tip Off Classic
It was a pretty spectacular two days. The crowd was incredible, thanks to the fans of Charlotte, North Carolina for showing out. The play on the court warranted a raucous crowd, as the big time players made big time play after big time play.
Here is who we saw as the event’s top performers…
6’5” 2019 Josh Nickelberry (Louisville)
Northwood Temple (Fayetteville, NC)
Nickelberry proved to be among the premier scorers in the region, if not the country. He has a great handle to go with impeccable footwork to get him to his spots. Nickelberry showed deft touch with the ability to get to his spots. Nickelberry scored 75 points over the two game stretch, including 44 on Saturday. He was efficient and he showed a killer mentality. An incredibly impressive performance.
6’4” 2019 Idrissa Bivens
Liberty Heights (Charlotte, NC)
Bivens is new to North Carolina, coming from New York by way of Florida. It didn’t take long for him to announce himself as one of the most efficient scorers in the area. During his game Saturday he finished with 21 points, going 6-8 from the field. He has good length, a crafty handle and deft touch. The claimed Ole Miss offer makes sense, but rest assured he will soon become one of the most sought after unsigned seniors in North Carolina.
6’3” 2019 Caleb Burgess
Moravian Prep (Hickory, NC)
Burgess announced himself loudly on the national stage. The jet-fast, uber competitive point guard played fearlessly and productively against #2 ranked Oak Hill. During crunch time, every time his team needed something, Burgess made a play. He shot the ball well at each level and could not be kept out of the paint. He has an NC A&T offer, but expect that list to grow exponentially, he’s got incredible tools.
6’4” 2019 Donovan Gregory (Appalachian State)
Carmel Christian (Charlotte, NC)
Gregory was with the home team school and absolutely fed off the energy of the crowd. There is not a player in this region who turns defense into offense quicker than Gregory. He is explosive and lengthy and plays with incredible anticipation. Gregory has improved his perimeter handle and lives at the free throw line with his aggressive nature. He is a unique player and impossible to guard at this level. He is also an absolute highlight reel, with his quick twitch leaping ability.
6’3” 2019 Cole Anthony
Oak Hill Academy (Mouth of Wilson, VA)
Anthony showed why he is the top prospect in basketball, and it goes much further than his basketball skill set. He is an incredible leader. During the dunk contest, Anthony was in the middle of the floor, pumping up the crowd cheering on his teammate. At the end of the game, down 4 with 2 minutes to play, he looked calmly at each of his teammates eyes and said, “give me the ball and say calm. We got this.” It was uncanny how 4 and 5-stars look to him, trust him and listen to him. Then you got the skill set. Deep range with great touch, ball on a string handle, excellent change of pace to pair with a jet-quick first step and then there is that 40”+ vertical. He’s got the entire package.