It’s been another excellent event at Phenom Hoops! We had well over 200 different coaches come through over the course of a day and a half watching some of the top up and coming prospects in the region/country. Here is the five that grabbed my attention!
Honorable Mention:
6’5 2019 Trey Cousin: Mid-State Magic/Washington Prep
Trey Cousin can get so hot you worry about the gym burning down at times it’s actually crazy. He suffered a major knee injury over a year ago and although he’s been back on the court for a few months now, he’s still working himself back physically and it’s clear he’s taken major strides in the way he’s attacking the rack and creating space for himself offensively. Cousin averaged well over 25 PPG over the course of the 2 day event and did it in a really efficient fashion, more efficient than I’ve seen him do it before over the course of multiple games.
Cousin is NO DOUBT in my mind a scholarship player, having a 2 guard that can take a game over from beyond the arc is an asset to any team, as he gains back that explosiveness and agility from that knee injury, expect his stock to rise significantly. He showed major strides this weekend and really impressed myself and many others.
Honorable Mention:
5’10 Bryson Childress: Team Denver/North Stanly
Childress is as magnetic a player I’ve seen in the 6+ months I’ve been working for Phenom Hoop Report and you only need to watch him once to see why. He’s an incredibly shifty point guard that can shoot the lights out from waaayyy beyond the arc, along with being more than just a pesky defender on the other end. He has a serious edge to his game, engaging in a little extra curricular activities with Jeff McGinnis during the Team Charlotte matchup and he didn’t back down one bit. Upon coming down the court and hitting his 4th 3 of the half, Childress said “That’s four of em coach… I need you to keep track cause I’m losing it a little bit.”
That kind of electricity from a little guard like that just brought an ear to ear smile to my face and made me love him even more. I fully expect Childress to come into a D2 program and immediately have a major impact on the culture of the program. Unfortunately he might be a little too small to play D1 ball, but nothing would make me happier than a coach to take a chance on him and if they do I have no doubt he’ll find a way to make a major contribution.
5.
6’3 2019 Deangelo Elliot: Mooresville Magic
Elliot is an elite slashing lead guard that plays with an unparalleled level of intensity on both ends of the court. I simply love his mindset when he’s attacking the rack, getting to the line, and making opposing teams pay with his presence on the court. He gets after it on the defensive end too, capable of guarding the 1-3 making him incredibly versatile backcourt stopper. Put him on the best scorer in the oppositions backcourt and he’s probably going to have a rough day.
I expect Elliot’s recruitment to pick up in a major way, he is really starting to show flashes of those translatable skills that scholarship coaches are looking for. I would be really surprised if he didn’t have a lot of opportunities for his college choice in the next six months or so. He’s another one of those kids you just love to root for.
4.
6’4 2019 Myles Pierre: Team CLT/Carmel Christian School
Pierre continues and continues to show that he’s a bonafide D1 talent with his ability to initiate offense at 6’4, knock down shots, and just consistently make the right play for his squad. He received a Catawba offer last night which is awesome, but I’d be shocked if D1s didn’t come pouncing soon. His intangibles are off the charts too, playing for Coach Dinkins and Coach McGinnis over the course of his HS/AAU career, there’s no doubt he’s incredibly coachable and THAT is something that translates to the next level 100% of the time.
Pierre will lead the way with Donovan Gregory and Marten Maide at Carmel Christian on what should be another state championship type of season for that talented group. I’d be really surprised if he didn’t pick up a D1 offer in the next couple of weeks. LM-MM NEED in need of a true combo guard that is capable of running offense should definitely watch him while they can the rest of July.
3.
6’0 2019 Dakari Johnson: NC Red Storm/Washington Prep
Johnson is another one of those PG’s that can absolutely light it up from deep and he showed it in his battle with Caleb Mills (Stay Tuned…) in the first game of the event on court one. He had a really successful high school career from Northwood Temple all the way until Hoke County in his senior year. He is more than capable of running a team as a true PG, possessing excellent vision and feel for the game. He is capable of playing off the ball if you need him to, due to that sweet jump shot off the catch or dribble.
I 100% believe that Johnson is a D1 level floor general, he’s a better shooter than most point guards at his level by a pretty wide margin and his calmness when running a team is incredibly translatable to the next level. He never gets phased regardless of the competition which his how you need your PG to be at the next level.
2.
6’5 2020 Ricky Council IV: Team Felton 17U/Northern Durham
Slick Rick as my boy Chris Sause likes to call him was the best I’ve ever seen him this weekend in his new digs with a really talented Team Felton squad. They’re working in a lot of new pieces and a few have them have struggled to adjust, but Ricky actually looked like the best player on the court in both games I saw his squad. He’s one of the best athletes in the state of North Carolina and now that he’s a LEGIT KNOCK DOWN SHOOTER he has to be considered a HM+ wing. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective whatsoever. His catch and shoot is like the ATM, straight cash, and if he gets out on the break it’s going to end up on your head.
Council got his first offer from Rice last week and he looks to be trending in the right direction as a prospect. With the way he’s played this weekend, I expect a major blow up from Council from the recruiting aspect. To think that he’s a true 2020 (No Reclass) and he’s still having a MAJOR impact playing against the best 17U kids in the region is remarkable. I cannot wait to see how he continues to improve his game because if he does we’ll be talking about him as a bonafide top 100 prospect and I’m dead serious.
1.
6’4 2019 Caleb Mills: PSB Frazier/Asheville Christian
Here is our annual #HoopState July blow up guy and my goodness it is incredible watching him do his thing first hand with over 100 coaches watching him each time he steps on the court. Mills is one of the smoothest scorers I’ve ever seen at this level. He creates his own shot effortlessly and at the end of the game he finishes with 30 points without breaking a sweat leaving everyone in attendance with this strange look on their face. He’s gotten around 20 offers in the last 10 days or so and it’s really easy to see why. He’s a tweener for all of the right reasons due to the versatility that he brings being able to play off the ball or on it.
Nothing is forced with Mills, he’s a volume scorer but he does it in a super efficient fashion, whatever school that gets him is so incredibly lucky due to that skillset and presence of mind. He’s never in a hurry, taking his time, picking his spots, but still so incredibly dominant, leaving you with your jaw dropped a handful of times every game he plays. I covered Mills in my first Phenom event and I called him a poor man’s Coby White and people called me crazy, now it’s looking like I undersold him a little bit. If you have a chance to go watch him at some point the rest of the month or in the High School Season with Asheville Christian, don’t think twice, go, you won’t regret it one bit.