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Commitment Alert: 2022 AJ Smith calls The Citadel his next home
Each and every time Phenom Hoop Report gets to report or sees a commitment from a player we have seen over the years, it is always a fantastic day. It is great to see players achieve their goal to play at the next level and it is such a great accomplishment for that player. Here is the latest commitment. Player: AJ SmithClass: 2022Committed to: The Citadel What Was Said by Phenom Hoops:...
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HIGHLIGHTS: 2022 AJ Smith is a BULLY at the Rim! Senior Year Highlights!
2022 AJ Smith has produced over and over throughout his high school career. He finished off his senior season in style with Combine Academy as well, winning a state title. Check out his full senior season highlights from Phenom Hoops.
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Top Available Unsigned Wings in North Carolina
6’4 AJ Smith (Combine Academy) While he’s probably more of a guard, AJ Smith’s versatility allows him to be labeled as a wing whenever necessary. He’s strong, physical, and well-rounded with the ability to thrive as a role player or expand his production as needed. Smith is an exceptional defender with the blend of size, athleticism, and overall instincts to comfortably contain three positions...
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HIGHLIGHTS: Word of God vs Combine Goes DOWN TO THE WIRE at 2021 John Wall Holiday Invitational!
Combine Academy and Word of God faced off in a semi-final matchup at the John Wall Holiday Invitational. With a back and forth game between the two teams, Word of God eventually came away victorious narrowly edging the Goats to advance to the championship game of the TJ Warren bracket.
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Ten of the Top Unsigned Seniors in North Carolina
Given the shift into the new calendar year, this period always serves as a meaningful time for prospects and college coaches alike. On one hand, these high school seniors have already gotten somewhat of a feel for how their recruitment is going to unfold during the second half of the season. Most kids are still in the process of fielding offers and accumulating opportunities while college...
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Phenom Hoops’ 2022 Top 12 Rankings
Phenom Hoops is gearing up to release their entire rankings for the classes of 2022, 2023, and 2024 very soon but we wanted to give everyone a sneak preview of the Top 12 players for each class. We look first at the loaded and very talented Class of 2022, as we give you an early look at some of the top players in North Carolina.
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Wednesday Standouts from The John Wall, Part 2
Game 5The Burlington School vs. Archbishop Spalding In their second round matchup of the Devonte Graham Bracket, defending NCISAA 2A State Champions The Burlington School (TBS) took on Maryland’s Archbishop Spalding. TBS struck first and held a nine point halftime lead behind the play of Kheni Briggs, Michael Nwoko and Avion Pinner. However, Spalding made their run in the third quarter as Jordan...
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Player Standouts at Day Two of Tyler Lewis Hoopfest
6’9 ’24 Isaiah Sutherland (Quality Education) Few players across the entire state of North Carolina possess as much upside as Sutherland, and he’s clearly beginning to tap into his potential. He’s long, athletic, and extremely fluid, especially for his size, and offers a quality blend of inside-out ability. Sutherland finishes well, shoots the ball at a respectable clip from the perimeter, and...
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POB’s Eye Catchers from #TylerLewisHoopfest (Day 1, Part 1)
2022 Christ Essandoko (WS Christian): Essandoko had a strong showing, ultimately finishing with a double-double for WS Christian. He played strong and physical, was active down in the paint, and showcased his touch around the basket and ability to finish. Also liked his activity level on the boards, as well as getting his opponent Somto in foul trouble. The big man played really well and was a...
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Overtime Elite Prep Challenge (Monday Games)
If you missed the news, the three programs from Overtime headed to North Carolina Monday and Tuesday, to take on some of the premier programs in North Carolina (Liberty Heights, Winston-Salem Christian, and Combine Academy). Phenom Hoops was on deck Monday afternoon for all the action.
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Top Available Prospects in North Carolina’s Class of 2022
Upon concluding the travel ball season, dozens of prospects look to enter the final stage of the recruiting process and ultimately start making their college decision about where to further their journey. While the Class of 2022 is seeing some restoration of normalcy, they are still suffering a lot of unwarranted consequences as a direct result of covid. About twenty prospects in North Carolina...
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Combine Academy Post Grad
Phenom Hoops started to hit the road on Wednesday, as we started off our open gym tour at Combine Academy, getting a chance to look at all their teams. The first up on the afternoon was the post-grad team, one that has an array of talents that can play at the next level and should have the attention of many; a very talented group.
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Phenom Open Gym Tour: Combine Academy National
Combine Academy comes in once again as one of the top teams, not only in the state but in the country, and it is easy to see why. The depth is all there, the talent is all there, and the coaching staff is there for this program to make a TON of noise. We said last year after the open gym that this program looked like a Top-10 team coming in and they finished that way. Now, they look even DEEPER...
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INTERVIEW: 2022 AJ Smith with a Recruitment Update + AAU LIVE Period Coming Up + This Upcoming SZN!
Patrick O'Brien with Phenom Hoops sits down with 2022 AJ Smith from Combine Academy and Team Charlotte to discuss all he has learned and developed in his game, his excitement around the LIVE Period, and an update on his recruitment. Which schools have been coming on strong, recent offers, and new interests.
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POB’s Standouts from Champion Showcase (Day 1)
2022 Bryce Alfino (Team Charlotte): On a team that is loaded with next-level talent, Alfino grabbed our attention with his impact on both sides of the court. Defensively, he gets after it and creates a lot of havoc for opponents. Alfino is in your face, scrappy, and has tremendous timing in creating steals. Offensively, he showcased a smooth, confident shot from behind the arc as well. 2022...
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Division I talent everywhere you look for Team Charlotte 2022
It is an easy statement to make but one that you can say almost every year… Team Charlotte 17u is absolutely LOADED with talent that will have college coaches flocking their way. Phenom Hoops got a chance to watch them start the travel ball season at the Queen City Showcase. This is a team coached by Derius McInnis, who has done an outstanding job with this group over the years. When...
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HIGHLIGHTS: Robert Dillingham Drops 32 in CHAMPIONSHIP GAME! Combine Academy vs Liberty Heights!
Liberty Heights and Combine Academy matched up for the HoopState Championship in Rock Hill. Check out all the highlights from the showdown.
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Phenom HoopState Championship: Bull City National vs. Combine Academy
Last game of the night, as Combine Academy and Bull City National brought us a rematch for a chance to compete for a championship. In the first matchup, it was an absolute slugfest, with Combine grabbing the narrow win. Now these two met again and it brought the same energy level. Combine was able to gain the edge after the first quarter, as they looked focused and ready to compete. 2022 AJ...
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POB’s Eye Catchers (Day 1, HoopState Championship) Part 3
2022 Elijah Jamison (Liberty Heights): The growth that Jamison has made in showing that he can be a complete point guard. He continues to do an impressive job in staying aggressive and getting into the paint but also scoring the ball with good, high quality shots. Plays incredibly strong with the ball and finishes well with his body. 2021 Isaac Farah (Liberty Heights): Really do...
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2022 AJ Smith finding his groove at Combine Academy
Combine Academy has continued their winning ways this season, much like they did last year, and now are in the national spotlight. But there shouldn’t any surprise with a roster loaded with Division I talent on the court. One of those guys has been 2022 6’5 AJ Smith, a new name to the program but a familiar one around the state of North Carolina. Coming from Hickory Grove, the prolific...
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Combine Academy vs Lake Norman Christian
In the game that everyone has been eagerly anticipating all year, Lake Norman Christian traveled to Lincolnton to take on Combine Academy on Tuesday night. With two of the top rated sophomores in the nation, the basketball community wanted to see Mikey Williams vs Robert Dillingham. While these two young prospects were the headline, each team was filled with several talented players and coaches...
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Combine Academy vs The Burlington School: Game Recap
On Saturday afternoon, Phenom Hoops traveled to Lincolnton to watch Combine Academy take on The Burlington School. TBS was facing a nationally ranked Combine Academy for their second game in two days after getting a close road win Friday night at South Granville. The first half was a defensive battle. Both teams were doing a really good job of pressuring the ball and forcing turnovers. Robert...
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INTERVIEW: 2022 AJ Smith on Making the Move to Combine + Learning the PG Spot from a Former PRO!
Tyler Lewis sits down with 2022 AJ Smith to discuss how it has been at Combine Academy, learning from a pro, and developiing his game.
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Word of God Takes Down Combine Academy
In a matchup of two of the top teams in the state, Combine Academy travelled to Raleigh to take on Word of God. The anticipation and hype surrounding this game was real. Combine won the first meeting by four points on November 20th at Combine. You knew both teams would be ready. Each have played a national schedule and have notable wins on their resume. The ball was tipped and from then on out,...
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Holiday Classic: Combine Academy National vs. Bull City Prep National
Last game of the event and fans were in for a treat, as there were over 15 D1 players on the court between Combine Academy National and Bull City Prep National. Bull City brought the energy early and played with something to prove and that they did, getting out to a double-digit lead early, eventually leading 26-16 at the end of the first. But Combine started to pick up the energy in the second,...
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Phenom Tip-Off Classic: Combine Academy vs. Carolina Basketball Academy-GA (Recap/ Standouts)
Check out the recap, stats, and standouts from the Combine vs. CBA-GA matchup at the Phenom Tip-Off Classic.
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Phenom Open Gym: Combine Academy (Part II)
It is getting close to that time of the year, where Phenom Hoops hits the road to check out teams and get an early glimpse of the talent around the area. We first started out heading to Lincolnton, to check in on Jeff McInnis and Combine Academy who is loaded once again.
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POB’s Eye Catchers: Day 1 at Summer Finale (Part 2)
2022 6’4 Bryce Alfino (Team Charlotte 17u): Alfino played one of his better games on Day 1, really showing to be a two-way player on the court. He not only defended well but also was aggressive on getting on the boards. Offensively, Alfino does a nice job in finding the open spot and knocking down it down from the perimeter. 2021 6’4 Will Reynolds (CPB BLM): Reynolds had a...
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Evening Standouts at Day One of Phenom Summer Havoc
6’4 ’23 Jah Short (Garner Road) There’s a lot to like about this Garner Road roster, and Short has absolutely shined as their leader on both sides of the ball. He’s long, athletic, and quite skilled with impressive defensive prowess. Short has undergone a lot of physical development over the last calendar year, but still looks likely to continue improving. He has no glaring weaknesses and...
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PHENOM FOCUS: AJ Smith to COMBINE ACADEMY! 6’5″ Guard Tells Us WHY The MOVE + RECLASSIFICATION!
AJ Smith is regarded as one of the top prospects in the state of North Carolina and made headlines when he announced that he would be transferring to Combine Academy and reclassing to the 2022 class. He discusses more about his decision, his time at Hickory Grove Christian, and his relationship with the Coach McInnis. Smith also breaks down the latest in his recruitment; which schools are coming strong and which high-major schools are showing interest his way
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