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A Closer Look: Phenom Hoops’ Rankings for North Carolina’s Class of 2025
(1-5) (1) 6’0 Eli Ellis (Moravian Prep) While many prospects are capable of playing up a level or two, it seems like Eli Ellis has been playing up numerous age groups for quite a while. It would be shocking if anyone was uninformed about the tough, shot-making guard, given how popular he and Moravian Prep have been over the recent memory. Regardless, Ellis is a lethal shooting threat with...
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POB’s Eye Catchers from Chance Harmon Classic (Part 1)
2022 Patrick Clevenger (James River): Clevenger put on a show to start the day, as he scored all over the court and did it consistently. Clevenger was a vocal leader on the court and moved extremely well without the ball to create opportunities; he plays with a relentless motor. He showed great touch on his shot, scored in a variety of ways and from multiple levels, he ran the floor well for...
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HIGHLIGHTS: Dior Johnson vs Eli Ellis + Ryan Roberts CANT MISS as So. California Defeats Moravian!
Moravian Prep and the Ellis brothers faced off vs Dior Johnson and Jaxon Kohler of Southern California Academy in the other semi-final of the TJ Warren bracket. Ryan Roberts couldn't miss for Moravian Prep but it wasnt enough as Dior sealed the game with a game-ending layup for So. Cal to advance to the championship.
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Tuesday Standouts from The John Wall, Part 2
Game 5Combine vs. Virginia Episcopal In the fifth game of the day, North Carolina’s top ranked Combine Academy took on Virginia Episcopal (VES) in their opening round matchup of the TJ Warren Bracket. VES jumped out to a 10-0 lead to start the game, but Coach Jeff McInnis brought in his second unit and turned up the pressure. Antonio Hamlin got things going offensively for Combine as they were...
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POB’s Eye Catchers from Day 1 at Good Guys vs. Cancer
2022 Jackson Holt (Moravian Prep): When you talk about one of the top shooters in the class and in all of North Carolina, you have to include Jackson Holt on that list and he may be No. 1. He showed why to start the event off, as he stepped in, showed extreme confidence, and has such a fluid and smooth shot, as he knocked down nine 3-pointers in the game. 2024 Hampton Evans (Greenfield):...
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Is Moravian Prep the Top Team in North Carolina?
The last few years at Moravian Prep have been very interesting. Two years ago, they won the Hoopstate Championship and advanced their core grouping (Josh Hall, Shakeel Moore, Javarzia Belton, Jamahri Harvey, etc.) to the next level. Shortly thereafter, Coach Antonio Lowe departed for his own program—putting Coach Jeremy Ellis back in complete charge of the Lions’ day-to-day operation. Last...
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HIGHLIGHTS: 2025 Eli Ellis Scores 31 PTS vs W-S Christian at Phenom Hoops #CarmelTipOff!
Winston Salem Christian vs. Moravian Prep... The storylines were there and it also gave fans a view of some very intriguing talent. The young players of 2025 Eli Ellis, 2026 Isaac Ellis, 2024 Isaiah Washington, and 2024 Lewis Walker all showed up, while 2022 Christ Essandoko, 2022 Quante Berry, and others stepped up also. Check out the full highlights from an intense game.
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POB’s Eye Catchers from Carmel Tip-Off (Day 2, Part 2)
2025 Eli Ellis (Moravian Prep): This kid is something special, there is no doubt about it. He doesn’t play like a freshman and his understanding of the game is off the charts. He just continues to expand his game all over the floor, creating with the dribble, moving incredibly well without the ball, constantly getting defenders guessing, and being a scoring threat once he touches the ball. He...
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Carmel Christan Tip-Off Storylines to Watch (Saturday, Nov. 13)
Phenom Hoops kicks off the season in a big way with the Carmel Christian Tip-Off Classic, November 12-13, at Carmel Christian in Matthews/Charlotte, NC. We will be bringing some of the best teams around the region all under one building and of course, there are so many storylines to watch out for.
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North Carolina Top 80 Camp Evaluations: Team 5
Team 5 Coach: Erik Whaley #5: 6’0 ’24 Carson Daniel (Central Cabarrus) Starting things off, we look at a player who already stands out as one of the more reliable, productive floor generals in the state, Carson Daniel. He’s a smart, skilled, unselfish point guard prospect with an excellent balance between playmaking and three-level scoring. Daniel typically looks to set up the offense and...
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Putting Them on Notice: NC Top 80 (Class of 2025)
It was a special weekend in Charlotte, as Phenom Hoops had their annual North Carolina Top 80 event which brought some of the top players from the state all under one building. We had several top seniors, juniors, sophomores, and even freshmen attend the event, as we dive more into the players that impressed. It was great to see several freshmen on the floor and they put themselves on the map...
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North Carolina Top 80 All Star Team Class of 2025
ClassHeightNo.NameHigh SchoolCity20256′1″12Eli EllisMoravian PrepHudson20256′7″64Zymicah WilkinsRutherfordton-SpindaleRutherfordton20256′4″30Jackson KeithSouthernDurham20256′7″58Colt LangdonMillbrookRaleigh20256′9″72Gevonte Ware1 of 1 EliteCharlotte
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Open Gym Tour: Moravian Prep
Phenom Hoops travelled to Granite Falls, North Carolina to watch Moravian Prep’s open gym. Three years ago, Moravian Prep was a relative unknown among the basketball community, however that has quickly changed. Two years ago, Moravian Prep won the inaugural Phenom Hoop State Championship featuring players like Josh Hall, Shakeel Moore and Jamahri Harvey. Now, coach and owner Jeremy Ellis has...
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Player Standouts at Phenom Summer Finale
6’7 ’24 Richard Goods (Carolina Clutch) After watching his recruitment steadily increase, it should come as no surprise to see Goods continuing to operate as a leader for this group. He’s long, mobile, and fluid with the necessary blend of feel, touch, and footwork to attract various types of coaches. Goods is a quality two-way rebounder with a useful motor and the ability to alter shots at a...
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Coach Rick’s TOC: Bright future for young prospects
The Coach Rick's TOC was off the charts with talent. One thing is for sure is that the future around the region looks to be bright, as there were several young prospects that really captured our eyes and should be household names. Check out a few young players that will be ones you will want to know.
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Dawkins’ Standouts from Coach Rick’s TOC (Day 2, Part 2)
By: DeAjai Dawkins 5’10 2025 Eli Ellis (Big Shots 17U/Moravian) Has there been a player more spoken about this weekend? Likely not. Eli has made a name for himself as a consistent lead guard that plays in a constant mode of attack. He’s a stellar shooter with a rugged mentality that reminds me of Payton Pritchard of the Boston Celtics. Ellis plays with no fear in the face of older competition,...
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Sean’s Standouts from Coach Rick’s TOC (Day 1, Part 2)
Julien King By: Sean Halloran 2022 Julien King (Garner Road 17U) King was a player to catch my eye today with his impressive performances. The most impressive part about Kings game is the defensive intensity that he contains on every possession. He causes havoc while guarding the ball and is very physical while defending off the ball. He uses his long arms to affect opponents and make things...
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POB’s Eye Catchers from Coach Rick’s TOC (Day 1, Part 2)
2022 Jacob Dar (Garner Road): Dar is one that I think continues to fall under the radar but is starting to gain some traction with coaches and that he should. We are talking about a 6’6 developing prospect that continues to grow with his understanding of his game each time he is on the court. He can operate and defend multiple positions, especially with his wingspan, but also showed...
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POB’s Eye Catchers from Grassroots TOC: Day 3
Umar Lawson 2022 Caden Fitzgibbons (NC Spartans Hartzell): Fitzgibbons continues to have a tremendous weekend, really filling up the boxscore, moving well without the ball, creating for himself, and simply putting points on the board. His production has been consistent all throughout the weekend and should be one to really monitor throughout this summer. 2022 Jevon Long (Next Level SC):...
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Gillespie’s Thoughts: Day 1 at the Spring Tip-Off Classic
‘ By: Chick Gillespie With the High School season coming to a close I was able to finally make it down to the Rock Hill Sports & Events Center for a Phenom Hoops Event and with several different divisions being played I was awash in talent to evaluate and I took advantage over the three days to check out the Hoop State Championships featuring some of the best prep programs in the...
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8th Grader Eli Ellis EXPLODES in Final 4: Liberty Heights vs Moravian Prep #HoopStateChampionship
Now fans got a chance to watch the action with the Phenom HoopState, as Liberty Heights and Moravian Prep meet again. Liberty defeated Moravian earlier in the season and Moravian handed Liberty one of their two losses just recently… now, they met up for a chance to compete for a championship.
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Phenom HoopState Championship: Liberty Heights vs. Moravian Prep
Now fans got a chance to watch the action with the Phenom HoopState, as Liberty Heights and Moravian Prep meet again. Liberty defeated Moravian earlier in the season and Moravian handed Liberty one of their two losses just recently… now, they meet for a chance to compete for a championship. Moravian Prep came out strong in this one with the early lead but Liberty Heights came back to...
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Young Prospects Worth Noting from Phenom Hoops’ MLK Showcase
5’0 ’26 Justyn Whitfield (Victory Christian) Despite being one of the younger players on this list, Whitfield certainly stood out as one of the more impressive performers in Victory Christian’s win over Gaston Christian. He’s undersized and just beginning to develop physically, but already possesses excellent shooting abilities and displays nice IQ on both ends of the floor. Whitfield handles...
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Northside Christian vs Moravian Prep National: Game Recap
In the second game of the day, we had a big time match up between two top ten teams in the state: Northside Christian and Moravian Prep National. Moravian Prep is led by senior guard BJ Freeman, who is one of the most highly rated unsigned seniors in North Carolina. In the first quarter, Moravian Prep through the first punch. Their three-quarter court pressure forced turnovers. We saw Jackson...
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Franklin Prep v. Moravian Prep (Recap/Standouts)
The second game for day two of Phenom’s Holiday Classic took place between two fairly intriguing teams in Franklin Prep and Moravian Prep. Things opened up and Moravian Prep quickly asserted themselves as the better team, quickly taking control of the tempo through quality perimeter shooting, ending the quarter with a 29-18 lead. Guys like Eli Ellis and BJ Freeman were strong early producers,...
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T-Lew’s Takeaways
Top Leaders Elijah Jamison (Liberty Heights) – Strong / physical guard. He has done a tremendous job leading the way for Coach Wright and Liberty Heights. He has shown the ability to really lead a team. The guard is extremely explosive and I have yet to see anyone keep him out the lane. Jamarii Thomas (The Burlington School) – It is amazing to me that no Division 1 school has...
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Bendel’s Best: Phenom Challenge (Part Two)
This past weekend Phenom Hoops traveled down to the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina for our Phenom Challenge. There was an obvious amount of talent in the gym, which led to numerous standout performers across the weekend. This article will take a closer, more detailed look at some of those personal favorites… 6’8 ’23 Greg “GG” Jackson (Upward Stars) Over the last...
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Early Standouts at Day Three of Phenom Challenge
5’11 ’25 Eli Ellis (TLBA) There are a lot of varying opinions about Ellis, but there is absolutely no debating his high-level consistency and production—especially against his own age group. He’s already developed a unique toughness through being battle-tested at the high school level. Ellis stands out as a tremendous leader for this group, both as their primary scorer and playmaker, and simply...
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DeAjai Dawkins’ Day 2 Standouts
Day 2 was full of action early on and we continue to have eyes on the talent. The list of standouts continue so check them out.
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POB Eye Catchers from Day 1 at the #PhenomHoopState (Part I)
The standouts from the Phenom HoopState Championship impressed on Day 1. Here are just a few names that grabbed the spotlight.
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