PHENOM’S CAROLINA SHOWCASE EVENT RECAPS

Star in the Making: 2027 Ty Cobb

By: Kevin Moses Ty Cobb Twitter: @tycobbie0 Height: 6’1, 165Class of 2027School: Upperman High School, TN  Cobb is an electric young stud that thrives in the big moment. Ty has a high IQ that helps him make game-winning plays in a flash. Ty loves attacking off the bounce getting into the seams creating shots for himself or his teammates. As a pass-first leader, he still wants the ball in...

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2028 6’3 Carter Parker bringing early intrigue out in California

Player: Carter ParkerClass: 2028Height: 6’3School: Hillview MS, Palmdale Continuing to watch players out in California at the SoCal League, there was a young prospect getting a chance to shine once again on the big stage with several older prospects but he still was able to embrace the moment and shine in an array of ways. 2028 6’3 Carter Parker was a young prospect who really caught our eyes...

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A Look At: CP3 2026 Roster

Chris Gomez High IQ guard that has a high ceiling and plays with tremendous poise. Gomez has good size, strong handles, makes good reads, plays with poise, and can score in a variety of ways. Understands the game and makes quality decisions. Ayden Johnson Johnson is a guard that can fill it up and can be a weapon from outside especially with his ability to knock down shots from behind the arc....

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March Madness Is Here: POB’s Day 1 Takeaways

Scores: (9) Michigan State 69 – (8) Mississippi State 51(11) Duquesne 71 – (6) BYU 67(3) Illinois 85 – (14) Morehead State 69(3) Creighton 77 – (14) Akron 60(2) Arizona 85 – (15) Long Beach State 65(1) North Carolina 90 – (16) Wagner 62(11) Oregon 87 – (6) South Carolina 73(7) Dayton 63 – (10) Nevada 60(2) Iowa State 82 – (15) South Dakota State 65(14) Oakland 80 – (3) Kentucky 76(7) Texas 56 –...

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Learning New Names: Phenom Tip-Off (Virginia)

2028 Jamari Shepherd (Carolina Bulldogs): An NC prospect to continue to watch, Shepherd impressed with his overall feel, skillset, and size at his position. He was able to make plays and create for himself, use his body well to force the action, attack and finish around the basket, but also make plays in a variety of ways. Strong playmaking ability at his size early on. 2028 Elijah Haughton...

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Open Gym Report: Ace Skill Development (17u)

Phenom Hoops was excited to head out near the Charlotte area to check out ACE Skill Development, a program that has been steady in the area but also continues to grow. As it is in the team name, this is a program that continues to develop players of all ages and levels, as they have grown from four teams in Year 1 to now having 14 total teams this year. This is a program that will be a staple...

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Open Gym Report: Ace Skill Development (16u)

Phenom Hoops was excited to head out near the Charlotte area to check out ACE Skill Development, a program that has been steady in the area but also continues to grow. As it is in the team name, this is a program that continues to develop players of all ages and levels, as they have grown from four teams in Year 1 to now having 14 total teams this year. This is a program that will be a staple...

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Open Gym Report: ACE Skill Development Burns

On Wednesday, Phenom Hoops traveled down to Waxhaw, North Carolina for an open gym preview of ACE Skill Development’s pair of 15U teams—Burns and Palmer. The guys competed hard throughout the practice session and highlighted some intrigue throughout the live action stretches. This article will take a closer look at their pieces and how they fit into the overall structure of their respective...

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Open Gym Report: ACE Skill Development Palmer

On Wednesday, Phenom Hoops traveled down to Waxhaw, North Carolina for an open gym preview of ACE Skill Development’s pair of 15U teams—Burns and Palmer. The guys competed hard throughout the practice session and highlighted some intrigue throughout the live action stretches. This article will take a closer look at their pieces and how they fit into the overall structure of their respective...

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2025 Christian Jeffrey adds offer from Villanova, more interests coming

Player: Christian JeffreySchool: Mt. Zion PrepClass: 2025Position: Guard Checking in on the latest recruiting news, Phenom Hoops was able to connect more with 2025 Christian Jeffrey from Mt. Zion Prep, as he continues to attract more eyes and offers his way. Recently, he received a big offer from Villanova, one he is excited about and should continue to bring more opportunities his way. We dove...

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Worthy of Attention: LionChaserU

This past weekend, Phenom Hoops hosted our annual Tip-Off Classic in Greensboro, North Carolina. The event featured a variety of talented teams with intriguing prospects, and none were more dominant than LionChaserU. Although the have a slew of college-level pieces throughout their roster, we will take a closer look at their top performers from the two-day stretch… 5’10 ’26 Cam Tyler Arguably...

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2026 Manny Villegas / 2026 Germain Green are two to look at in Virginia

Up in Virginia, Phenom Hoops had a great opportunity to find new talent and there were two forwards that grabbed our attention early and we were eager to watch more at the Phenom Tip-Off. 2026 Manny Villegas and 2026 Germain Green are two prospects that bring intrigue and upside, and should be two names to jot down and watch more of in the coming years. We break down more of their games. 2026...

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Rockit Premier: A program bringing intriguing talent to the court

The Phenom Tip-Off up in Virginia was a great opportunity to find new talent, and we did just that. A team that really grabbed the attention of our scouts was Rockit Premier, as they offer several intriguing prospects that could develop nicely into future college prospects.  Here are three players that should immediately be on the radars, as this program is one to check out more. 2027 6’5...

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Phenom Commitment Alert: 2024 Ty Outlaw heading to Shaw

Each and every time Phenom Hoops 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: Ty OutlawClass: 2024Committed to: Shaw What Has Been Said: “Finishing up, we look at...

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Phenom Commitment Alert: Randolph-Macon earns commitment from 2024 Tyler Showalter

Each and every time Phenom Hoops 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: Tyler ShowalterClass: 2024Committed to: Randolph-Macon What Has Been Said: “That...

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Sad Sam’s Finals Recap

Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the sniffing and sneezing Piedmont!  States are in the books but not without excitement in the Final 4.  The Great One finished up 3-1 in the finals, losing only the 2A game by one in OT as Reidsville completed their perfect season downing Farmville, 78-77.  His record for the playoffs ended up 206-46, or 82%.  His top category was 3A as...

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Continuing to prove to be a future star: 2029 King Bacot

Another event for Phenom Hoops, another event that allowed us to check out a rising star in 2029 King Bacot from Team Loaded. Watching this young prospect on the court, Bacot simply makes the game look easy but also is one that you can sit and watch, and understand that the best years are to come.  Our own Jeff Bendel wrote this recently:  “He’s able to shred opposing defense without even...

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Notable Young Prospects from Phenom Tip-Off

6’0 ’28 Deuce Geer (Durham Hurricanes) It doesn’t take very long to notice everything Geer brings to the table for this group. Already armed with great size, skill, and athleticism, he’s basically unstoppable. Geer utilizes his height to regularly secure rebounds and overwhelm opponents defensively, which often leads to easy transition opportunities. He excels in transition, displaying the...

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2026 Michael Phillips II earns first big offer from Virginia Tech

2026 Michael Phillips II, a 6’5 prospect from Grace Christian (NC), is a name that has continued to see his stock rise after a strong season. Phillips is one I believe offers a lot of intangibles in his game, and his story is just starting. This season in 34 games at Grace Christian, he averaged 16.4ppg, 7.0rpg, and 1.5bpg while shooing 36 percent from three, 79 percent from the line, and eFG%...

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Overflowing with Appeal: Julian Adigun

This past weekend, Phenom Hoops hosted our annual Spring Tip-Off (both in Richmond and Greensboro). Across the two days at Proehlific Park, we saw an abundance of talented prospects. Whether available seniors, young prospects, or players trending upward, there were plenty of guys who warranted attention. Amidst all the excitement, the Durham Hurricanes stood out as absolute machine en route to...

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Sad Sam’s Final Furious 5 for 23-24

Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the March Madness awaiting Piedmont!  The Great One is here to release his final F5 of the season.  Once again, the Western Regionals doubled as the Furious 5 Championship Tournament with North Meck prevailing over Lake Norman in OT, 65-61 behind Isaiah Evans.  The now 704 legend scored 4 points in 12 seconds to force OT en route to the F5...

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Start Learning Their Names: Phenom Tip-Off (Virginia)

2028 Donnie Fairley (Carolina Bulldogs): Fairley really impressed me throughout this event and is a player that I’m eager to see how he develops as well as continues to produce. This young man did everything he could to help lead his team to a championship, as he was unstoppable at times. His energy, motor, and relentless attack on the boards were so impressive, and he was filling it up all...

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Trio of Unsigned Seniors Turned Heads at Phenom Tip-Off

6’6 Kayleb Coles (Lionchaser) It’s perplexing to see a player like Coles, who truly possesses all the tools to be a clear difference-maker at the next level, still available for college programs. This head-scratching sentiment was only furthered through his dominant play throughout the weekend. Coles did legitimately everything, and it was impressive. Offensively, he consistently hit jumpers...

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Team FLY Loaded with Talented Young Prospects

Over the past two weekends, we’ve gotten the opportunity to watch Team FLY and their notable group of 2028 prospects. Where most teams require time to get adequately adjusted and iron out the early-season jitters, this team is already rolling. They’ve gone 7-1 across the two events while showcasing an impressive level of chemistry, toughness, and discipline. Let’s take a closer look at their...

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Strong duo to watch out for with Team Loaded 2028 3SSB

Phenom Hoops had a great opportunity to check out the Team Loaded 3SSB team, especially some of the younger programs. Team Loaded 2028 3SSB has some intriguing prospects to look out for this year and down the road; while watching them at the Phenom Tip-Off, the duo guard of 2028 Damari Smith and 2028 Damien Robinson really captured my eyes and should be a strong force in leading the charge. They...

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Under the Radar No More; Time To Watch Now: 2026 6’10 Josh Irving

Player: Josh IrvingHeight: 6’10Class: 2026Pasadena (CA) Continuing to watch all the action at the Pangos Best of SoCal League, Phenom Hoops found a very intriguing prospect that has gone a bit under the radar but has plenty of upside and potential. And once it comes together, from what we are seeing now, he will be a name to jump on board. 2026 6’10 Josh Irving really impressed and showed...

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Putting On Your Watchlist: Phenom Tip-Off (Virginia)

2027 Josiah Law (Rare 1s): Law is a player at Landstown High School to keep an eye on if you are a college coach. Learning more about him, he is a player who has hit a major growth spurt over the last year or so and now stands at 6’3. Law just has a natural, smooth feel for the game that translates well. He can create for himself, make plays off the bounce, gets to his spots for his pull-up game...

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POB’s Eye Catchers from Day 1 at Phenom Tip-Off (Virginia)

2026 Kenan Bufford (All-VA): Starting early in the day, Bufford was one that caught my eye and I feel like he played really well. Was assertive in attacking, getting downhill and creating well, finishing through defenders, and competing. When watching him early in the day, Bufford came up big to hit the game-winning basket. 2026 Manny Villegas (BWSL TMB): Villegas is a new name for me, but one...

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Sad Sam’s 4A and 2A State Title Picks

Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the state tourney watching Piedmont!  The Sadster is here to reveal his picks for the Ring Round in the final two classes of 2A and 4A.  We begin with the 2A as Reidsville and Farmville Central collide in what should be a great matchup.  Farmville is led by seniors Hampton Evans and Tyler Whitehurst, as well as junior MJ Williams. ...

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Sad Sam’s 4A Recap and State Championship Picks

Greetings HS hoops junkies from across the once again rainy Piedmont!  The Sadster is here to reveal his state title winners and recap the 4A regional finals.  The Great One broke slick with. 1-1 record but it could’ve been a sweep and could’ve been an O-fer so he’ll take it.  His total record after the fifth frame is 203-45, or 82%.  However, there is still work to be done! ...

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