SUMMER GRIND EVENT RECAPS

North Carolina Top 80 Evaluations: Team 1

Team 1 Coach: Tre Smith Game Film:Team 1 vs Team 2Team 1 vs Team 3Team 1 vs Team 4NC Top 80 Semi-Final (1/4 vs 5/8) #3: 5'11 '25 Derek Ross Jr. (Jordan) Starting things off, we look at a player who is arguably the most dynamic floor general in the state, Derek Ross Jr. He's a smart, unselfish point guard prospect with incredible quickness and open-floor speed. Ross utilizes his tight handle and...

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POB's Eye Catchers from NC Top 80: Guards/Wings (Class of 2024)

2024 Carson Daniel/ 2024 Chase Daniel (Central Cabarrus): The Daniel twins continue to flourish and showcase how big of a difference-maker they can be. They are proven winners, both understand how to run a team, they were incredible in creating and setting up teammates, and just understand how to be effective playmakers with the ball in their hands. 2024 John Campbell (Bishop McGuinness):...

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Phenom Open Gym: North Meck

Phenom Hoops traveled to Huntersville, North Carolina to cover the opening day of public high school open gym/workouts. For Head Coach, Duane Lewis, the future is now and he has another absolutely loaded roster, including Duke commit Isaiah Evan. Last season, North Mecklenburg finished with a 29-3 overall record and a 11-1 conference record, before losing in the NCHSAA 4A Western Regional final...

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Team CP3 Making Early Noise on the EYBL

The nearly two-month transition from high school to travel basketball has been quite informative, especially after concluding the first live period of the season. While there have been countless subplots and takeaways, few have been more attention-worthy than Team CP3 being the only group among the (six) North Carolina-based shoe circuit (EYBL, UAA, 3SSB) squads to be undefeated after the first...

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2024 Isaiah Evans puts on a historic show, scores 62 points vs. Chambers

What a night it was for the state of North Carolina basketball' storylines could be found all over the place from what took place on Tuesday night in the NCHSAA playoffs.  But the main storyline for everyone should be the show that 2024 Isaiah Evans put on vs. Chambers, as North Meck continues to play in the 4A playoffs. The number to remember: 62 That is how many points 2024 Isaiah Evans...

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Phenom Game Report: Chambers at North Meck

It was a conference battle between two of the top teams in the state, as Chambers hit the road to take on North Meck. Round 1 was off the charts, and Game 2 brought a packed house.' Early on, it was more of a defensive battle for each team, as Chambers was able to get out to a narrow 11-9 lead at the end of the first. 2024 Jordan Patton was the one leading the charge with seven early points,...

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Phenom Game Report: Hopewell at North Meck

Phenom Hoops was on deck for an intriguing matchup between North Meck and Hopewell. The Vikings have been tough all season long and they hoped to continue that success being back at home, while Hopewell was hoping to make a statement. In the beginning, it was Christian Foy who was dominating on the floor for North Meck, scoring all over the court and going for 11 points in the first quarter...

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Sunday Morning News with Phenom Hoops (1.8.23)

Two of NC's best simply go off Friday night It was a great day of high school basketball around the state of North Carolina, as there is nothing like it on Friday night.' But two stories really captured our eyes from this weekend, as two of the top players in the state of North Carolina had career nights.' First off, with our own Rick Lewis standing front and center watching, 2024 Isaiah Evans...

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Isaiah Evans Taking the Next Step

The Class of 2024 gives us the first reintroduction of college coaches pushing out offers and aggressively pursuing worthy high school prospects since Covid. While plenty of guys are still fighting for the attention they deserve, someone like Isaiah Evans has simply been too impressive to ignore. Like a few other top prospects in the state, he's a prime example of Division I coaches being...

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Phenom Four Corners: Latest Recruiting News (12.5.22)

Indiana visit was 'crazy' for 2025 Trey McKenney, other schools staying strong 2025 Trey McKenney is regarded as one of the top players in the country for his class, and several schools are making him a priority early on. One school that has been looking at him has been Indiana, and the 2025 guard recently took a visit to the program as the Hoosiers took on North Carolina. 'It was crazy, the...

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Bendel's Best: Summer Finale

This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled down to Rock Hill, South Carolina for our final travel ball event of the summer season. The Summer Finale featured a slew of highly talented players (most of whom played with new/local/random teams), which made for an extremely entertaining weekend of basketball. Effort and motivation are always going to determine how enjoyable the actual competition is...

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A Closer Look: Phenom Hoops' Rankings for North Carolina's Class of 2024

(1) 6'6 Paul McNeil (Richmond) Even for those who don't closely follow high school basketball, McNeil should already be a well-known name throughout the country. After winning North Carolina's Gatorade POY award, he became just the second men's player of the millennium to receive the honor two full seasons removed from his graduation year (joining Jaden Bradley). He posted insane per-game...

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Maturing as a player: 2024 Isaiah Evans (North Meck)

There is an abundance of talent in the state of North Carolina, especially in the class of 2024, is something special. One of those players that we have been quite high on and it seems that the national outlets are catching on is 2024 Isaiah Evans from North Meck. The long, lengthy prospect has really stepped up to show more of his game in his sophomore season, helping lead the Vikings to a...

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Game of the Year: Chambers vs. North Meck, Part 2

Rivalry. Both schools less than 10 miles apart. Packed crowd. Standing room only. Playing for your community. These are the type of environments that athletes dream about. The last time these two teams met, there was an overtime thriller in which Chambers came out on top. Did anyone expect this game to be any different' North Meck entered the matchup with an 18-3 record (8-1 in conference),...

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Tuesday Standouts from The John Wall, Part 1

Game 1Callaway vs. Northwood  First game of the day and it definitely didn't disappoint. Northwood came away with a 61-52 win in overtime. Each team had their chances to win the game at the end of regulation. Callaway played without their leader and playmaker (Keiveon Hunt) for most of the 4th quarter and overtime. Keiveon has the ability to create plays for himself and his teammates....

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Why Isaiah Evans Is a Top-Five Player in North Carolina's Class of 2024

Although rankings are an extremely arbitrary practice, they are still a useful tool for discussion points and general debate. As it's been stated countless times before: rankings do not matter. However, they do exist. Folks love to get excitable to lend their personal perspective on a given player or situation, but context and sample size simply outweigh most of these anecdotes. If James Posey...

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POB’s Eye Catchers from Day 1 at the Phenom Jamboree Bash

2025 Zion Williamson (Elite 1 2025): Williamson is a young but lengthy prospect, that has a natural feel on the floor, brings a ton of versatility with his game, can operate on several levels, and create for himself off the dribble.' Had a strong showing to start his day at the Jamboree Bash. 2025 Kyri Wilson (Mooresville JV): Wilson really showed a balanced attack on the floor. With his ability...

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Player Standouts at Phenom Jamboree Bash

6'0 '22 Maxwell Coles (North Meck) Although other players on this roster might receive more attention, Coles is legitimately as valuable as anyone for North Meck. His steady, reliable three-level scoring presence allows him to consistently assert himself within the flow of the action. Coles can operate without the ball or create for himself and others, simply based on team need. He's a quality...

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Phenom Open Gym Tour: North Meck

Phenom Hoops was in for a treat Wednesday night, as we went back out on the road to check in on another open gym.  This time, we went down the road to North Meck to check in on what the Vikings had going on this season.  They lost a few key players but if you have followed the tradition at North Meck, you know that this is still going to be a talented program' and they will be once...

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North Carolina's Top 2024 Prospects Make Waves at CP3 Rising Stars Camp (Part Two)

This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled to the Sportsplex in Greensboro, North Carolina for the annual CP3 Rising Stars Camp. Typically, this event is exclusively for rising freshmen but the unforeseen circumstances over the last year prevented the Class of 2024 from the occasion. Instead of excising the class completely, they opted to combine the two classes into one enormous event. The amount...

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Bendel's Best: Summer Finale

This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled down to the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina for another two-day stretch of basketball. Although most teams have begun winding down and getting some much-needed rest, there were still plenty of noteworthy players and teams itching to compete. Our Summer Finale featured a variety of teams across all age groups, but this...

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Dawkins’ Standouts from Phenom Summer Finale (Day 1)

By; DeAjai Dawkins 2024 6'4 Bishop Boswell (CLT Nation)' Bishop has given on-lookers so much to be excited about in this stage of his development. His college-ready physique that he presents as a rising sophomore puts him in a tier of his own as it pertains to 2024 lead guards. Boswell plays with a level of maturity far beyond his years, and that's shown in his vocal leadership. I believe he can...

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POB’s Eye Catchers from Phenom Summer Finale (Day 1, Part 3)

2022 Jordan Crawford (DCT Elite): Crawford continues to play at a high level and we think it is only a matter of time until college coaches start coming more his way.' His ability to score on multiple levels is impressive, knocking down threes with consistency but also creating off the dribble, penetrating the lanes, and getting to the rim.' H really can fill it up quickly and did so on Day 1....

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Bendel's Best: Summer Grind

This past weekend, Phenom Hoops returned to the Rock Hill Sports and Events Center in Rock Hill, South Carolina to conclude the month of July with our annual Summer Grind. While the vast majority of programs are utilizing this period to rest and recover, there were still plenty of guys who couldn't resist another weekend of competition. Although not with their normal teams, there was still a...

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Player Standouts at Phenom Summer Grind

6'2 '25 Jerron Blackwell (Charlotte Nation) Despite not playing with his usual group, Blackwell still found ways to stand out and operate as a leader for this squad. He's smart, poised, and extremely mature, especially at this stage in his development. Blackwell is a reliable scorer with a well-rounded skillset, but doesn't even need to chase point totals in order to make a consistent impact....

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Dawkins’ Standouts from Phenom Summer Grind (Day 1)

By: DeAjai Dawkins 6'3 2022 Stephon Richards (CC Heat/Moravian Prep) One 2021 Charlotte-area guard that has truly felt the COVID's negative impact on their recruitment is 6'3 Stephon Richards. Stephon is a combo guard truly built for the next level, with exceptional downhill abilities that he uses to his advantage. He's shown 3-level scoring capabilities today, and I find it truly hard to...

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Noah’s Hoopers from Phenom Summer Grind (Day 1, Part 1)

Iverson King By: Noah Hooper 5'7 2025 Darnerian Gibson (Carolina Rockets 14U) When you talk about having a floor general on your team, Gibson fits that description perfectly as he was simply a leader out on the court this morning. The way he was able to get downhill and finish at the rim was great as he used his smart instincts to attack open driving lanes and closeouts. He also did a great job...

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POB’s Eye Catchers from Phenom Summer Grind (Day 1, Part 1)

JJ Moore 2024 Mony Day (Charlotte Dragons): Though young and playing up, Day has a superb start to his day. He played with terrific pace and feel, being patient on the floor, picking his spots, and showing a nice understanding of his scoring ability. He stayed aggressive, penetrating the lane, showing touch on his floater or not shying away from contact and getting to the line. 2023 Owen Elliott...

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