Ah, it feels refreshing to be back down here in North Carolina with our Phenom Hoops scouting team! As the Virginia guy, I’ve spent the last several months occupied with covering events in my home state. Still, I knew I had to capitalize when the opportunity presented itself to cover our annual ‘David Rose Memorial Day Classic’ (honoring the late staff sergeant, David Rose) in the city of Greensboro, NC. Dozens of teams make up the tournament games; held in four different gym locations. Assigned to Court 1 in Dudley High School’s gymnasium, I’ll spend time producing article features and Twitter coverage of players on this particular court for Day 2 today (5/26). Our other Phenom Hoops’ workers will stay busy doing the same.
Here’s my standouts of Sunday’s morning games:
Game 1: TMP 16u vs. Carolina Wolves 16u
- 6’4” Xavion Bennett ’21 – TMP 16u: The lengthy wing sure did come to play for the day’s opening game, putting on a nice performance of getting both buckets and defensive stops. He looked like the best two-way player on the floor by a wide margin and provided many big-time plays to keep the game close. I think he can become a valuable ‘3&D’ prospect ho also has the ability to score in other forms other than purely shooting.
- 5’4” Zane Caudle ’22 – Carolina Wolves 16u: Taking on the role of a pure floor general, I think it’s safe to say Caudle collected the most assists in Game 1. His sneaky, quick first step aided in many paint touches, where he spotted open teammates from around the perimeter and/or under the rim. The young guard really started to go off in his perimeter shooting after the first ten minutes of the contest; knocking down about three in a row at one point. He’s not the biggest guy and will need to keep getting stronger, but Caudle’s vision and IQ looked beyond that of a high school freshman.
- 6’4” Taeven Drayton ’21 – TMP 16u: The high-energy forward produced in a big way as a needed inside force for TMP. Drayton’s patience to make strong moves from the short corner worked some of the best, along with his effort on the rebounding end. His second jump made him quite difficult to maintain on box outs, where several second-chance attempts happened as the game progressed. He also scored well on the fast break by getting out and running the open lanes hard. One thing to note, however, is that Drayton’s pretty undersized at the moment and will need to keep expanding his perimeter game if he pans out at 6’4.”
Game 2: Pro Skills-Winston Salem-Robinson 16u vs. Manzer 2021
- 6’4” CJ Smith ’21 – Pro Skills-Winston Salem-Robinson 16u: A stocky forward who can get his points both inside and out, Smith showed one of the most polished performances in Game 2. I took note of his footwork and way of never getting sped up, which worked to some of the greatest advantage. His physical demeanor resulted in plenty of drawn fouls/free-throw attempts. Smith’s shot fake may be his most deadly skill; I counted at least four times when he faced up outside of the paint and got his defender to jump in the air. Similar to Drayton, he should continue to work in becoming more of a natural wing at that 6’4” height.
- 6’3” Michael Herrin ’21 – Manzer 2021: Herrin’s height at his position as a primary ball-handler clearly helped him in seeing over the smaller, opposing guards and make proper decisions. He showed a solid handle and size-up ability to get in the lane, where he finished smoothly going either direction. Honestly, I felt he had a tendency to play a bit too unselfishly at times. I appreciate and respect the selfless attitude, without question, but Herrin seemed to have some of the best scoring capabilities and could’ve looked to take over in more instances when his team needed more offense.
Game 3: Team Synergy 2021 vs. Team F.L.Y. 16u
- 6’3” Shawn Wilson ’21 – Team Synergy 2021: It felt like the scoring guard entered the contest on a mission to set the tone early. Wilson paced the majority of Team Synergy’s high-tempo offense, putting up points in a slew of ways. I didn’t get the official stats, but I’m confident in saying he likely led all scorers by the end of the opening half, with 14 or more points. He can both shoot and drive it, as well as rebounding misses to start off the fast break; a pace his squad primarily desires to conduct. Wilson’s stock should increase if he can steadily show good shot selection.
- 6’0” Fred Brown, Jr. ’21 – Team F.L.Y. 16u: A large credit of Team F.L.Y.’s ability to stay in it for most of Game 2 should go to Brown, Jr.’s complete will. He’s much stronger than most wings I’ve seen in this tournament’s 16u division and has a naturalness of scoring in 1v1 scenarios. His handle and solid quickness combines with that same strength to make him a straight-up bruiser. Trying to guard him tough can tire out a defender(s); Brown, Jr. utilizes that ‘bully ball’ style of play to full effect. As most acknowledge, however, it takes more to become a next-level scorer. I feel Brown, Jr. has a good enough skillset to become more of a lead guard if he embraces the role.
- 5’11” Glenwood Robinson ’21 – Team F.L.Y. 16u: Robinson had a very similar performance to his backcourt mate, Brown, Jr., as a strong guard who constantly got looks at the rim. He too played a large part in Team F.L.Y. making a notable second half push. The bulk of his scoring came at the time when his team need the most. Sill, likewise to Brown, Jr., I still see Robinson as fairly undersized at the two-guard spot and feel he’ll make a bigger jump in able to develop as a playmaker.
Excellent weekend! Be sure to check out my other standouts from Saturday and Sunday morning also.