Phenom Open Gym: Charlotte Catholic
Playing in the super competitive NCHSAA Southwestern 4A conference, last season, Charlotte Catholic finished the conference regular season with an 8-4 record and won the conference tournament championship to advance to the NCHSAA 4A state playoffs. Charlotte Catholic ended the season with a 17-11 record. Coach Mike King returns a core nucleus of 6’8 senior Pat Tivnan and 6’7 senior Vaugh Thomas who form a viable 1-2 scoring punch. Tivnan averaged 17.9 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game, while 6’7 Vaugh Thomas averaged 10.4 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game. The senior duo will be looked upon to provide valuable leadership on and off the court for Coach Mike King. 6’1 Ryan Lewis and 6’7 Edgar Escabedo are newcomers to the Charlotte Catholic lineup that should contribute heavily for Coach King. Now, let’s take a closer look at some of the key players for Charlotte Catholic.
6’8 ’23 Patrick Tivnan
Tivnan almost averaged a “double double” last season and will be looking to pad his statistics considerably this upcoming season, and will be looked upon to be the team’s “go to” player. Tivnan has added strength to an already sturdy frame. We continue to be impressed with his high basketball IQ and feel for the game. Tivnan is so versatile and has the ability to put the ball on the floor for dribble drives to the rim. In addition, Tivnan is a reliable rebounder that is fundamentally sound and plays within the framework of the game. In addition, Tivnan had an outstanding summer playing travel basketball and will be one of the top “bigs” in the Charlotte area, along with being a highly collegiate prospect.
6’7 ’23 Vaughn Thomas
This was our first viewing of Vaugh Thomas and to put it quite mildly, we walked about impressed. Thomas has excellent ball handling and passing skills. With his height and length, Thomas is able to see easily over the defense and make accurate and timely passes, not to mention, he will have the opportunity to play the point guard position for Charlotte Catholic. The crafty “point forward” has a terrific feel for the game. While fundamentally sound, Thomas has a certain flair to his game. He’s a fun player to watch and will be an unique matchup problem at the high school level. Since he did not play summer travel ball, he is virtually flying under the radar and may be one of the area’s best kept secret.
6’1 ’24 Ryan Lewis
Lewis transferred in from Ardrey Kell and enjoyed an outstanding open gym. He has the ability to play on or off the ball and has good, solid athleticism and strength. Lewis was making the right reads in transition and made several nifty passes to teammates. In addition, Lewis showed the ability to be a three level scorer and will be an important member of this year’s team.
Best of the rest
6’7’24 Edgar Escobedo is another transfer that will give Coach Mike King additional size in the front court along with 6’6 ’25 Chris Eagan. Eagan got valuable minutes as a freshman and the southpaw has the ability to stretch the defense with his perimeter shooting. 5’9 ’23 Angelo Alexander and 6’0 ’24 Liam Gates will both contribute at the point guard position. In addition, Gates proved to be an effective shooter and can easily side over to the off guard position.