Phenom Open Gym Tour: Legion Collegiate Academy
Phenom Hoops travelled to Rock Hill, South Carolina to cover the Legion Collegiate Academy team coached by Twuan Wilson. Entering their third year of existence, Head Coach Twuan Wilson has done an amazing job in just a short period of time. Legion went 8-9 in its first year and finished with an 11-7 record last season before losing a heartbreaking overtime game to Wade Hampton High School. This season, Coach Twuan will have two D1 seniors that will be bring experience to this young program. Both Blakeney and Kell will provide outstanding leadership and an all-around approach to the game, not to mention they are both outstanding student athletes. Now, let's take a closer at the Legion Collegiate Academy roster.
6'4 '22 Shane Blakeney (GPA: 4.2)
Last season, Blakeney averaged 14.5 PPG as a junior. He was on the recruiting radar on some colleges, but after a season with Coach Twuan, his recruitment exploded. Blakeney currently has offers from Brown, Binghamton, Charleston Southern, Drexel, Mt. St. Mary and USC-Upstate. What's even more impressive is Blakeney sports an amazing 4.2 GPA in the classroom. Sporting a 7'0 wingspan, Blakeney has all the tools. He has a nice blend of size, length, athleticism along with a matching skill set. More importantly, Blakeney is super quick and has nice bounce off the dribble. In speaking with Coach Twuan, he stated, 'Blakeney is an absolute DAWG on the court. He can handle it, shoot it at a very high level and with his enormous wingspan, he can guard all three guard positions effectively.'
6'8 '22 Marcus Kell (GPA: 4.3)
Last season, Kell averaged 14.3 PPG and 6'9 RPG and has become one of the top prospects in the region. Kell has excellent size for the small forward position and has the ability to stretch the defense with his outside perimeter shooting skills. He has excellent basketball instincts and has improved as an all-around player. Kell currently sports offers from Belmont, Bucknell, Morehead State, Western Carolina, Winthrop, and USC-Upstate. Coach Twuan stated, 'Marcus Kell is a BALL PLAYER that gets it done on the court. He plays really hard and can score from all three levels.' While Kell has established himself as a high-level shooter, he has become much more versatile and dangerous as a complete player.
6'3 '22 Daniel Penosky (GPA: 4.8
We got a sneak preview of Daniel Penosky at our Coach Rick's TOC this past summer where he impressed us with his long-range shooting efficiency. Look for his stock to skyrocket this season under the leadership of Coach Twuan. Penosky is fundamentally sound, has a high basketball IQ, but simply plays the game extremely hard. He's a 'no non-sense' type player that is tough, scrappy and plays with a full throttle approach to the game. Coach Twuan stated, 'Daniel Penosky is probably the best kept secret in South Carolina. He can flat out play! He does it all for us, scores, rebounds and plays defense, but most importantly leads by example. He's slept on for now, but definitely won't be for long.'
Best of the Rest
While Shane Blakeney and Marcus Kell will bring most of the headlines for Legion Collegiate Academy, Coach Twuan has put together nice surrounding pieces to what will be a very well-balanced team. 6'1 '23 Kanye Nelson has been the starting point guard since his freshman season. Last season, Nelson averaged over 5 PPG and will be valuable experience and leadership entering his junior season. Coach Twuan also stated, 6'9 Timothy Salter, 6'1 Quinton Houston will both be bigtime contributors along with newcomer Tyson Bombick.
6'9 ’23 Timothy Salter
'Salter is big, strong and fast. He runs the floor like a deer, has a nice touch around the basket and is a sneaky good 3-point shooter. He has raw talent that can't be taught. In addition, Salter is a bigtime football prospect after this season.' Coach Twuan Wilson
6'1 ’23 Quentin Houston (GPA: 4.0)
'Houston is an energetic guard that immediately gets our momentum going when he gets in the game defensively.' Coach Twuan Wilson
6'3 '22 Tyson Bombick (GPA: 4.26)
'Bombick is a tough kid that battled through injuries to come back strong to help us become the winning team we want to be.' Coach Twuan Wilson
