On Wednesday afternoon, Phenom Hoops stopped by Wakefield High School in Raleigh to check out this year’s Wolverine squad. They’re coming off of a 22-7 season in which they advanced to the second round of the playoffs, they graduated eight seniors.
6’3” 2025 Dylan Goodknecht
Goodknecht is coming off a highly productive summer with WCBA and is the Wolverines’ returning leader in scoring and three-point shooting. His ability to play 2-4 will be relied upon heavily by Coach Stevens. He’s a quality shooter, has a strong frame that allows him to handle contact and create rim attempts from straight line drives. He’s in line to be the main option for one of the most consistent programs in Wake County.
6’5” 2025 Colin Taylor
Taylor is their lone returning starter from last season and will jump into a much heavier role as opposed to a year ago. He plays with a good motor, has quality defensive instincts, and continues to grow as a scoring threat. He’s a solid shooter who should see an increase in volume this season. He’ll be relied upon, next to Goodknecht and Dudley, to handle much of the leadership responsibility along with an increase in workload.
5’9” 2025 Bishop Dudley
Dudley had a productive June with Wakefield, proving that he could carry the workload for this group when needed. He’s a dynamic, creative, and confident combo guard who will shoulder a large portion of the playmaking duties this season. He understands how to manipulate defenders with his change of pace and is a quality scorer off the dribble.
6’4” 2027 Avery Hicks
Hicks is a player I’ve been monitoring closely since he was playing 14u and it’s clear to see the strides he’s made within his development. Most obviously, he’s filled into his frame nicely, adding muscle and explosiveness to his once slender 6’4” frame. He’s improved as a shooter, especially off the catch, and has grown more and more comfortable handling and delivering contact on both ends of the floor. He’s an intriguing long term prospect and should garner some outside attention as he gets older.
6’2” 2027 Ethan Wisler
Despite being a high level baseball prospect, Wisler finds a way to be one of the more productive and consistent players in this basketball program. He was the leading scorer for the JV team last year as a freshman and is squarely in line to be a focal point of the varsity team this year. He’s very well-rounded as he doesn’t have a glaring weakness and is capable of adapting to a wide variety of roles and positions. He plays with a good IQ and understands how to make the right play all the time.
5’10” 2025 Kaamil Marshall
Marshall impressed me throughout the workout as he was arguably the best shooter in the gym. He has a strong frame which should make him a viable team defender. He was consistent all afternoon from beyond the arc and seems to have settled into his role as a 3&D wing. After not seeing the floor much a year ago, he should represent somewhat of an x-factor piece for the Wolverines.
6’3” 2027 Amir Lewis
Lewis is an athletic, explosive, and high motor piece who should provide great value on the defensive end. He stood out all afternoon thanks to his tenacity and unrelenting motor, playing harder than anyone in the gym for virtually every possession. He’s able to guard most every position and should provide a nice spark plug off the bench for the Wolverines this season.