On Monday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Piedmont Classical for a battle between the hosting Bobcats and the visiting Titans of Trinity Collegiate School. Coming from South Carolina, the Titans brought their slew of talent to the Hoopstate and looked more than ready to compete. On the other side, Coach Brown has consistently found ways to get the best out of this group since taking over as head coach earlier this season. Either way, both teams have plenty of college-level prospects worthy of attention. This game was set to be an entertaining contest, regardless of result. Let’s see how things ironed out…
It didn’t take long for the Titans to assert themselves as the aggressor, quickly establishing a lead and extending it throughout the quarter. They led 19-6 after the first eight minutes of play, but the Bobcats continued to battle. The second period would actually favor Piedmont Classical, as they won the quarter and subsequently trimmed the deficit to 31-19. After the break, Trinity Collegiate maintained their fairly methodical approach and continued to apply pressure on both ends of the floor. The third quarter was pretty close (50-34), but the Titans would ultimately go on to secure a 72-40 victory over Piedmont Classical.
Trinity Collegiate:
6’8 ’22 Bessanty Saragba
After watching his development since entering the Carolinas, it’s clear that Saragba has progressed over the recent months. He’s always been a long, fluid, mobile interior prospect, but his feel, toughness, and overall body control have all drastically improved. Saragba was extremely impressive as a low-maintenance post prospect, primarily only looking to secure rebounds, alter shots, and capitalize as needed on offense. He dominated the glass with relative ease, ran the floor hard in transition, and consistently put himself in scoring positions. Saragba appeared capable of finding offensive chances when posting-up, diving in screen actions, battling for second-chance points, and through dump-off passes. It would be very difficult to point out any negatives from this showing. Saragba should be coveted by various scholarship-level programs. Final stats: 24 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
6’3 ’22 LeBron Thomas
The Titans were quite impressive from start to finish, largely thanks to Thomas and his all-around leadership for this squad. His pace, toughness, and passer-friendly game really set the tone for this group. Thomas effortlessly controls the action with the ball in his hands, displaying poise, patience, and a willingness to find the best available shot. He touches the paint at will and possesses the blend of vision, strength, and athleticism to finish or set up his teammates with consistency. Thomas showed the ability to score the ball in various different ways, but still understands how to play to his strengths and attack downhill whenever possible. Like his teammate above, more scholarship-level schools should be involved. Final stats: 23 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks.
6’5 ’25 Tristan Thompson
Although Thompson is the youngest player on the roster, it’s easy to get excited about his potential growth over these next few years. He shined in the travel ball season, and has shown no signs of turning back with Trinity Collegiate. Given his age, Thompson’s IQ and versatility stand out as much as anything. He possesses nice size and understands how to properly utilize it on both ends of the floor. Thompson plays hard, does the little things, and possesses a blossoming skillset. He will remain one to monitor. Final stats: 6 points, 3 steals, and 1 block.
Other Noteworthy Contributors:
6’3 ’22 Edmundas Dovilitis- 10 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
6’3 ’22 Dalon Edwards- 4 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists
6’8 ’22 Ryan D’Joussa- 2 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block
6’7 ’22 Jamie Muldowney- 6 rebounds
Piedmont Classical:
6’3 ’22 Brent Randleman
Despite some struggles as a team, Randleman continues to do whatever possible to propel this group forward. He’s consistently tasked with burdening the offensive load, and understands how to capably dictate the action as the Bobcats’ main focal point. Randleman can apply scoring pressure from all three levels while containing his assignment and making an impact on the glass. He continues to warrant attention from various college programs. Final stats: 16 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal.
6’8 ’23 Kahlif Barnes
Similar to his teammate above, Barnes battled to make his presence felt on both ends of the floor until the final buzzer. His size, strength, and bouncy nature allows him to outwork opponents on the glass. Barnes plays hard and does a great job of securing multiple rebounds on the same possession. He also runs the floor hard in transition and continues to show flashes of ability as a floor-spacer on offense. Final stats: 8 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block, and 1 steal.
Other Noteworthy Contributors:
6’0 ’23 Nigel Vincent- 4 points, 1 block, and 1 steal
6’5 ’22 Adam Vincent- 5 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 blocks
5’9 ’22 Noah Clark- 4 points and 2 rebounds
