The Phenom Top 80 event is the top showcase in the state, if not one of the more talent packed ones in the nation. Every year Phenom brings the best freshmen, sophomores, and juniors in the state under one roof and let them measure themselves versus the best of the best. Look on the rosters of college programs all over the nation and you will find kids that have played in this prestigious event. With so much talent on hand kids know coming in the door that they need to bring their A games. Show well and see your stock rise like never before. Don’t bring it, and you miss out on a tremendous opportunity. With that being said, who caught our eye' Some of the standouts from this event were as follows:
Emmanuel Izunabor, 6’9 2019 F at Fayetteville Academy
We have really enjoyed watching Emmanuel grow as a player. Blessed with great size and strength he is starting to come into his own as a player. He still gets by mostly on his size but you can see the skills starting to come out as well. His defense and rebounding are still ahead of his offensive game at this point but in an up and down format like we had at this event where he can just go play and be an athlete he shows easily why schools like ECU have reached out to him. Talented player still has a ton of upside. Whoever gets him will like what they get once he develops.
Nicholas Evtimov, 6’8 2019 F at Greensboro Day
GDS always seems to have highly skilled and talented kids on campus like Evitimov. He has nice size, good hands/feet, feel for the game, and hoops IQ that allows him to play at a higher level than most his size. He can bang inside, knock down shots from the outside, and handle the ball well enough that you are not screaming for him to find a guard if he decides to push the tempo off the rebound. Spin move into the lane is a weapon for him. Typ9cal type of high floor type player you expect to come out of GDS system.
Derrick Robertson, 6’ 2019 G at Athens Drive HS
Derrick is another RDU G that is making noise in the state. Slender playmaker was in the mix of everything it seemed like when he was on the floor making plays at both ends regularly. Showed he could break you down to get into the lane, set guys up for looks, feed the post, and get his from deep when needed. Slight frame will fill out and with the added strength to compliment his speed he will be that much more of a handful for teams to deal with. Showed well in this format.
Evan Joyner, 6’8 2020 F at Piedmont Classical
Evan is an exciting young athlete in the 2020 class. He is a bit on the skinny side but showed the type of bounce and athletic ability you look for in a next level player. Still a bit raw at this point but shows the tools needed to be a factor at the next level. He flows to the ball well, shows instincts, has good hands, and makes good passes. As he continues to fill out and grow his game expect to see his stock take off. 6’8 athletes like this don’t just grow on trees. He will be highly sought after before it is all said in done.
Myles Hunter, 6’5 2019 at North Mecklenburg HS
Back to back strong showings here from Myles at a Phenom event. Showed out last weekend at the 150 event then comes out and shows it was no fluke the following one in the 80 versus the best in the state. Great shoulders on this kid and huge wingspan suggest there is more to come from a growth/strength standpoint. Nice athletic ability to be had here along with a decent motor. Will need to elevate his skill level some, as he is getting by more on athleticism than skill but the tools are there to be developed. Bouncy and long athletes like Myles always find a home at the next level. Expect his recruitment to take the next step after his showing here.