On Monday, Phenom Hoops traveled out to R.J. Reynolds for their high school jamboree, which featured a variety of competitive teams throughout the area. There were numerous standouts during the event, and this article will take a closer look at each…
6’1 ’23 Will Gray (East Forsyth)
After writing a pretty lengthy dissertation about Gray from this past weekend, he goes out and continues to absolutely dominate. Sure, my personal likening for the two-way floor general has always been clear, but there is simply no bias needed when the eye-test and raw statistical evidence continues to take precedent. For folks who were unaware, Gray’s Monday outing were his sixth and seventh games across a three-day stretch—and there was zero drop-off in ability, leadership, and willingness to compete. Though he was quite easily the top player in the building, Gray still looked to get everyone involve, adapt to any team needs, and set the tone by example on both ends of the floor. He seems to check every box, both in terms of intangibles and on-court ability. His lack of recruitment is frustrating, but more college coaches will have to get involved sooner than later.
6’10 ’23 Wyatt Mowery (RJ Reynolds)
Although we’ve seen Mowery in various different settings, he’s arguably at his best with his high school team. It’s easy to see his progression over the recent months, as he does a great job of finishing, rebounding, blocking shots, and spacing the floor at 6-foot-10. Mowery moves well, especially for his size, and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He possesses a nice blend of touch, strength, and athleticism. Mowery plays hard, runs the floor properly in transition, and is willing to do the dirty work on either side of the ball. He should only continue to progress, and subsequently attract various types of coaches over the coming months.
6’3 ’23 Jordan Davis (East Surry)
Similar to the entry above, we’ve seen Davis countless times with the NC Spartans but this was our first real viewing with East Surry. While he clearly carries more responsibility with this group, his identity and approach are largely the same. Davis is a smart, well-rounded wing prospect with a natural understanding of how to affect all facets of the game as a leader or glue-guy. He can reliably pass, handle, shoot, and create off the bounce, but also shows emphasis on making hustle plays and doing the little things. Davis leads by example, especially with this group, and was the Cardinals’ most productive piece in each showing. He is a college-level player.
5’10 ’25 Chris Mitchell (Northern Guilford)
Despite being the youngest and only non-senior featured in this list, Mitchell remains a name worth noting. He’s a smart, quick, scrappy floor general who already knows how to outwork his assignment on both ends of the floor. Mitchell utilizes his crafty handle and sharp first step to effortlessly get by defenders, touch the paint, and make quality reads with the ball in his hands. He finishes well, especially for his size, but primarily looks to find the open man whenever attacking. Mitchell is a respectable perimeter shooter with a nice midrange pull-up and overall change of pace. He also mirrors opposing ball-handlers quite well and forces turnovers on a regular basis. Mitchell is already quite talented, but expect him to only get better and better going forward.
6’5 ’23 Trey Tisdale (RJ Reynolds)
Given our viewings of the Winston 76ers, we were already quite familiar with Tisdale and his skilled, adaptable game. He’s a smooth, fairly well-rounded wing/forward prospect with great size and a polished scoring arsenal from all levels. Tisdale is able to comfortably initiate the offense or find ways to apply pressure without the ball in his hands. He possesses an excellent jumper, but also understands how to mix it up as a creator. Tisdale is a useful passer, defender, and rebounder who can carve out a role with pretty much any collection of teammates. College coaches would be wise to take notice sooner than later, as he will be a major piece for the Demons this season.