This past weekend, Phenom Hoops traveled out to Rise Indoor Sports for our annual March Madness. The event featured a lot of notable teams, prospects, and overall storylines worth following—including Team CP3 EYCL and their slew of enticing pieces. Coach Will Price is back at the helm and has the perfect collection of players to implement his vision. Their combination of IQ, passing, and shooting already makes this one of the more challenging opponents in the state. Add in their general talent level, and this group should be a real priority for college coaches. Let’s take a closer look…
Although each individual brings value to the table, the backcourt trio of Dane Cassada, Ayden Johnson, and Max Van Weerdhuizen represent the offensive identity for this team. Cassada is a highly skilled, intelligent player with knockdown perimeter shooting and terrific playmaking instincts. His ability to dictate the offense as a big creator not only opens up things for the aforementioned two, but also allows Cassada to pick his spots whenever available. He also rebounds well and forces turnovers at a solid rate defensively. Meanwhile, Johnson is a small, incredibly quick guard who shoots the ball at a high level—both off the catch and bounce. He’s a useful creator and capable passer who continues to make strides as a floor general. However, his shooting, change of pace, and ability to attack off the bounce makes him a lethal threat with or without the ball in his hands. Johnson is a scrappy defender at the point of attack. Rounding out the group, Weerdhuizen might be the best spot-up threat and off-ball mover of the three. He’s a capable creator with solid vision and the ability to score off the bounce. That being said, Weerdhuizen truly thrives as an off-ball threat with this group. He’s a smart player and terrific cutter who contains his assignment, gets to his spots in transition, and applies efficient pressure offensively. Weerdhuizen can do more as needed, but does a phenomenal job of playing to his strengths with this group.
Between Jordan Buzzard and JB Shabazz, they have a useful interior pairing. Buzzard is one of the most intriguing long-term prospects on the roster. He possesses an incredible array of physical tools and understands how to cause problems for opponents on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-7, Buzzard anchors the paint extremely well for this group. He utilizes his length properly to control the glass and alter shots around the basket. Buzzard displays great timing as a shot-blocker. He runs hard in transition, finishes above the rim, and spaces the floor as needed. On the other hand, Shabazz is a big, strong-bodied post who physically overwhelms opponents as a rebounder and interior scorer. He clears out space with ease, gobbles up second-chance opportunities, and converts with solid touch around the basket. Shabazz is also a nice passer for his size.
The final three remaining, Chris Gomez, Khaleel Benjamin, and Brady Bennett stand out as real x-factors for this group. Gomez is undoubtedly the best perimeter defender on the team. He provides a high motor, rugged approach, and the ability to produce in several different roles offensively. Though capable at initiating the offense, Gomez often finds scoring opportunities as a cutter and spot-up threat. Benjamin is a long, athletic forward who causes problems for opponents with his sheer energy as a rebounder and defender. He finishes well around the basket and can space the floor effectively from the perimeter. Bennett also has intrigue as a shooting threat with size and plenty of upside remaining. It’ll be fun to watch this team and see their continued growth over the coming months.
