At the beginning of each new year, Phenom Hoops works to assemble a series of articles centered around unsigned senior prospects. Last season, hundreds of players from North Carolina went on to play at the Division I, II, III or NAIA levels, and that number looks likely to continue increasing with the current senior class. Typically, we take a closer look at guys who are overlooked and underrated, and today's edition will highlight Kevon Vanderhorst of Trinity Academy.
We've seen Vanderhorst countless times, recently stating, 'Since then, there should only be more optimism surrounding Vanderhorst's abilities as a floor general. He's made massive strides over the last twelve months, both from a production and confidence standpoint. Vanderhorst is a steady, reliable point guard prospect with a nice balance between scoring and playmaking. Though he can burden the offensive load for stretches, he doesn't try to do too much. Vanderhorst is also a reliable shooter and capable of playing alongside another ball-handler as needed. He and Trevor Barrett will share creation responsibilities, (and given their roster shakeup) and should both find ways to shine for Trinity of Raleigh. Going into his junior season, folks should be well aware of Vanderhorst.' Later followed by, 'It's difficult to single out just one player from this balanced Team Curry roster, but Vanderhorst was certainly among the more productive pieces in this showing. He's a very smart, well-rounded floor general with vision, penetration ability, and perimeter shooting. Additionally, Vanderhorst is a scrappy on-ball defender with the necessary quickness and instincts to mirror opposing ball-handlers. He's simply a reliable two-way point guard.'
Since then, Vanderhorst has only continued to prove himself as a scholarship-worthy prospect. For starters, he's coming off a senior season where he posted nightly averages of 21.7 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 4.0 APG, and 1.4 SPG while leading the Tigers to a 22-6 record. Since becoming the starting point guard, Vanderhorst has won 80% of his games while being adaptable to whatever it takes to put his team in a winning position. He's an excellent penetrator with the blend of quickness, craftiness, and explosiveness to apply constant pressure around the rim. Vanderhorst makes smart passes, scores from multiple levels, and outworks his assignment defensively. He's a capable rebounder for his size and does a great job of pushing the break in transition. It's surprising that he doesn't have more action within his recruitment, as Vanderhorst should appeal to a variety of different programs.
