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 Damori Lytch of Quality Education Academy.
We’ve seen Lytch several times over the course of the season, previously stating, “Finishing up, we look at a player who easily stood out as one of the top performers on display, Damori Lytch. He’s a long, athletic, high-motor forward prospect with a useful amount of skill and two-way versatility. Lytch wreaked havoc defensively, rebounded at a consistent rate, and did a little bit of everything offensively. His combination of size and skill caused matchup problems for the opposition. Next in his development process is working on the use of his off-hand, as it would make him a more complete player. Coach Mills on Lytch: “Damori is a big, strong man-child who already has a college body and plays the game with an old-school flavor. He was unstoppable in the high post and played downhill when he had the ball in his hands. He possesses an excellent three-point shot, has good hands, and was able to post up everyone in the camp. He’s also an excellent passer with good court vision. In my opinion, he was one of the best all-around players in the camp.” Lytch showed flashes of dominance at camp, securing the Hustle Award, and should be a key piece for Quality Education during his upcoming senior season.”
Since then, it’s actually quite shocking that Lytch hasn’t seen a massive uptick in his recruitment from scholarship-level programs. It doesn’t take very long to notice that he’s an incredibly freaky athlete with extremely long arms, powerful explosiveness, and a strong, muscular frame. Lytch is a tremendous finisher and two-way rebounding machine who forces the opposition to keep their head on a constant swivel. In a time where so many guys want to showcase their perimeter ability, he does a terrific job of playing to his strengths. Lytch anchors the paint defensively as a rim-protector, but also comfortably switches onto smaller opponents when necessary. He can hit the occasional jumper or attack off the bounce against opposing forwards/big men while maintaining his presence around the basket. Lytch is a tough, rugged, physical forward who consistently plays hard, does the dirty work, and imposes his will on both ends of the floor. More schools should be vying for his services at the next level.
