It is finally upon us, the travel ball season is here. Live games, real referees, the feel of competition with your selected teams, you chose to be with. Many love this time of year, but without question, it is here.
Phenom's Opening kicks off the travel ball season around the Hoop State. This weekend will gather 75-plus teams from a 4 state region to kick off the next four or so months of their travel ball seasons.
There is so much talent in this basketball-rich region, to have the shoe sponsored teams mixing in with the non-shoe sponsored teams is a great litmus test. Depth usually prevails, but so can coaching.
One thing is for sure, with this much talent in the gym, players are certain to break out and make names for themselves…
The 2022s Playing
Team Felton, Team Charlotte, Team CP3 and Team Loaded NC all sent their 15u teams to play in this event. That makes for this age group to be incredibly stacked!!
Every year players are first seen at Phenom Hoops' travel ball tournaments, whether you have the likes of Jaden Springer, PJ Dozier or Dennis Smith Jr playing in the middle school (or freshman) division, it happens in every event, every year.
With these teams running through, it is sure to happen again, here. While most eyes will be fixated on the 17u bracket, do not let the 15u players slip away. After all, these players will be the household names soon enough, and you will be there, able to say you went to the Phenom Opening in 2019 and watched them before anyone else…
Team Charlotte Vs. Team Loaded NC
With seven shoe sponsored teams in North Carolina, these two could make a claim to be the very best this year. Both rosters are loaded with talent, from top to bottom, at every position.
At the 16u level, you have the likes of Jalen Hood Schifino for Team Charlotte and Elijah Jamison and Jalen McDonald for Team Loaded NC ' but the 17u is where everyone's eyes will be.
AJ Smith, Jaden Seymour, Tristan Maxwell is the Team Charlotte 3-headed monster. An aggressive downhill guard, and explosive switchable forward and a shot maker of the highest caliber with NBA bloodlines. There is a lot to love about that team, not to mention Head Coach Jeff McInnis' ability to make all of his teams play as hard as they possibly can.
Team Loaded NC has steadily built, from the Martin twins to Dennis Smith Jr and Bam Adebayo to Nate Hinton and Jayden Gardner, this team always has studs. Now, well they have the depth to go along with it. The East Coast's hottest prospect Josh Hall will suit up for Loaded NC. So will state champion Justin Wright, Top 50 2021 Carter Whitt and NCs #3 overall sophomore JaDun Michael. This team has size, length, and depth.
If the two match up in the championship game on Sunday (at Proehlfic Park), you will want to be front and center because this matchup will be EPIC!!
The Non-Shoe Sponsored Teams Competing
Of course Phenom Hoops' events will bring the shoe sponsored programs, the best of the best want to be seen, however, they also bring out the non-shoe programs who are trying to make a name for themselves. Phenom's Opening has just that exact right mix, the player’s college coaches already know and the player’s college coaches will soon start to make a priority.
NC Empire, WBC Elite, Renegades, Team Winston, Durham Hurricanes all have players whose games are PRIMED to be see and are scholarship ready. When you look at 6'10' Myles Evans at NC Empire, 6'1' Jajuan Carr at WBC Elite, 6'8' Devin Collins or 6'8' David Tubek at Renegades, 6'8' Sam Hood at Durham Hurricanes or even 6'4' Matthew Patterson/6'6' Zach Austin/6'7' Jakob Moore and others for Team Winston, they all have one thing in common ' every one of them is under recruited at this point AND every one of them is ready and primed to have MULTIPLE Division 1 offers by the end of April.
This event marks the start of their journey, now the exposure will take over and, when they play well, the coaches will see.