Phenom Hoop Report

Scouting Report: Monday, January 23^rd, 2012

Event: Penny Hardaway’s Hoop Fest

Evaluator: Rick Lewis

Twitter: @Coach_Rick57

Website: www.phenomhoopreport.com

Phenom Quote of the Day: “Play as a team and eliminate all thoughts of personal glory.”

Phenom Hoop Report Philosophy: “Balanced, thorough and detailed evaluations based upon the 3 P’s philosophy of Performance, Production, and Potential”

In today’s issue, we will take a close look at the inaugural Penny Hardaway Hoopfest that was held at Memphis White Station High School on January 20-21^st, 2012. The Hoopfest was a showcase of national teams going up against the best teams in the Memphis area. More importantly, tournament director Travis Haddock put together a well organized and professional tournament with the proceeds going directly to the St. Jude Children Research Hospital. In speaking with Mr. Haddock, the tournament raised over $7,000 that will be donated to this worthy cause. Congratulations to Mr. Haddock for a successful and enjoyable tournament! According to Mr. Haddock, “the talent in Memphis is as good as anywhere else in America and far better than most places, it is extremely rare to have elite teams from other regions come play here. Perhaps part of the problem is that Memphis prep teams are feared, or maybe the larger reason is that no one in this area has put forth the effort to invite the best teams in the country to an event in the Bluff City.” One thing is for certain, the players and teams from Memphis play extremely hard and competitive no matter the competition.

In the one Friday afternoon contest, it was Our Savior New American (New York) winning 62-55 over Ensworth of Tennessee. Ensworth is a traditional Tennessee 2A power house and has won two of the last three Tennessee 2A state championships. Leading the way for Our Savior 6’2 senior guard Nick Lewis with 16 points. He went 5-12 from the floor (2-7 from the 3 point line) and an automatic 4-4 from the free throw line. Lewis is a silky smooth WG that has excellent athleticism and has an outstanding shooter’s touch. Nick Lewis is definitely one of the top unsigned senior shooting guards in the country. 6’1 8^th grader Devonte Green played like a season’s veteran and tallied 10 points. However, the best player on the court was 6’9 Christopher Obekpa as he finished with 11 points going 5-7 from the floor and 1-2 from the free throw line. While the official statistician had Obekpa down for 7 rebounds, but it did indeed seem like he had more than indicated and had at least a half dozen block shots. Without question, Obekpa has to be one of the top unsigned senior big men in the country. Obekpa is oozing with raw talent and athleticism and like many athletic big men; their defense is more advanced than their offensive game, although Obekpa went an impressive 5-7 from the floor. Enswoth was led by 6’2 senior guard William Downey who finished with 19 points. Downey went 7-14 from the floor (5-12 from the 3 point line). In addition, it was 5’10 junior PG Corn Elder that contributed in a big way as well as he chipped in 11 points and even more impressive 8 rebounds. Ensworth went 22-56 from the floor (8-32 from the 3 point) and only shot 3-3 from the free throw line. On the other hand, Our Savior went 25-49 from the floor (3-11 from the 3 point line) and 9-18 from the free throw line. The biggest lead for My Savior was 18 points, but the relentless and aggressive Ensworth team made the game competitive down the stretch.

In the next contest, it was the Oak Hill Warriors earning a hard fought win over defending Tennessee state 3A champions Craigmont. Oak Hill won the contest by the score of 69-66; it was the clutch free throw throwing that secured the victory. Oak Hill was led by 6’6 WF Jordan Adams with 24 points. Adams went 9-15 from the floor (2-6 from the 3 point line) and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line. Tyler Lewis and D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera both finished with 14 points. Lewis went 4-11 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and 5-6 from the free throw line. Smith-Rivera went 3-9 from the floor (0-1 from the 3 point line) and an impressive 8-9 from the free throw line with many of them coming in the last minute of play. Smith-Rivera was saddled with foul trouble as he picked up his 4^th foul late in the 3^rd quarter, but he played smart and avoided any other fouls. 7’0 AJ Hammons finished with 8 points going 3-3 from the floor and 2-2 from the free throw line. He had 8 rebounds and 4 blocked shots for the game and a two crucial blocks in the final minute of play. Hammons committed an unusual seven turnovers for the Warriors as being his only negative for the game. 6’1 junior guard Sam Craft led the way for Craigmont with 18 points. Craft went 8-16 from the floor (2-3 from the 3 point line) while backcourt guard Jordan Washington tallied 15 points going 9-12 from the floor (2-5 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line. In addition, Ladarius Coleman chipped in 10 points for the upset minded Craigmont.

Oak Hill took a 14 point lead in the 3^rd quarter, but Craigmont outscored Oak Hill by converting on 7-10 three point shots in the second half and we are talking about downtown 3 pointers for Craigmont. Oak Hill shot 23-48 from the floor for 48% (3-11 from the 3 point line for 27%) but won the game at the free throw line going an impressive 20-24 for the game. On the other hand, Craigmont went 27-58 from the floor for 47% (7-15 from the 3 point line) and only went 5-8 from the free throw line. Oak Hill is now 30-0 for the season.

In the Friday night finally, it was Montverde of Florida squeaking out a 76-70 victory over Memphis White Station. Montverde was led by 6’1 junior PG Kasey Hill (Florida verbal) with 21 points going 7-12 from the floor (1-1 from the 3 point line) and 4-7 from the free throw line. His performance Friday night showcased why he is considered one of the premier point guards in the 2013 class. Hill is known more of a slashing PG that loves to dribble penetrate and finish near or around the basket illustrated a diversified game with a much improved ability to knock down open jumpers. Hill’s jumper has excellent elevation, and his shot has beautiful rotation that makes him more of an offensive threat on the court. In addition to Hill, 6’3 senior SG Michael Frazier (Florida signee) and 6’9 Anthony Perez (Ole Miss Signee) were equally impressive. Frazier and Perez both scored 21 and 18 points respectively. The trio of Hill, Frazier, and Perez combined to score 60 of the team’s 76 points. Leading the way for White Station was 6’7 sophomore sensation Leon Black with a game high 28 points and a whopping 13 rebounds for the impressive double-double performance. Black went 8-18 from the floor (0-4 from the 3 point line) and 12-15 from the free throw line. Simply put, Black was exceptional for the home team. In addition, 5’8 freshman PG Niche Smith is a name to put in the memory bank. Smith tallied 17 points going an efficient 5-8 from the floor (1-2 from the 3 point line) and 6-8 from the free throw line. Smith has tremendous speed and quickness, but utilizes the stutter step and reverse spin dribble move to perfection. Throughout the game, it looked like Montverde was in total command but the competitive spirit and passionate play of White Station took a one point lead with approximately 3 minutes left in the game. Montverde rallied and then went on an 11-0 run to ice the game for the visitors from Florida.

While the action on Friday night was fast and furious, the action on Saturday was filled with the upset by Memphis Ridgeway over Montverde by the score of 73-69. Montverde enjoyed a lead of 9 points midway through the first half and again appeared well on their way to another win, but Ridgeway kept bouncing back and pulled off the upset. For Ridgeway, it was a total team effort and balance scoring was the call of the day as four Ridgeway players scored in double figures. Leading the way was 6’6 senior WF Kordario Fleming with 16 points, while 6’0 senior PG Cameron Golden and 6’3 senior SG Adam Wearly both tallied 15 points while 6’7 senior PF Craig Hill chipped in 11 points. Fleming and Wearly are both strong and athletic WF/PF that is bouncy and aggressive, but the one player that stood out was senior PG Cameron Golden. Golden was tough as nails and also sports excellent athleticism but managed to dictate and control the tempo for Ridgeway. Leading the way for Montverde was senior SG Michael Frazier who had two excellent back to back performances. Frazier finished with a game high 29 points going 9-15 from the floor (5-10 from the 3 point line) and a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. Frazier was the only player for Montverde in double figures while 6’9 Anthony Perez was close with 8 points. Unfortunately for Montverde, 6’1 junior PG Kasey Hill had an off night with 6 points going 2-9 from the floor (0-3 from the 3 point line) and 2-4 from the free throw line. The game was tied 9 times and had 6 lead changes and the game went right down to the wire before Ridgeway pulled off the huge upset.

Up next was the game between Oak Hill and another traditional Memphis powerhouse Melrose. Oak Hill jumped on Melrose early and was clicking on all cylinders and took a commanding 59-33 lead, but Melrose rallied to make the game closer at the end before the Warriors pulled out the 76-71 win. Leading the way for Oak Hill was 6’3 senior WG D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera with 26 points. Smith-Rivera went 8-17 from the floor (6-10 from the 3 point line) and a perfect 4-4 from the free throw line and also dished out 5 assists.  6’6 Jordan Adams chipped in 22 points going 8-14 from the floor (3-7 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line while backcourt PG Tyler Lewis chipped in 19 points. Lewis went 5-12 from the floor (3-8 from the 3 point line) and perfect 6-6 free throws. In addition, Lewis dished out 6 assists. Jordan Adams also collected 7 rebounds, had 2 steals, 2 blocks and dished out 3 assists for a solid all around performance. The trio of Smith-Rivera, Adams and Lewis combined for 67 of the 76 points scored. Leading the way for Melrose was 6’5 junior WG Markel Crawford with 26 points. Crawford went 11-20 from the floor (1-7 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line. Three other players for Melrose scored in double figures with 6’2 senior SG Davonte Hampton chipped in 15 points while 6’7 sophomore PF Chris Jefferson chipped in 11 points while 5’10 junior PG Kenneth Goodwin tallied 10 points. The key different in the game was the deadly outside shooting of Oak Hill as they converted on 14-29 3 pointers for 48.3% while Ridgeway went 8-27 for 29.6%.

In the finally for Saturday night, it was Simeon of Chicago going away with the win by the score of 73-54. 6’8 junior Jabari Parker and 6’8 senior PF Steve Taylor were both equally impressive for Simeon as both recorded a double-double. Parker finished with 18 points and 11 rebounds as he went 8-12 from the floor. On the other hand and not to be outdone by Parker, Taylor played probably one of his best games of the year. Taylor tallied 17 points and 10 rebounds, but Taylor shown more of a power game against Southwind. 6’5 junior elite level athlete JaJuan Johnson led the way with 21 points while 6’9 junior Jonathan Williams tallied 15 points. Without question, Johnson showcased his high level athleticism and his acrobatic dunks simply brought the house down on several occasions. Johnson has the rare blend of explosiveness and skill as he has a feathery touch from the outside. In addition, Williams will make a great face up PF at the next level as he too showcased his ability to step out and knock down the open 15 foot jumper.

THE GREENSBORO BATTING CENTER TURNS 25 YEARS OLD!

On Sunday, February 26, 2012, THE GREENSBORO BATTING CENTER will be celebrating its 25th Anniversary.  Everyone is invited to help us mark this wonderful achievement with a “THANK YOU DAY”. The event will take place at The Greensboro Batting Center at 3917 High Point Road in Greensboro from 1:00pm-6:00pm. T-Shirts and Caps will be given out FREE as well as refreshments, not to mention, token specials all day long. MAJOR prizes will be raffled, too. 

THE GREENSBORO BATTING CENTER opened its doors for the first time on Creekridge Road in Greensboro on February 28^th, 1987.  Two expansions and 25 years later, we are still going strong. Owner and founder of the Greensboro Batting Center, Alan Ashkinazy just finished playing for the Greensboro Hornets in August of 1986 and two months later was released by the Boston Red Sox. Trying to stay in baseball, Alan created THE GREENSBORO BATTING CENTER and the rest is history.

The Greensboro Batting Center is one of the longest running indoor baseball/softball practice facility in the country. Please go to greensborobatting.com for more information including a look at our Hall Of Fame to see what college and professional players have trained at The Greensboro Batting Center over 25 years. We hope you can join us for this special occasion.

Phenom Hoop Report

Scouting Report: Tuesday, January 17^th, 2012

Event: Hoop Hall Classic & NC MLK Scholastic Showcase

Evaluator: Rick Lewis

Twitter: @Coach_Rick57

Website: www.phenomhoopreport.com

Phenom Quote of the Day: “Play as a team and eliminate all thoughts of personal glory.”

Phenom Hoop Report Philosophy: “Balanced, thorough and detailed evaluations based upon the 3 P’s philosophy of Performance, Production, and Potential”

In today’s issue, we will review the action at the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall Basketball Hall of Fame Classic and the 10^th Annual MLK Day North Carolina Scholastic Classic. We have a lot to cover so let’s get started.

Prior to leaving for the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall of Fame Classic, Oak Hill returned to school after a ten day lay-off. They played Christian Faith Academy and won easily by the score of 87-57. Jordan Adams led the way with 25 points going 10-21 from the floor (1-4 from the 3 point line) and 4-6 from the free throw line. He also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double for another solid all around performance. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera tallied 18 points going 6-11 from the floor (3-5 from the 3 point line) and 3-4 from the free throw line. Tyler Lewis pumped in 17 points going 5-11 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and 6-8 from the free throw line. Lewis also dished out 5 assists and had 3 steals. AJ Hammons also finished with a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds. Oak Hill now stood with a 26-0 record and traveled to Springfield, Massachusetts against national powerhouse and the prestigious City of Palms Champions Prestonwood High School of Texas.

Oak Hill jumped on Prestonwood early and never looked back as they recorded an impressive 85-55 win over a really good team. One of the unsung heroes for Oak Hill was 7’0 senior center AJ Hammons. Hammons set the tone early on both ends of the court. While his stat line will not wow you, but it was his enormous frame and girth that created problems for 6’9 Junior All American Julius Randle and 6’9 Kansas signee Zach Peters. Hammons finished with 6 points and 8 rebounds while blocking 4 shots and even dished out 2 assists. More importantly, Hammons altered countless shots for the opposing team and his presence alone in the middle was huge. Leading the way for Oak Hill was Jordan Adams with 23 points. Adams was an efficient 9-14 from the floor (5-7 from the 3 point line) and had 4 rebounds, 3 steals and 3 assists. Simply put, this was Adams best game of the season and it came at the opportune time. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera tallied 16 points going 5-17 from the floor (2-9 from the 3 point line) and 4-4 from the free throw line and also dished out 4 assists. Tyler Lewis finished with 15 points going 5-9 from the floor (3-4 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. Lewis also dished out 10 assists and had 4 rebounds and recorded 4 steals to record an effective and efficient floor game. Charlotte signee 6’6 PF Darion Clark also got into double figures with 10 points going 5-6 from the floor and also collected 6 rebounds.

For Prestonwood, 6’9 PF Julius Randle finished with 23 points going 10-23 from the floor (0-3 from the 3 point line) and went 3-3 from the free throw line. Randle also collected a team high 9 rebounds. Kansas signee Zach Peters tallied 9 points going 3-9 from the floor and 3-5 from the free throw line. Peters also collected 4 rebounds for Prestonwood. Rounding out the bright spots for Prestonwood was 6’8 freshman sensation Mickey Mitchell who some are already touting as the best freshman in the country. Mitchell finished with 9 points going 3-9 from the floor (3-6 from the 3 point line.

For the game, Oak Hill shot the ball extremely well and they went 51% from the floor and an impressive 52% from the 3 point line. They also went 8-8 from the free throw line. On the other hand, Prestonwood shot 38% for the game and only 27% from the 3 point line. That being said, the big difference in the game was the ability of Oak Hill to share the ball as they had 19 assists for the game.

In another marquee matchup on Saturday, Gonzaga (Washington DC) defeated Riverside of New Orleans by the score of 77-65. The star of the game belonged to 6’6 junior Kris Jenkins as he tallied a game high 30 points going 12-16 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 4-6 from the free throw line. Jenkins also grabbed 11 rebounds to record an impressive double-double. We went back to the Phenom Hoop Report archives from August 2010 and this is what we had to say about Jenkins two years ago.

August, 2010

Player: 6’6 Kris Jenkins

High School: Gonzaga

Hometown: Upper Marlboro

Class: 2013

Phenom Hoop Report: HM-

Jenkins is a strong and powerful PF that uses his strength extremely well. HE may be one of the best young 6’6 PF that really knows how to use his body and post up on the block. He has really soft hands and does an excellent job of finishing in the paint. In addition to being a strong PF, he has the ability to step out and know down the open 15 foot jumper to be a nice face up 4.

It looks like we were again spot on in our evaluation of Jenkins two summers ago!

6’1 junior PG Nate Britt finished with 16 points going 7-16 from the floor (0-1 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. Britt dished out 2 assists, but had an enormously high 8 turnovers for the game. For Riverside, it was 6’8 senior PF Ricardo Gathers leading the way with 22 points going 8-21 from the game (0-2 from the 3 point line) and 6-7 from the free throw line. Gathers also grabbed 8 rebounds for the game. Gathers is simply a “man among boys” and his strong physical play always leaves you with a lasting impression of the coveted unsigned senior. Gathers already sports a NBA body and knows how to use his body extremely well in the post area. That being said, we felt Gathers settled for too many midrange jumpers and didn’t attack the basket as in previous tournaments.  In addition, he does have a nice mid range jumper. We were also impressed with the play of senior SG Lucas Martin-Julien who finished with 19 points. Martin-Julien went 8-17 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 1-2 from the free throw line. That being said, college coaches should put the following names in their SIM card for future reference. 6’1 freshman PG Tharvon Julien finished with 11 points going 4-7 from the floor (1-1 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. While he does possess outstanding speed and quickness, the next step in his development is to play more under control and cut down on careless turnovers, which is typical of a young PG. Another name to remember is 6’9 8^th grader Khalea Turner who finished with 7 points. This young man has a soft touch around the basket and has huge and soft hands which are a complete luxury for big men.

The game changing stat was the inability of Riverside to take care of the basketball. Riverside committed 19 turnovers and only had 7 assists for the game. On the other hand, Gonzaga had 15 turnovers but had 16 assists for the game.

We will now move to the action on Monday at the 10^th Annual MLK Day North Carolina Scholastic Classic and finish with some final thoughts on the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall Classic.

In one of the day’s most surprising games was between High Point Wesleyan and Greenfield. HPW entered the contest with a 10-3 record and has one of the state’s most talented trios in 6’7 senior SF Montay Brandon (Florida State), 6’5 sophomore WG Theo Pinson, and 6’0 sophomore PG Jaquel Richmond. Greenfield is led by 6’8 senior WF Aaron Roundtree (Wake Forest) and 6’4 senior WF Sam Hughes (UNC-Asheville) who was the difference maker for the game as Greenfield won going away with a 73-64 victory over High Point Wesleyan. Between Brandon, Pinson, Richmond and Roundtree, you have four high major college players, but it was the play of Hughes that made the biggest impression. Hughes finished the game with 22 points while Roundtree had another all around performance with 15 points. In addition, Greenfield got balance scoring as 5’11 senior PG T.J. Hinnant chipped in 14 points while 6’3 junior SG Jordan Sharpe finished with 10 points. Theo Pinson led the way for HPW with 16 points while Montay Brandon chipped in 15 points and Jacquel Richmond finished with 12 points. While Greenfield’s coach Rob Salter is one of the state’s best coaches, he too was surprised with the impressive win over a very talented Wesleyan team. Greenfield who is ranked number 1 in the NCISAA 1-A  led by as many as 17 points in the 3^rd quarter over the NCISAA 3-A number 5 team in the 3^rd quarter. Greenfield now moves to 16-1 for the season while High Point Wesleyan drops to 10-4.

In the city matchup between private school Greensboro Day and Greensboro Smith, it was Coach Freddy Johnson and the Bengals winning easily over cross town Smith by the score of 61-48. As usual, it was a total team effort on behalf of Greensboro Day and balanced scoring once again was the point of the day for the Bengals. 6’3 senior SG Reed Lucas led the way with 17 points and his stock continues to soar. Lucas has always been an excellent catch and shoot player, but he has added strength and athleticism to his game and is able to put the ball on the floor with authority as he made a nifty baseline cross-over move for a beautiful slam dunk that put the explanation point for his MVP performance. Without question, schools in the Big South and Southern Conference should definitely be recruiting his young man. He has outstanding basketball IQ and has a great feel for the game. 6’7 senior PF Quayshad Williams chipped in 10 points and is quickly regaining his stamina after pre-season injuries. Williams made a big time college low post move where he had a drop step and then went in for a reverse layup that showcased his skill and ability. He is another player area schools in the Big South and Southern Conference should be recruiting. 6’7 junior Christian Hairston finished with 9 points while 5’10 PG Eastern Michigan signee Jalen Ross chipped in 8 points. Hairston is a long and athletic WF that rebounded well and has the ability to put the ball on the floor. Ross is simply the engine of the Bengals well balanced team. He is a heady PG that plays with excellent poise and will be an excellent prospect for Eastern Michigan. Greensboro Smith was led by 6’5 senior WF Adrian Wimbach with 15 points while 6’3 senior WG Tracy Gathings chipped in 14 points.

In the fifth game of the day, it was Oak Hill Academy vs. Greensboro Dudley. Oak Hill was fresh off its impressive win Saturday over Prestonwood and flew home Sunday. Oak Hill players attended class on Monday and then made the 2 ½ hour drive down to the Greensboro Coliseum. Oak Hill won easily by the score of 84-58 and it was another good homecoming for senior PG Tyler Lewis. Lewis finished with 21 points going 7-11 from the floor (2-4 from the 3 point line) and 5-6 from the free throw line. Jordan Adams tallied 16 points going 6-15 from the floor (2-7 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. AJ Hammons continued his impressive play with 10 points, 8 rebounds and 4 block shots while RJ Curington enjoyed double digit scoring with 10 points going 4-7 from the floor (1-1 from the 3 point line) and 1-3 from the free throw line. D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera finished with 9 points going 4-9 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) The top player for Greensboro Dudley is 6’1 junior PG Sam Hunt who is a legitimate division one prospect. Oak Hill now moves to 28-0 for the season and should secure the number one spot in both USA Today and the ESPN high school poll.

In the final game of the day and the most exciting game, it was High Point Christian squeaking out a 59-58 OT win over Quality Education. Leading 52-48 with less than a minute remaining, HPC could have iced the game on several occasions but missed 7-8 free throws that allowed QEA to get back into the game. Coach Brandon Clifford and HPC moves to an impressive 19-0 record for the season while QEA falls to 12-4. Leading the way for HPC was 5’11 junior PG Diante Baldwin with 23 points. Baldwin is a crafty and quick PG that can easily get into the lane. Without question, Baldwin is a solid division I prospect and area schools in the Big South and Southern Conference should continue to monitor and recruit. Baldwin attended the 8^th Annual NC Phenom 150 Camp last October and below is our evaluation of him.

Player: 5’11 Diante Baldwin

Hometown: Greensboro, NC

School: High Point Christian

Grade: 11 (Class: 2013)

Evaluation: IQ Baldwin recently “reclassed” to the 2013 class with his transfer to High Point Christian and he is another name MM schools will want to monitor. Baldwin has “sneaky” athleticism and has exceptional ball handling and passing skills. He sees the floor really well. Baldwin does have good strength and athleticism and even had a few nice dunks in transition. Overall, Baldwin is a very active PG that has good fundamentals and basketball.

Next up for HPC is the ever improving Jackson Kent. The 6’7 junior WF has always been known as a “lights out” shooter, but he has improved his athleticism and especially his lateral quickness. He has also shown the ability to handle the PG responsibilities if need be. Kent also attended the NC Phenom 150 camp last October and here’s what he had to say about him then.

Player: 6’7 Jackson Kent

Hometown: Greensboro, NC

School: High Point Christian

Grade: 11 (Class 2013)

Evaluation: Kent recently transferred to High Point Christian and reclassed to the 2013 class. Kent is another regular at the NC Phenom 150 camp and I’m totally impressed with his improvement over the past year. Basically known as a “dead eye” from the 3 point territory, he has worked hard on his ball handling and passing skills and has really raised his level of play. He even played PG at times at camp. Kent is excellent in transitions and with improved strength and quickness, he is more comfortable attacking the basket and finishing well. He has always been a fundamentally sound player with a high basketball IQ and is a legit D1 prospect.

That being said, Kent continued improvement will garnish interest from mid majors and even some high majors. Currently, Kent has the overall skills and ability to score and the next step in his development is to gain strength. If he continues to improve as much in the next two years as he has in the past year, don’t be surprised to see him playing at a high level. Kent finished with 16 points. 6’11 junior center Chuck Ogbodo played with a severe ankle sprain and gave 100% effort, but it was evident he was having trouble playing on it. He had little to no elevation but one has to give the young man tons of credit for playing with heart and passion. Below is our evaluation from our NC Phenom 150 Camp on Ogbodo.

Player: 6’11 Chuck Ogbodo

Hometown: High Point, NC

School: High Point Christian

Grade: 11 (Class: 2013)

Evaluation: Ogbodo is a very long and athletic center that is starting to garnish interest from ACC schools. He is a quick leaper and is excellent in transition. He has a tremendous wing span and is definitely a defensive presence in the paint. He alters and blocks a lot of shots due to this length and timing. Like many athletic big men, he is more advanced on the defensive end of the floor, but is making huge strides in his overall offensive development. If he continues to improve his overall game in the next year as he has in the past year, he will definitely be a major target of HM schools. When you are 6’11 young, energetic, athletic and have the length, quickness and bounce, high majors will quickly take notice. The next step for his development is play hard consistently on both ends of the court.

Leading the way for Quality Education was 6’4 senior combo guard Tevin Findlay. Findlay tallied 13 points while 6’7 senior PF Dominique Williams tallied 11 points. QEA has tons of talent and 6’9 Freshman Ibrahima Diallo is a promising young prospect that high majors should be all over.

Final thoughts from the 2012 Spalding Hoop Hall Classic

http://www.hoophall.com/news/2012/1/16/2012-spalding-hoophall-classic-all-tournament-team.html

All Tourney Players:
National: Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman
2012 Hoophall Classic All-Tournament First Team
Shabazz Muhammad, Bishop Gorman
Nerlens Noel, Tilton
Tyler Lewis, Oak Hill
Aaron Thomas, Brewster
Kyle Anderson, St. Anthony

2012 Hoophall Classic All-Tournament Second Team
Dominic Artis, Findlay
Kris Jenkins, Gonzaga
Katin Reinhardt, Mater Dei
Grant Jerrett, LaVerne Lutheran
Jabari Parker, Chicago Simeon

While we were not physically able to watch the Sunday and Monday games in person of the 2012  Spalding Hoop Hall Classic, we were fortunate to tape and watch the games shown on ESPN. After watching Shabazz Muhammad countless times this past summer, there is no question that he is the number one player in the 2012 class and there is no close second. In addition, we simply don’t buy the fact that many scouting experts are touting junior Jabari Parker as the best player in the country regardless of class. I will agree Parker may be the most complete all around player and his overall skill package at 6’8 is second to none. That being said, the Phenom Hoop Report went against “conventional wisdom” and selected 6’11 Nerlens Noel as the number one player in the 2013 class and here are the reason why. First of all, Noel may be the best defensive player at the high school level since a Patrick Ewing or Alonzo Mourning and his ability to change the outcome of the game is unequal without scoring a single point! That being said, his defensive and shot blocking ability is far ahead of his offensive skill set, however after watching his development and improvement on the offensive end of the court against Brewster, we are confidence that Noel may even become the number one pick in the draft by the time he enters his name for the NBA. Below is our evaluation from this past August after watching him at the NBA Players Camp.

August 2011 Report

Player: 6’11 Nerlens Noel

High School: Tilton School

Hometown: Tilton, MA

Class: 2013

Committed: Undecided

Phenom Hoop Report: What is there not to like about this young man!  Noel is an extremely long and athletic shot blocking machine and is one of the few players in the country that can impact a game without scoring a single point. His length, timing, and quick bounce off the floor are a recipe for many balls ending up in the first and second row of spectators. On the offensive end of the floor, he didn’t get many touches but that had little to no effect on his ability to play hard and with a passion and purpose. While Noel only averaged 7.4 PPG, he put together two strong performances in the semi final game and also in the championship game. (18 & 15 points respectively) His team lost by one point and if his team had won, one could make a strong argument that he could have been named the tournament MVP. The majority of his points came off missed shots and running the floor in transition, but in a few games we noticed him taking a jump hook shot as his main offensive weapon. Without question, Noel has no equal on the defensive end of the floor and reminds me of a younger and lankier Alonzo Mourning.

In the next couple of days, we will be updating our 2012 national rankings!

1-4-12

GUILFORD’S M.L. CARR CHOSEN FOR NORTH CAROLINA SPORTS HALL OF FAME

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Guilford College alumnus M.L. Carr ’73 was selected for induction into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame Wednesday. Carr joins journalist Wilt Browning, football standout Wray Carlton, longtime N.C. State University baseball coach Sam Esposito, football official Dr. Jerry McGee, champion water skier Kristi Overton Johnson, former UNC Chapel Hill basketball star Lennie Rosenbluth and football coaching legend Henry Trevathan.

Carr joins Dave Odom ‘65, Rick Ferrell ’28, Tom Zachary ’18 and Bob Jamieson ’33 as Guilford alumni among the Hall’s 281 members. Others honorees with Guilford ties include former coaches Jack Jensen and Jerry Steele, as well as former athletic director Marion Kirby.

Carr played on two world-champion Boston Celtics teams and was a mainstay on Guilford College’s 1973 NAIA national championship basketball squad. The Wallace, N.C., native scored 1,993 points at Guilford despite playing in only 13 games as a junior. Carr was a freshman when the Quakers placed fourth in the 1970 NAIA Tournament and as a senior led Jensen’s team to a 29-5 record that included a win over the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore in the 1973 NAIA title game. The 6-6 forward averaged 18.4 points and 12.5 rebounds per game as a senior and was named an NAIA First Team All-American. Guilford went 101-25 in his four seasons and his number 30 was officially retired in 2009.

After graduating Guilford with academic honors and a history degree, Carr was drafted by both the Kansas City Kings (NBA) and the Kentucky Colonels (ABA). He spent his first two professional seasons playing in basketball’s minor leagues and Israel before joining the ABA’s St. Louis Spirits in 1975. When the ABA folded, he was drafted by the Detroit Pistons and spent three seasons there before signing with the Celtics in 1979. He led the league in steals and was a Second Team All-NBA Defensive Team selection in 1979. Carr played on the Celtics’ 1981 and 1984 championship teams and retired in 1985. He spent 21 years with Boston’s organization, serving as head coach, executive vice president and director of basketball of operations in his tenure.

Also a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame and the Guilford College Athletics Hall of Fame, Carr is president and chief operating officer of The Dream Company, LLC, an insurance marketing company in Huntsville, Ala. He remains an active part of Guilford’s community, having served on its Board of Trustees and as tri-chair of the school’s successful Our Time in History capital campaign that netted over $56 million.

The 49th annual North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet will be held May 10 in the main ballroom of the North Raleigh Hilton. Banquet ticket information is available at www.ncsportshalloffame.org or by calling (919) 845-3455.

The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1962. The permanent exhibit is on the third floor of the North Carolina Museum of History on Jones Street in downtown Raleigh. The exhibit features significant artifacts donated by inductees. The free museum is open Monday through Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 5 p.m.

Phenom Hoop Report

Scouting Report: Tuesday, January 3^rd, 2012

Event: Chick-Fil-A Tournament Part II

Twitter: @Coach_Rick57

Phenom Quote of the Day: “Nothing builds self-esteem and self-confidence like accomplishment” Thomas Carlyle

Phenom Hoop Report Philosophy: “Balanced, thorough and detailed evaluations based upon the 3 P’s philosophy of Performance, Production, and Potential”

“If potential never translates into performance and production, then potential is worthless”

In today’s issue, we will take a look at Part II of the player evaluations from the Chick-Fil-A Tournament that was held in Columbia, SC prior to Christmas.

Player: 6’4 Stanford Robinson

School: Paul VI

City: Fairfax, VA

Class: 2013

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: We’ve had several chances to watch Robinson for Paul VI team and we get a better evaluation after each game. Without question, Robinson is an explosive high elite level athlete that absolutely loves to attack the basket. In the championship game against Oak Hill, he was solid in his performance. He scored 16 points going 8-17 from the floor (0-4 from the 3 point line) He does rebound his position extremely well and has good anticipation on both the offensive and defensive side of the glass. He is really good at dribble penetration and getting into the lane easily and finishes at a high percentage. He competes extremely hard and has a great understanding of team defensive philosophies. He has been well coached in that regard. The next step in his development is to become a consistent 3 point shooter. In the game against Oak Hill, he went 0-4. Once he develops a more accurate outside shooting touch, the sky is the limit for his young man.

Player: 6’7 Marcus Derrickson

School: Paul VI

City: Fairfax, VA

Class: 2015

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: Derrickson played with tremendous poise for a freshman in the championship game against Oak Hill. He tallied 9 points going 3-6 from the floor (1-3 from the 3 point line) and 2-3 from the free throw line. He also corralled 8 rebounds with 6 of them being on the defensive end of the floor. He has a good shooting touch and can step out and knock down the 3 point shot or have the ability to put the ball on the floor and aggressively attack the basket. He finishes well, but more importantly is excellent in boxing out. Actually, he was one of the few players that turned and boxed out with a shot when up. That was impressive since so few players try to box out anymore! Derrickson has the unique blend of size, athleticism and skill that will make him a nationally known prospect for many years to come.

Player: 6’10 Grant Jerrett

School: LaVerne Lutheran

City: La Verne, CA

Class: 2012

Committed: Arizona

Evaluation: Jerrett “quietly” went about his business in the 3^rd place game for LaVerne against Lower Richland. He scored 25 points going 7-18 from the floor and an impressive 11-12 from the free throw line. The skilled and mobile face up PF also grabbed 9 rebounds along with 4 steals and earned MVP honors in the Classic II division of the Chick-Fil-A Tournament.

Player: 6’0 Ian Barker

School: Arlington Country Day

City: Jacksonville, FL

Class: 2012

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: ACD was playing in the Carolina Challenge Division and we got a chance to watch the nationally ranked team play. Barker, the former USC verbal, is a strong and fast PG that is good in transition. He is a pass first PG and is always looking to “pitch ahead” on the break. He plays under control and has the ability to pass off the dribble with either hand effectively and efficiently. He didn’t attempt too many outside jumpers and preferred to dribble penetrate and kick. With the shortage of quality PGs in the 2012 class, he could become a hot priority.

Player: 6’4 Torian Graham

School: Arlington Country Day

City: Jacksonville, FL

Class: 2012

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: While Graham may have trouble deciding on a future college, he had little to no trouble making decisions on the basketball court. Without question, Graham played under control and within the flow of the offense and his performance was solid and stellar. He is excellent in transition and has exceptional elevation on his outside jumper that once made him one of the top SGs in the country prior to his knee injury. Graham plays with a certain element of grace that makes the game look easy to him. Graham will need to add strength to his frame, but the athleticism and skills are there to be a solid player at the next level.

Player: 6’2 Eric Cooper

School: LaVerne Lutheran

City: LaVerne, CA

Class: 2013

Committed: Arizona

Evaluation: While Cooper looks the part of a high division I prospect, his performance against Lower Richland in the 3^rd place game was just OK. He scored 9 points going 3-8 from the floor (1-5 from the 3 point line) and 2-2 from the free throw line. He had 4 rebounds, 1 assists and 3 turnovers. That being said, the long and athletic Cooper has good speed in the open court. In addition, Cooper looks young for his age and certainly will pass the airport test for a promising young PG.

Phenom Hoop Report

Scouting Report: Monday, January 2^nd, 2012

Event: Les Schwab Invitational: Championship & Chick-Fil-A Tournament Part 1

Twitter: @Coach_Rick57

Phenom Quote of the Day: “You’re never as good as everyone tells you when you win, and you’re never as bad as they say when you lose.” Lou Holtz

Phenom Hoop Report Philosophy: “Balanced, thorough and detailed evaluations based upon the 3 P’s philosophy of Performance, Production, and Potential”

In today’s issue, we will take a closer look at players that participated in the Chick-Fil-A Tournament held December 20-23^rd in Columbia, South Carolina and then in the Les Schwab Invitational held in Portland, Oregon December 26-30^th.  While the Phenom Hoop Report philosophy has been “Balanced, thorough, and detailed evaluations based upon the 3 P’s philosophy of Performance, Production, and Potential,” we have intentionally put more emphasis on production and performance. “If potential never translates into performance and production, then “potential” is worthless.” Unfortunately, in today’s media the word “potential” is the most overused word in the scouting business. In addition, not enough emphasis in recruiting is placed on winning! Do you win and make your team better relative to the overall talent level. Under achievers usually stay that way at the next level, the same can be said for those that maximize their talent to make their team better. Simply put, winning guys don’t change! Too often today, we have talented players that simply don’t know how to win.  They are caught up in the individual scoring and accolades, but don’t put enough emphasis and effort into winning. It’s easy to find the players that have the will to win. Not only do they play to win, but they make their team better. (What a novel idea!)  At this time of year, you can throw out the words of “hype” and “potential” and showcase words like “performance, productivity, heart, and the ability to lead your team to victory.” You see, “to get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.” 

Player: 6’2 Marcus Stroman

School: W.J. Keenan

City: Columbia, SC

Class: 2014

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: Stroman is one of the top players in the state of South Carolina in the class of 2014. He is a long, slender and athletic PG. He is super quick and he is exceptional at getting into the lane. Stroman has above average passing abilities and passes well off the dribble, using either hand. He has all the physical attributes to be a high major PG. Currently, his 3 point shot is more of a set shot, but has good lift and elevation on his mid range pull up jumper. Look for Stroman to become a nationally known recruit by this summer.

Player: 6’6 McKay Anderson

School: LaVerne

City: Laverne, California

Class: 2013

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: Without question, Anderson was one of the best (if not best) pure shooter at the Chick-Fil-A Tournament in Columbia, SC. The southpaw has exceptional shooting fundamentals and technique on his picture perfect jumper. Simply put, Anderson can “shoot the cover” off the basketball. He has tremendous basketball IQ and the game we watched he poured in 22 points with 5-7 from the three point line. While he is automatic from a “catch and shoot” situation, he also demonstrated the ability to catch and shoot in transition. The next stage in his development is to get bigger and stronger, but mid major schools that are in search for a shooter should be carefully monitoring the progress of Anderson this season and throughout this spring/summer AAU season.

Player: 6’6 Shane Whitfield

School: Word of God

City: Raleigh, NC

Class: 2013 (was originally in 2012 class but reclassed to 2013)

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: In the game we watched against W.J. Keenam, Whitfield was just tremendous. Whitfield had a game high 29 points going 9-14 from the floor and a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line. Without the impressive play of Whitfield, WOG would have easily gone down to defeat to Keenam. Whitfield is a strong PF that finishes well in transition and runs the floor extremely well. He is an adequate ball handling for his size/position in the open court and is an above average passer. He plays extremely hard and gives 100% effort. Right now, he is a tweeter between a SF and a PF but does have the ability to play bigger than his 6’6 frame. He has a delicate shooting touch out to 15 feet and has the ability to knock down free throws with a deadly accuracy.

Player: 5’10 Jaylan Robertson

School: Word of God

City: Raleigh, NC

Class: 2014

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: Robertson is one of the top players in the 2014 class for the state of North Carolina and may be one of the better PGs in his class for the state, if not the best. Robertson has tremendous athleticism and explosiveness in the open court. He has great leaping ability and doesn’t mind trying to posterize the opposing player on a transition situation. He has a moxy about him with confidence that is second to none in his class. He has exceptional ball handling abilities and has good open court vision. While Robertson has great speed, one of his strongest attributes is his ability to change speeds and change of direction. He is really hard to defend in the open court. He is a very good free throw shooter but rarely takes many outside shots during the course of the game. Without question, he has high major speed, quickness and athleticism. In the game we watched, he handled the majority of the PG responsibilities for WOG.

Player: 6’1 Josh Newkirk

School: Word of God

City: Raleigh, NC

Class: 2013

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: In the one game we watched and kept statistics on, Newkirk tallied 11 points going 3-9 from the floor and 1-1 from the 3 point line and 4-5 from the free throw line.  He had 3 assists to 3 turnovers for the game. Without question, Newkirk possess blow by speed in the open court and has little to no trouble getting into the lane. While the knock on Newkirk has been his outside shooting, he did make the lone 3 pointer for the game and went a respectable 4-5 from the free throw line. In this game, he missed a few “bunnies” and didn’t finish as well as he could have. Without question, Newkirk has the physical intangibles to become a high major PG with his explosiveness in the open court and tremendous leaping ability. He has good length and large feet and it looks like he could grow some more even though he is a reclassed junior. (Originally part of the 2012 class) Newkirk is an alum of the NC Phenom 150 camp and his development has been fun to watch over the years. The next step in his development is consistency in his midrange and outside jumper. That being said, Newkirk has the physical intangibles high major schools are looking for in a PG.

Player: 6’3 Mike Brown

School: West Charlotte

City: Charlotte, NC

Class: 2012

Committed: Western Carolina

Evaluation: In the Classic II Championship game against Spring Valley, Brown was simply fantastic. He was the game’s leading scorer with 20 points going 8-14 from the floor (0-2 from the 3 point line) and 4-6 from the free throw line. More importantly, he has a nose for the basketball and is an old fashion blue collar worker on the court. He grabbed 10 rebounds and dished out 4 assists. Like the game we covered in Washington DC, he is sometimes loose with the basketball as he had 6 turnovers for the game. That being said, it will be hard to find a tougher competitor on the court than Brown. He has a high motor and his passion and urgency are found on every play. Brown was named to the All Tournament team and rightfully so!

Player: Mark Blackmon

School: West Charlotte

City: Charlotte, NC

Class: 2012

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: Blackmon enjoyed a stellar all around performance for the Chick-Fil-A and his efforts in the previous two games were enough to earn him All Tournament honors. In the championship game, Blackmon scored 10 points going 2-10 from the floor (2-5 from the 3 point line) and 1-2 from the free throw line. Blackmon plays the game with an air of confidence and never allows one bad play to get him down. He is a player that is always looking to make the next best play for his team and his overall play and leadership was instrumental in leading West Charlotte to the Classic II Championship at the Chick-Fil-A Tournament.

Player: 6’8 Kennedy Meeks

School: West Charlotte

City: Charlotte, NC

Class: 2013

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: In the first two games of the Chick-Fil-A, Meeks had a rather “quiet” game, but plays more to his potential in the championship game. In the final game against Spring Valley, Meeks enjoyed a double-double of 11 points and 12 rebounds. He went 5-14 from the floor and 1-3 from the free throw line. He also had 2 assists. While Meeks hasn’t played up to his potential in the games we have seen so far, it is easy to understand why major of the big name schools are recruiting him hard. He is a wide body PF that enjoys extremely soft hands. He is a two handed rebounder and usually gains possession of the ball once he gets his hands on the ball. Rarely, do you see Meeks drop or fumble a pass or rebound and without question, Meeks is one of the best passers in the country for his size/position. The next step in his development is consistency and playing with a higher motor. He has the physical attributes and with his size and skill can easily take over a game at any moment.

Player: 5’11 Devante Brooks

School: Spring Valley

City: Columbia, SC

Class: 2012

Committed: 2012

Evaluation: On paper, Spring Valley was really no match up to West Charlotte in the Classic II Championship of the Chick-Fil-A Classic, but the play of Brooks earned his All Tournament honors before his team dropped a 6-57 decision to the eventually champions. Brooks tallied 17 points in the championship game against West Charlotte going 5-14 from the floor (1-4 from the 3 point line) and 6-7 from the free throw line. While his numbers may not look too impressive, it was his leadership and competitiveness that kept Spring Valley in the game. Brooks plays extremely hard and battles every possession in a way that is refreshing to watch. While Brooks is a borderline D1 prospect, he is a true competitor on the court.

Player: 6’8 Will Weeks

School: Christ School

City: Arden, NC

Class: 2012

Committed: Uncommitted

Evaluation: Christ School dropped an opening round game to Word of Game in overtime and then bounced back to win the consolation championship against Richland NE of Columbia, SC. Weeks strong play all week earned him All Tournament team honors and rightfully so. He was a warrior the entire tournament for Christ School and may be their team MVP. With Weeks, you know what you are getting every time he steps onto the court and that is effort and determination. He will battle you for every rebound and loose ball and is tough as nails down in the paint. He has the size, strength and skill to become a major contributor at a solid mid major program.