Phenom Hoops Live – Sunday Notebook Part II

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em><strong>There's no better time to sign up for PrepHoopsNC! Get 30% OFF payment on your first billing cycle with the offer code: VICTORTAYLOR30, sign up <a href="https://nam10.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fprephoops.com%2Fsubscribe&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cvitaylor%40davidson.edu%7C3f9ffa1fa04e4a571f8d08db3512ee28%7C35d8763cd2b14213b629f5df0af9e3c3%7C1%7C0%7C638162127671262756%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=YdV2%2BY32ppadoxDn1suVtgUmu7MUk%2BRI%2FcjsUJ5xX4E%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TODAY</a></strong>!</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After finishing up the day at Phenom Hoops Live, I'm back home and very happy with the great basketball I got to watch. Here are some more of my midday to early afternoon standouts I saw yesterday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1241703"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Kane was a bucket getter for Team Loaded 336 when I saw him today, helping his team stay competitive even when [player_tooltip player_id='1603895' first='Carlos' last='Vasquez'] wasn't staying hot. He made shots from all over the floor, inside and out, but also has that scorers mentality that every shot will go in and to keep shooting. It's a good mentality to have, but can get cold at times. When I saw him Saturday he was knocking down shots and really attacking the hoop with authority, getting sent to the foul line or making layups. If left open, he will bury you from three, but running him off the line is a challenge because he attacks closeouts well. He should be a late pickup for a lower level school that provides some scoring pop for them.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1165176"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Freeman is a real old-school guard who would fit in 1983 just as much as 2023. He's a scorer mainly inside the arc, but it's a different kind than every other slasher. He backed guards down and shot turnaround jumpers, got to two feet and had some nifty finishes, including a floater, and also ran hard for regular layups. He was looking to shoot off the catch mid-range jumpers as well, and his range doesn't extend beyond the arc. On defense, he's got a really high motor that allowed him to be all over the court trying to make plays. He's an interesting kind of player to watch.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["1743939"],"_player_evaluations_2_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Kent was one of my favorite players I watched over the entire weekend, and I think if he can put on about 15-20 pounds he should be all over D1 schools' radar. He's incredibly long and explosive despite his lack of visible strength, and fights really hard against guys bigger than him. This allows him to defend 1-5, as he's quick and long enough to stay in front of smaller guards. His long arms allowed him to deny layups and shots at the rim as a helpside shot blocker and even on the ball. Still is mostly a scorer inside and above the rim, but I saw him hit a mid-range pull-up and a corner three, showing he's working on his extended range. Improving his skill and size will be the biggest question marks for him, but he's very young for his grade and with another year or two of school before college, he should be able to make the transformation he needs.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='1990412' first='Derek' last='Ross Jr']","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"77246","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"Jordan","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"Wildcats Elite","_player_evaluations_3_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_3_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_3_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"u0022Good things come in small packagesu0022 is the phrase I would use to describe [player_tooltip player_id='1990412' first='Derek' last='Ross Jr']., as he showed that his lack of size is made up for by his skill. He's got a lot of Jacob Gilyard (NCAA all time steals leader) in him, as I saw him after a made bucket shadow the other team's point guard trying to steal the inbounds pass. It's things like that, combined with his incredible acceleration and shiftiness that make me a fan of his game. He knocks down the outside shot well, and when driving can either finish in open lanes or dump off to his teammates. His lightning quick downhill speed draws lots of attention, affording him plenty of open kick outs. While on defense, his size can cause him problems inside but he shows an ability to make a ballhandler's life a nightmare, with quick hands and feet that allow him to stay in front and disrupt dribbling.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["1273231"],"_player_evaluations_4_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_4_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_4_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"Umstead is an incredibly solid post player that manned the interior well for his team this weekend. He's got that simple, back to the basket game that makes these guys effective, and his strength and size help him do that. Simple hook shots and dropsteps are the name of his game, and when he takes space deep in the post, he does very well. He's shown an effort to stretch the floor, but it's still a work in progress. Defensively, he's a mauler on the glass and someone who hits and boxes out well. He's someone that D3 programs would love to get as a rotational big, and has room to improve as well.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":5,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-644fe3501e3e5"} /-->