Phenom Hardwood Classic – Sunday Standouts
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With the last live period of the weekend concluding, I made sure to catch some of the action at RISE Event Center this weekend. With many shoe teams in town, along with the best of the best in NC independent ball, the Phenom Hardwood Classic produced plenty of great outings. Read on for a few of my favorite performers from Sunday’s action.
Cloer played up multiple age groups this weekend as his 15U squad took on 17U squads, but he didn’t look out of place at all. He’s got super long arms which makes him very disruptive on defense trapping and pressing the ball. His squad does this often, which results in him getting lots of steals and deflections. However, on offense he shows off a lot of talent as a scorer, with vertical pop as well as a good shooting touch. While he has more work to do on becoming more efficient and effective with the touches he gets, there’s no doubt that he will be able to make an impact at the Division 1 level. Someone with his size and length can be highly disruptive on any level basketball team.
Highlights
Edwards continues to produce and be an impressive floor general for his group, and it’s surprising more schools haven’t reached out yet. He’s a smaller guard but controls the tempo and pace of the offensive game very well for his group. He operates well out of ball screens and is constantly probing and picking apart defenses with his ability to attack the paint as well as thread passes. He’s a solid shooter and scorer, which keeps defenses honest. Defensively he presses up, attacks and really makes defenders have to worry about him as they’re trying to execute their offense. He’s also got quick hands to tap and poke the ball away for steals or disruption. With a bit more weight on his frame, he should be a leader at PG for schools to look at.
Highlights
Newman continues to impress every time I get to watch him, with great feel and intelligence on the court as another smaller lead guard. He’s always slicing into the paint, either to score himself or dump off to other teammates. It’s a dual threat with him, as he has a smooth jumpshot and quick lateral athleticism to create space for a drive or shot. Making plays with the ball in his hands is his speciality though, so you can’t just think he’s going to score. He made good reads and found teammates in tight windows, getting great looks and buckets for his squad. His recruitment should take off soon enough if he keeps playing the way he has.
Hamilton can flat out shoot the rock, and is in the conversation for being the best shooter in the entire state. He showed it off this weekend being an elite floor spacing option for his group, spacing and probing for his teammates to find him for open looks, which almost always went down. It looks like he’s improved as a driver and offensive weapon as well, making it so teams can’t just make him put it on the floor with no consequences. He should continue to tear the nets up at Weddington this winter, and his hot shooting ability should make him a priority for many coaches at the next level.
Highlights
Tyshaun Goldston Tyshaun Goldston 6'3" | SF Randleman | 2025 State NC
Tyshaun Goldston Tyshaun Goldston 6'3" | SF Randleman | 2025 State NC
Goldston is a really interesting player I got to get another look at this weekend, and his physicality, scoring chops from all over the floor, and length make him a much bigger prospect than advertised right now. He’s a dual sport athlete, showing off real athleticism on the hardwood by beating guys down the floor and trying to dunk everything he can see. However, he’s also great at getting to a dribble pull-up, or a sidestep three, where he effectively scored those all weekend. He’s got great confidence, fire, and passion on the court, which makes me think he should take a big leap this year, both in statistics and programs interested.