Phenom Queen City: Out-Of-State Standouts
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Welcome back to the Grassroots Season! My first stop of the summer was the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center for the Queen City Showcase, hosted by Phenom Hoops. Not only did it have some of the best programs from…
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Continue ReadingWelcome back to the Grassroots Season! My first stop of the summer was the Rock Hill Sports & Event Center for the Queen City Showcase, hosted by Phenom Hoops. Not only did it have some of the best programs from the state of South Carolina, there were some notables from North Carolina and Tennessee who made the trip to Rock Hill for the weekend. These six prospects are from those programs but impressed me during Saturday’s proceedings. Check them out below:
Justin Nordin Justin Nordin PG Bearden | 2026 State TN headlines our list of impressive out-of-state prospects from the 2024 Phenom Queen City Classic. Nordin brought tremendous energy off the Tenneessee Impact bench vs WCBA . He took over the ball-handling responsibilities when he was inserted into the game, and the Impact offensive flowed very well for the rest of the game. Nordin finished with 12 Points, 4 Assist, and 3 Steals in the effort. He excels in both transition and half-court offense, bringing a sense of calmness and patience to the game.
Not only does Trey have the size to be an effective big man at the next level, but he is one of the best pure shooting bigs in the class. He had a massive second half performance, finishing with 24 Points on 6-10 3FG in a win over WCBA on Saturday Morning. Thompson excels in the pick-and-pop game but he can also take his defender off the dribble if the shot is taken away.
Highlights
Devyn Martin Devyn Martin 6’5″ | SF Knoxville West | 2025 State TN is a forward for Tennessee Impact ‘s 17U Group who had a dominating performance on Saturday Morning. He had 13 Points, 4 Rebounds, and 3 Steals in Game One – almost all of that coming in the first half as his team was in a position to rest their key plays in the second half. Martin was very aggressive on the offensive end, taking advantage of his size and strength advantages. He can score off the dribble but if you let him catch it deep, it’s game over. He is a strong finisher and had several And-1 opportunities.
In my opinion, Ray’Quan was as impressive as any Guard in attendance at the Phenom Queen City Showcase. He is lightning-quick with the ball in his hands and equally as shifty and crafty. He is adept at splitting double teams his floater is near automatic, a sequence that resulted in several buckets for Watson. He has great hands on the defensive end as well. Ray’Quan finished with 15 Points (2 3PM) and 3 Steals in a win over Team Hustle on Saturday.
Tyree was one of the top True PG prospects in the gym on Saturday for the Phenom Queen City Showcase. He is a terrific passer and has his head up at all times reading defenses and looking for an open teammate. He also has a good handle and is near unpluckable with the ball in his hands. While he is certainly pass-first, he can also get his own bucket when needed. He put up a strong 12 points and 6 Assists in a win over NPLB on Saturday Afternoon.
Highlights
Samaj Long
Samaj Long
Samaj is the other guard in an extremely talented Cap City Charlotte Backcourt. He is a gifted scorer who is very quick in the open floor. Long also does a good job of beating his defender off the dribble and is a crafty finisher at the basket. He frequently finished on the right side of the basket but showed he could finish on the left on a couple of occasions. In the same game, Samaj had 25 Points and 7 Rebounds.