The 704’s Top Area Sophomores This Season

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With many sophomores, it's interesting to see whether they can make the sophomore jump, or fall into a sophomore slump. In the Charlotte area, we've seen plenty of guys accomplish the former, and make big leaps to where they should be legitimate college prospects to monitor. Read below for half a dozen guys who have made waves as 2026s in the Charlotte metro area. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1226608"],"_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":"Connor has emerged as the best player for this 1 of 1 team, and continues to show why he's a top combo guard in the state. He's an efficient scorer who really can play above the rim and in the open court with little issue. He's also able to stretch the floor with his jumper, but it is still a work in progress for him to become a really elite shooter. However, he brings a toughness and relentless intensity to the defensive end that few others do, as he's always heating up the ball and looking to make plays or force turnovers.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1672479"],"_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":"Floyd is a prototypical wing prospect that is continuing to make noise over at Kings Mountain High as he's refining his game this season compared to last year. He's gotten more efficient scoring the ball and also becoming a better distributor with the ball in his hands for his teammates. An incredibly explosive athlete getting downhill and attacking the rim either above it or under the basket. Also has shown he can swallow the ball up on defense.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_player":["2055669"],"_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":"Blakney is an undersized forward that continues to put up big numbers at Lee Park Prep this year. He's averaging almost 22 PPG and over 8 RPG as he continues to dominate their competition. At 6'5 235, he's a force on the low block and knows how to get to his finishes and make things easy when he's anywhere near the hoop. He has shown he can play against tougher competition, but continues to dominate in his classification.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_3_player":["1226604"],"_player_evaluations_3_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_3_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_3_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"Banks has continued to get better and better over the course of his three years on varsity, as he's now averaging 23.3 PPG and 6.3 RPG. He's a volume scorer who gets them up in bunches and is trusted to do so, taking plenty of shots with a high degree of difficulty. However, when the ball is in his hands he's not doing anything crazy, just looking to make the right play for his group. Normally, this means he's the one taking the shot. Keep an eye out for him on the grassroots scene this spring.","_player_evaluations_3_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_4_player":["2301229"],"_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":"Rhodes plays on the interior for his Crest group, and really functions as an at-the-rim scorer and defender well for his group. He's averaging 15.8 PPG and 9.8 RPG, almost a double-double, as he shoots over 50% from the floor. He's shown he can finish in traffic and make impact plays around the basket as part of a balanced attack this year. With only one loss to open the season, the Chargers are 10-1 and expect to be a contender for a state title, and Rhodes will be a key piece.","_player_evaluations_4_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_5_player":["2326447"],"_player_evaluations_5_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_5_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_5_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"Coulter has made the step up from JV with many of Gaston Day's star players gone from last year and looked like a natural. He is averaging over 14 PPG as he fills the scoring guard role for the Spartans, and has shown he can do it at multiple levels. He's made 61 threes this year, coming out to over 3 a game so far, cementing himself as an above average shooter in the class. Still needs to polish the rest of his game including becoming better defensively, but he's bringing some interesting upside to monitor.","_player_evaluations_5_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":6,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-65ab3e04d97d7"} /-->