The Pangos All-South Frosh/Soph Camp by no means disappoints and this yr’s version produced essentially the most dramatic ending within the camp’s historical past. In a camp loaded with new faces on the nationwide scene, 6-foot-6 freshman Pheonix Woodson took residence Most Excellent Participant honors after contributing to his crew’s come-from-behind all-star recreation victory.
One can all the time count on the sudden at a showcase got here for underclassmen, notably in relation to the Pangos Frosh/Soph sequence. The All-South model has produced memorable moments in recent times, together with final yr’s defensive slugfest to a memorable Texas vs. Everyone Cream of the Crop High 30 recreation in 2017 that can go down as the most effective all-star recreation within the occasion’s historical past.
Throughout the camp’s second day of motion, there weren’t tons of fireworks or emotion on the court docket and it was noticeable throughout the Cream of the Crop High 60 recreation reserved for the camp’s second-tier gamers. At instances you can hear a pin drop. That each one modified throughout the High 30 recreation, because the contributors chosen because the camp’s high performers had been spirited and vocal on the bench and gave an all-out effort on the hardwood. It was solely becoming that the game-winning factors got here right down to a play made by 6-foot-6 2025 (sophomore) Jed’Ethan Nansha of Hillcrest (Dallas, Texas) as a result of he was the toughest working and most encouraging among the many 200 plus campers.
After a clutch 3-pointer with 7.7 seconds remaining by 6-foot-6 2026 (freshman) Jalen Montonati of Owasso (Okla.) gave the white jersey membership a 74-73 lead, Nansha streaked down the court docket and was met on the rim by no less than three gamers on the white membership. One in every of them was whistled for a taking pictures foul with .2 seconds remaining to place Nansha on the charity stripe with the sport within the stability. For the sake of analysis functions and to maintain the sport motion flowing, a free throw is price two factors on this Pangos Camp setting. Nansha stepped to the road for his shot at camp glory, however his high-arcing try was means off and it appeared the white membership had received the sport…till the referee signaled a lane violation of the white membership that’s. That gave Nansha an opportunity to redeem himself. On the second try, it appeared the try with bounce excessive off the rim as the primary one did. Nevertheless, this time he bought a softer bounce, because the ball went straight up in the direction of the highest of the backboard and gently fell by means of the rim to offer the black jersey-wearing membership a dramatic 75-74 victory.
The black membership then celebrated and mobbed Nansha as if the crew had simply received a Texas College Interscholastic League playoff recreation on the Duncanville Fieldhouse in Dallas.
The expertise stage wasn’t fairly on par with the Texas vs. Everyone all-star affair that included future No. 1 NBA Draft decide Cade Cunningham, however Sunday’s affair will go down as arguably essentially the most intense all-star recreation within the annual frosh/soph camp sequence, as gamers had been speaking and sliding their ft on protection on every possession. Nansha’s game-winning free throw culminated the black membership’s come-from-behind victory and main the best way in that effort was the participant voted camp Most Excellent Participant. Phoenix Woodson, a 6-foot-6 freshman (2026) from Crossing Christian (Oklahoma Metropolis, Okla.), scored three area objectives and made profitable performs all through the second half comeback and impressed along with his basketball I.Q. and total really feel. It’s not straightforward to foretell what kind of participant Woodson can be down the road or to make a position-specific comparability to a present or former participant. The one label that Woodson wants is “basketball participant” and the one factor a scout or school coach must learn about him is he’ll be a right away influence participant at the highschool stage. Woodson completed the Cream of the Crop High 30 recreation with ten factors, 5 rebounds, 4 assists and two steals.
Scoring a team-high 13 factors for the black membership was 6-foot-2 2025 Jason Scott of Westbury Christian (Houston, Texas). Main the best way offensively for the white membership with 15 factors was Montonati, who canned three 3-pointers together with the ultimate one from straight-away that gave his crew the lead till Nansha’s “heroics”. The opposite double-digit scorer (11 factors) for the white membership was 6-foot-3 2025 Camden Cowgill of Brennan (San Antonio, Texas).
There have been gamers representing 13 completely different states in attendance, but three of the High 30 all-star choice’s got here from former NBA participant Randy Livingston’s program at Isidore Newman (New Orleans, La.). Included within the trio was the camp’s high submit participant, 6-foot-8 2025 Christopher Cenac Jr., whereas one other Christopher, 6-foot-7 2025 Christopher Birden additionally displayed terrific potential. The third Newman participant chosen was 6-foot-4 2025 Kobe Butler.
Becoming a member of Scott and Cowgill within the group of high camp guards had been 6-foot 2025 Mike Williams of Hillcrest (Dallas, Texas) and 6-foot-5 2025 Dietrich Richardson of Handbook (Peoria, Sick.). Williams, the son of former NBA guard and present Jackson State head coach Mo Williams, netted eight factors within the high all-star recreation for the victorious black membership.
Woodson, after all, was within the “basketball participant” class all to himself along with his capability to attain within the entrance court docket, deal with the ball properly sufficient to maintain perimeter defenders sincere, drop comfortable passes within the inside and rebound on each ends of the ground.
Becoming a member of Cenac and Montonati among the many high entrance court docket gamers in attendance was bouncy 6-foot-7 2025 Ethan Carter of Arlington Christian (Fairburn, Ga.) and 6-foot-6 2026 Isaiah Ward of Brennan (San Antonio, Texas). Due to journey issues again residence, Ward was unable to play within the High 30 recreation however was simply the highest prospect taking part within the earlier Cream of the Crop High 60 recreation.
The white jersey-wearing membership got here away with a 83-66 victory over its black counterparts within the High 60 recreation. Named MVP for the white membership was lively wing Cortez Graham-Howard, a 6-foot-5 2025 from Hillsboro (Nashville, Tenn.). Whereas Nansha was the hardest-working entrance court docket participant on the occasion, the guard that turned heads essentially the most along with his defensive effort was black MVP Nehemiah Lawrence. The 5-foot-7 2026 from Allen (Texas) bought in a stance each possession and made issues occur all through the occasion. He was chosen to the High 60 recreation primarily primarily based on his defensive effort and just like the all-star video games themselves, didn’t disappoint.
Ronnie Flores is the nationwide Grassroots editor of Ballislife.com. He could be reached at ronnie@ballislife.com. Don’t overlook to comply with him on Twitter: @RonMFlores
