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Ari Fulton, R'mani Robinson highlight 7 standout players from Hoops & Dreams Showcase

james f. moore jr., fayetteville observer
·4 min read

Over the weekend, Fayetteville State hosted the sixth annual Hoops & Dreams Showcase presented by Lucas-Moore Realty and Phenom Hoops, pairing local public and private high school basketball teams in competition.

In the showcase, eight Fayetteville-area teams represented the city, finishing with a combined 6-4 record out of the 12 games played.

As Fayetteville-area players and teams dominated the showcase, seven players stood out in a special way, being componential to their team's success. Here are the seven standouts, along with what we learned in the two-day event.

Hoops & Dreams Showcase results:

Nov 24

  • Goldsboro 67, St. Pauls 50

  • New Life Christian 44, Harrells Christian 42

  • Laney 63, Jordan Durham 61

  • Northwood Temple Academy 55, NC GBB Academy 66

  • Trinity Christian 70, Terry Sanford 42

  • Fayetteville Academy 68, Richmond Senior 74

Nov. 25

  • Westover 49, Seventy-First 31 (girls)

  • Red Springs 65, Northwood Temple 83

  • NC GBB Academy 64, Trinity Christian 89

  • Greenfield 84, Jordan Durham 62

  • Richmond Senior 70, Raleigh Millbrook 59

  • Westover 58, New Life 57

Standouts

Devaughn Brown, Trinity Christian

In the two-day showcase, the shifty, elusive guard was very effective at the point of attack for the Crusaders. Not only did he score at a high clip, but he also got his teammates involved in a major way. Brown scored 16 points, grabbed three boards and dished out three assists versus Terry Sanford, and he had 23 points, along with six assists versus NC GBB.

Justin Caldwell, Trinity Christian

The 6-foot-9 sophomore looked like a man against boys the entire weekend of play. On Friday versus Terry Sanford and Saturday versus NC GBB, Caldwell had nearly identical stat lines — 16 points, eight rebounds and 16 points, seven rebounds, respectively — while living in the paint and the free-throw line to score at will.

Tytiana Dowden, Westover

Dowden, a secondary playmaker for Westover, had an all-around performance in the win versus Seventy-First. Although not scoring in double figures, Dowden executed in every way for the Wolverines with seven points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals on Saturday.

Ari Fulton, Westover

Fulton, the 6-7 NJIT commit, was extremely impressive in his senior debut versus New Life Christian. Fulton scored 25 points, grabbed 13 rebounds, snatched two steals, and scored a go-ahead tip-in that put Westover up by a point with just 10 seconds remaining against New Life. Afterward, Fulton swatted away a potential game-winning 3-pointer to seal the comeback win.

R'mani Robinson, Westover

The senior guard is emerging right before everyone's eyes and growing as a player, mentally and physically. In Saturday's performance against Seventy-First, R'mani did everything for the Wolverines, dominating the opening of the game starting with 15 points, and eventually tallying 24 points, seven rebounds, eight steals, and a block, along with the win.

MOVING FORWARD: R'mani Robinson, Ja'Naisha Carney leading the pack for Westover girls basketball

10 GBB PLAYERS TO WATCH: 10 Fayetteville-area girls basketball players to watch 10 days before season

10 BBB PLAYERS TO WATCH: 10 Fayetteville-area boys' basketball players to watch 10 days before the season starts

Linwood Rowe, Trinity Christian

Rowe, a 6-7 senior wing was consistent the entire weekend of hoops. The first day, he tallied 20 points, five rebounds, two assists and a block, while on day two, he scored 18 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Linwood's stellar performances earned him scholarship offers from Fayetteville Tech Community College, Cleveland Community College, and NC Wesleyan University.

Kenny Vera, Northwood Temple

Vera was one of the more dominant players throughout the entire showcase. His lateral quickness, strength, and ability to get to the basket gave him ample opportunities to slow the game down for Northwood Temple at the free-throw line. Vera had 22 points, 14 rebounds, and three dimes in a loss to NC GBB on day one, and secured a win over Red Springs on day two with 26 points, eight rebounds, and five assists.

What we learned

The Westover girls are most definitely sleepers in the All American Conference. Coach Anthony Bennett's new system has his team playing better than before in his third season. After starting 2-0, expect them to keep improving as the season progresses.

Westover Sleeper: Predicting contenders, favorites and sleepers for AAC boys'and girls' basketball

The Trinity Christian boys' team is dominant, as expected. Starting the year 5-0, the Crusaders are loaded with talent, highlighted by three stars in Rowe, Caldwell and Brown. They are also filled with assets in their eight-man rotation.

Terry Sanford's boys aren't as bad as the scores look. The Bulldogs have begun the season 0-2, however, the two neutral contests they've played were against two powerhouse private schools in Berean Baptist (a 72-36 loss) and Trinity Christian (a 70-42 loss). With the football team coming off of a deep playoff run that ended just a week ago, the Bulldogs now have their complete team and are looking to jell and gain chemistry heading into their contest versus South View on Tuesday. I expect them to bounce in the right direction before beginning conference play versus Overhills on Dec. 5.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Fayetteville basketball players in Hoops and Dreams Showcase