Open Gym Tour: Week 1 Top Performers
Week one of my open gym tour has come and gone. The open gym tour is a yearly event that I go on when high school basketball practices start, and college coaches are able to start going on campus to see prospects live. This year, September 9 was the first-day college coaches were allowed at practices. For me, these trips provide a great opportunity to really get to see and be around the players. It is a good evaluation tool, getting to see players in a different setting and through a different lens while talking with the coaches around them. It is also a good opportunity to sit with the present college coaches for an hour or two.
Over the next few weeks, I will continue to go out to various practices, inter-squad scrimmages, fall leagues, etc., to see and talk with these players. This week I traveled to Burlington (NC) The Burlington School, Raleigh (NC) Millbrook High, Winston Salem (NC) Quality Education Academy, Winston Salem (NC) Winston Salem Christian, and the Phenom Hoops Fall League.
These teams and leagues, each had varying levels of players, from rankable high major players to Division 2 and 3 players, and everything in between. This article is not projecting players’ levels simply ranking their performances from this week. Here are the top performers from week one of my Open Gym Tour.
On3 MVP: 2025 Four-Star SF Colt Langdon
There has never been a question about Colt Langdon when it comes to how he plays. The Raleigh (NC) Millbrook High junior has a high basketball IQ and plays with a great motor. You immediately see his ability to process plays in short-order and create offense via the pass in the half-court. He is able to line up from all three levels and make a play, which has led to all the early production in his high school career.
In this setting, Langdon showed two pieces of his game that opened things up for his game. First is the explosion. Langdon had one play where he was attempting a chase down block; he jumped and blocked the shot but hit between his shoulder and elbow on the backboard, knocking him off balance and into a fall. The applicable explosion is developing. The second thing is the footwork, helping him get to his spots and score. Langdon looked more than a spot shooter and a system scorer. He got the ball in the half-court, got to his spots, and rose to knock down shots at various angles.
LSU and Furman were in the gym with me. Along with those two programs, he claims offers from Butler, Mississippi State, Georgetown, VCU, Iowa, Richmond, Virignia Tech, Illinois, and more.
2. 2025 Isaac Ericksen
Like clockwork, Isaac Ericksen got buckets during the opening day of the Phenom Hoops Fall League. In his first game, the 6-foot-8 forward went for 35 points. The Cary (NC) Green Level junior finished his second game with 26, on four made threes.
Watching his output, the pressure he was able to put on the basket was consistent. He moved well off the ball, finding cutting opportunities to get easy looks at the rim. Ericksen was able to use his length frame to finish at the rim and through contact. His jump shot load can be a little long, with some moving pieces involved, but when given time and his feet set, the shot would go in. Where he really went to work was in the mid-range, showing one and two dribble pull-ups as well as some footwork. He will have questions about where he guards, but he has instincts on that end with the ability to use his length. At this stage, he is a name to write down, and continue checking back every couple of months to see the progression.
College of Charleston is currently the lone offer for Ericksen.
3. 2025 PG Jordan Lowery
Jordan Lowery is new to North Carolina, transferring this summer to Winston Salem (NC) Winston Salem Christian from the Dallas, Texas area. The 6-foot-0 point guard played this summer with the Drive Nation program on Nike’s EYBL 16u Circuit and averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 assists, and 1.6 steals per game during the regular season.
The most impressive takeaway with Lowery was his play in the pick and roll. He played with excellent pace and provided great reads, whether it be pulling up for the shot, getting to the basket, or dropping off a pass to the roll man. The passing was very impressive. No matter the angle or the level of the pass, it was on target and on time. Also, a takeaway from this time in the gym was the shooting. Lowery’s form and touch did not change, whether from three or in the mid-range. The balance was good off the catch, or the bounce, and the footwork getting into the shot was clean.
SMU, who has already offered, was in watching Lowery with me. Throughout the week, he claimed offers from Seton Hall, TCU, East Carolina, and NC State.
4. 2024 CG Zion Walker (Mount St. Mary’s)
Zion Walker has been a name college coaches have known for some time. The 6-foot-1 guard picked up his first Division 1 offer, NC A&T, in September of 2020. Last season, Walker led Burlington (NC) The Burlington School with 21.3 points, pacing the way to the school’s third consecutive state championship.
In a gym filled with college-level talent, it was clear that Walker was the alpha. During drills, he was the vocal one the team looked toward. During the scrimmage, he was the one with the ball that made a play. The shot-making was improved here. Always a tough-minded player, Walker played balanced, able to get to his spots and knock down shots from multiple angles in the half-court.
Walker committed to Mount St. Mary’s in June of 2022.
5. 2025 SF Sabree Scott
Sabree Scott transferred to Winston Slame (NC) Quality Education this summer and is looking to play his junior season with the Pharaohs. Scott split time this summer with Team Durant on Nike’s EYBL 16U Circuit and Team Loaded on the Adidas 3SSB 16U Circuit.
Scott is a 6-foot-5 wing who is very fluid with how he moves. He has a great frame, good length, and a lot of burst. But his explosion is smooth; he glides when he moves around the floor, filling the outer channels in transition and getting in the passing lanes on defense. While it still needs tweaking, the jump shot looked confident, especially when taking it off the bounce. The upside is there, and he is one that continues to get better each time out.
Scott currently claims offers from Rhode Island, Old Dominion, Bryant, and others.
6. 2027 SG King Gibson
King Gibson was the MVP of this summer’s Made Hoops Finale. The 6-foot-4 guard at Burlington (NC) The Burlington School is now entering his freshman year of high school.
Even given his age, Gibson already has good positional size. He has long arms and an athletic frame. Currently, he is at his best in transition, where plays balanced and with a purpose. He is comfortable on the ball and showed multiple ways of scoring the basketball and creating offense. He will need to continue getting used to the speed of the game and the processing aspects that come with that.
Prior to playing in his first high school game, Texas A&M, Cal State Bakersfield, and College of Charleston are among the schools Gibson claims offers from.
Other Standouts
6-4 2024 Felipe Petino (Winston Salem Christian) – He is in the conversation for best shooter I saw on the week. Petino is an excellent defender, able to move on the ball or get into the passing lanes. He also showed a solid handle as a secondary initiator. East Tennessee State is currently his lone offer. UNC Asheville and VMI were both in to see him the day I was there.
7-0 2024 Chol Machot (Winston Salem Christian) – He will be an intriguing one to see where his recruitment goes. You immediately see the tools, his length, and how fluid he moves. Watching him play, he is an excellent shot blocker, with natural timing. He also knocked down a couple of threes in this setting. Machot will need to continue adding strength, but there is a lot there to build on. SMU was in to see him the day I was. He claims offers from TCU, Missouri, Cal, VCU, and others.
6-6 2025 Kaden Hammond (The Burlington School) – The takeaway with Hammond is what he provides on the offensive end. The jump shot is smooth and consistent off the catch, and he plays well off that. He is a good passer, able to run offense through at each level and deliver to teammates on target. The level of his recruitment will be dictated by how his rebounding and defense develop. Charlotte, Furman, VMI, Mount St. Mary’s, NJIT, Coastal Carolina, James Madison, and others were by this week to see him.
6-6 2026 Michael Phillips (Grace Christian) – This was my first viewing of Phillips, and I walked away impressed. He has a lengthy frame with good positional size. He was confident on the ball, and it started there. Phillips used his live dribble to get to his spots and rise up. The jump shot was pure and on balance, no matter the level. He still needs to add strength, and with that, his athleticism should grow, but this is one to watch how he develops. South Carolina State was the first offer.
6-8 2024 Clash Peters (Word of God) – Peters was productive; it is really that simple. He knew his spots and played within his role very well. Peters is a strong area rebounder. Off the rebound, he is a pin-point outlet passer or capable of pushing the break to set up the offense. Peters finishes around the basket, with both hands, taking on the contact. His first game saw him go for 24 points and double-figure rebounds. Queens, Austin Peay, and College of Charleston are among the current claimed offers.
6-3 2024 Tybo Bailey (Winston Salem Christian) – Bailey is a confident scorer, and that is his thing. He can get to his spots in the half and the full court and has consistent form on his three-point shot. Bailey played at La Porte (IN) LaLumiere School last season. Throughout the process, Bailey claimed offers from programs like Temple, San Jose State, Appalachian State, and Arkansas State. Mount St. Mary’s offered on the day I was there.
6-6 2024 Lewis Walker (Winston Salem Christian) – Walker is one of the most productive players in his region. The forward is a matchup problem with his ability to face up, play down low, and make plays with his strength and mobility. George Mason was in this week for Walker, Georgia State, San Jose State, and James Madison are also involved.