Future Wildcats Carter Bryant, Jamari Phillips already share strong bond

MESA — Well before five-star 2024 forward Carter Bryant sat down to livestream his commitment to the Arizona Wildcats last week, Jamari Phillips knew what would happen next.

He’d already seen that movie play out before. And he played a supporting role in it.

A four-star combo guard in the Class of 2024, Phillips was in his third season with the Paul George Elite program last spring when Bryant was looking for a club program to play for. The two met at a practice in the San Fernando Valley.

“Him and his dad came up to me after practice and said they’d seen me play at Modesto Christian (High School) and wanted to come over and try it out,” Phillips said. “His dad brought him over because he wanted to see how I meshed with him. It was really successful.”

So Bryant signed on with Paul George Elite, and the two went on to lead the club’s U16 team last summer in part because of injuries to and defections by other key players.

“They accomplished a lot together,” said James Phillips, Jamari’s father.

Along the way, Bryant picked up a scholarship offer from Arizona in June, while Phillips received one in early November.

Six weeks later, Phillips committed to the Wildcats, and it was Bryant’s turn again to decide whether to join him.

Bryant’s commitment to the Wildcats was somewhat like a year ago when Bryant’s parents watched their son research the Paul George Elite team and decide to play with Phillips on the EYBL circuit.

“We wanted him to go through his process of picking the right (club) team,” said D’Cean Bryant, Carter’s father and coach at Sage Hill School of Newport Beach, California. “It was the same way he handled this recruitment (to Arizona). It wasn’t anything in the sense of like, ‘We’re telling you where to go.’ It was like, `Hey, you’re the one playing. You’re the one who has to go through all the ups and downs, the challenges.’

“So that’s the big part of it. For him, this is where he wanted to be. He and Jamari are highly competitive and I love it.”

During last weekend’s EYBL circuit stop in Mesa, their competitiveness, chemistry and friendship were obvious. Phillips started out with a 30-point night in PG Elite’s opener and dropped another 33 on Saturday night, averaging 28.7 points over three games before sitting out Sunday’s finale with back soreness.

Phillips shot 62.5% overall and 62.9% from 3-point range over the three games in Mesa. He’s now averaging 20.6 points in seven total EYBL games.

“It’s not really that normal for me,” Phillips said after Saturday night’s game. “I have always been like a 40-something percent player. But I’ve just been in the gym working. So I feel like my game is starting to translate on the court. I feel like it was very good for me.”

Bryant didn’t have the same offensive impact over the weekend but didn’t always need to. He took just two shots in PG Elite’s 44-point win over The Skill Factory on Saturday and played through a sore ankle Sunday while shooting 2 of 8 from the field. He averaged 6.8 points and 7.8 rebounds in four Mesa games.

But Bryant said during his commitment announcement he was “somebody that doesn’t care about their stats,” and displayed a sunny disposition throughout the weekend, putting his arms around Phillips on the bench at one point Saturday and chatting with him throughout.

On the court, at this point, they can communicate without talking, too.

It’s the kind of relationship that Phillips couldn’t have imagined any better during that first workout together.

“Overall, it’s been great,” Phillips said.

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Together, the two will have at least two more EYBL weekends together and possibly the Peach Jam finals in July if PG Elite qualifies.

Then they’re scheduled for one more high school season away from each other — Phillips at AZ Compass Prep, where he transferred last season from Modesto Christian, and Bryant at Sage Hill — before meshing their bond into the Arizona program.

“The best teams that win basketball games at the next level have the best chemistry and talent,” Bryant said. “Obviously, Arizona is a top program in the country, and they’re gonna be able to recruit talented players. It’s just a matter of if we work hard and we have the right chemistry.”

Four-star guard Philon may visit

Four-star Alabama point guard Labaron Philon said he’s hoping to visit Arizona, giving the Wildcats another possible option for the Class of 2024.

The Wildcats have been chasing Adidas-circuit 2024 point guards Dedan Thomas and Zoom Diallo, but Philon drew their immediate interest last week after he decommitted from Auburn and Philon returned it.

“I’m hoping to take a visit there,” Philon said after playing for Team Thad in an EYBL Mesa session game. “I talked to the coaches. I think in ’24 they’re gonna need a point guard, somebody who can control the game, so that’d be a good thing for me.”

Philon said he’s also been involved with Kentucky, UConn, Michigan, Georgetown and others but said he’s open to Arizona despite being from Mobile, Alabama, and having no natural connection to the Wildcats or their staff.

“It was kind of new since I opened my recruitment,” Philon said. “But I’d be open to visit Arizona. It’s a great school, one of the top programs, they got a great head coach and a great staff.”

Buzzer-beating vibes

Before a crowd of college coaches cramming the court to see some of the West’s best young high school players in a U16 game between Arizona Unity and Team Why Not, Cameron Holmes hit a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to lift Arizona Unity to a 62-60 win.

He just wished he didn’t have to help create such an opportunity.

A rising sophomore at Goodyear Millennium High School who has attracted attention from Arizona, Holmes missed his first five 3-pointers in the game and was just 1 for 11 overall until he sank a 3-pointer at the top of the key as time expired.

“Never in my life have I hit a buzzer-beater,” Holmes said. “I’m actually very proud of myself, but I’m kind of mad at myself because I let my teammates down most of the game. But I’ve got their backs always. I love them. I had to hit that shot for them.”

Arizona Unity’s win was revenge of sorts for Team Why Not’s 60-59 victory when the teams were in the U15 bracket of EYBL Peach Jam play last July.

“They’re basically our rivals so it feels good to get this one,” Holmes said.

The win put Arizona Unity at 3-0 in U16 play, though the club lost a semifinal championship round game Sunday morning, 88-70 to Nightrydas Elite.