Christ School will lead the way this season in North Carolina, but watch for West Charlotte, Northside Christian Academy, Word of God Christian Academy and Olympic.
Trey Foster and West Charlotte are ranked No. 2 as the season begins in North Carolina.
File photo by Steven Worthy
1. Christ School (Arden)Head coach: David Gaines
2011-12 finish: 32-5, Lost in NCISAA 3A semifinals
Losing
three seniors to Division I college basketball would be
crippling to most programs. But not when you have
Shannon Hale and a
host of other talented returning players and transfers like the Greenies
do. Hale is a 6-foot-8 forward committed to Alabama. He and senior guard
Jaylen Allen
(6-3) arrived from Science Hill two seasons ago and form the
nucleus for this year's team. Add in 6-10 junior center
Lloyd Burgess
(from Kestrel Heights), 6-3 junior guard
Jon Elmore (South Charleston,
W.Va.) and eighth-grader
D.J. Harvey, a 6-5 do-everything player from
Huntsville, Ala., and the Greenies are well on their way to an even
better 2013 finish.
See where the nation's best stack up in the Preseason Xcellent 252. West CharlotteHead coach: Baronton Terry
2011-12 finish: 27-6, Lost in 4A state championship game
The
Lions fell just short of a winning a second-consecutive state title
last season and it's a good bet that Terry's squad will be squarely in
the mix again this season. The biggest reason for the optimism is the
biggest player on the team in 6-9, 285-pound center
Kennedy Meeks. He
was the MVP of the title game two seasons ago with 12 points and 19
rebounds and only got better last season with 14 and 21 in the
championship game loss. He recently told the Charlotte Observer that his
college choice will come down to North Carolina or Georgetown. As if
Meeks wasn't enough to handle in the paint, the Lions boast another 6-9
player in
Ja'Keem Yates. Yates is slender, but athletic around the rim.
Both players benefit by having
Trey Foster running the point. The 5-9
junior is a good distributor and can score, too.
Check out our North Carolina boys basketball photo galleries3. Northside Christian Academy (Charlotte)Head coach: Byron Dinkins
2011-12 finish: 31-1, Won NCISAA 2A state championship
The
Knights lost plenty from last year's title-winning team, including
high-energy 6-7 forward Dionte Adams, who signed with Hampton. But the
Knights reloaded with four transfers. Three players —
Austin Dasent (6-1,
Jr., G),
Phillip Reed (6-9, Sr., F), and
Keyshawn Woods (6-3, Jr., G) — came
from nearby schools. Dasent left Olympic, where he was fourth on the
team in scoring last season for the high-powered Trojans. Reed came over
from South Mecklenburg, where he didn't score a lot, but is still growing into
his long frame. Woods is a versatile scorer from Gaston Day. Those
three are joined by
James Demery (6-4, Jr., G) from Oakwood in
Greenville, N.C. Demery may be the best of the bunch. He's piling up
Division I offers, but has yet to make a decision.
See last season's North Carolina boys basketball stat leaders 4. Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh)Head coach: Quentin Jackson
2011-12 finish: 20-9, Lost in NCISAA 1A second round
By
Word of God standards, last season was not a success and the Rams
brought back a familiar face to get them back to prominence. Quentin
Jackson played at N.C. State and coached at Word of God just two seasons
ago. He has plenty to build from with 6-2 point guard
Josh Newkirk,
who's committed to Pitt. The all-everything guard will be the catalyst
for the senior-driven team. He has a pair of 6-7 players in
Shane Whitfield and
Donte Reynolds who should prove difficult to defend.
Jonathan Milligan arrived from Casa Grande, Ariz., and with his
playmaking ability matched up with Newkirk, the Rams will have one of
the best backcourts around.
See last season's North Carolina boys basketball Freeman Rankings 5. Olympic (Charlotte)Head coach: Ty Baumgardner
2011-12 finish: 28-2, Lost in sectional finals of 4A tournament
If
the Trojans held onto Allerik Freeman, a UCLA commit who
transferred to national power Findlay Prep (Henderson, Nev.), we would
be talking about where this team would square up nationally instead of
within the state. Even without Freeman, Olympic has
B.J. Gladden again
after the 6-6 forward left the Trojans for a season at Kennedy Charter.
Jevon Patton is a 5-9 point guard from Highland Tech who gets up and
down the floor in a flash and is at his best distributing the ball and
taking it to the basket. Also,
Trey Mitchell (6-4, Sr., G/F) and
Deriece Parks (6-4, Sr., G) provide size and balance.
See last season's NCHSAA boys basketball playoff brackets
