Preview: Western Highlands Conference
Here is the PrepHoopsNC Western Highlands Conference (1-A & 2-A) Preseason Preview 1. Mountain Heritage High School– Mountain Heritage Head Coach Hank Newson stated this regarding next season, “We are very excited about the upcoming 2016-2017 basketball season. We feel we…
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Continue ReadingHere is the PrepHoopsNC Western Highlands Conference (1-A & 2-A) Preseason Preview
1. Mountain Heritage High School– Mountain Heritage Head Coach Hank Newson stated this regarding next season, “We are very excited about the upcoming 2016-2017 basketball season. We feel we have our deepest team we have had at Mountain Heritage. Our coaching staff did a great job with our returners and new comers throughout the spring and summer. The kids got in the gym and have shown a lot of improvement, which is always necessary to stay competitive in the WHC. We have scheduled a difficult non-conference schedule this year in order to prepare our kids for what we think will as competitive league as it’s been in 5 years, with Owen, Avery, and Hendersonville all being very well coached and returning their core from last season. We believe with continued improvement and our returners gelling with a great class of young kids, we will have an opportunity to be in the mix for a conference championship.”
Top players- Hayden Branton (6’1 Junior- Guard – 2016 All-conference) Hayden is our most versatile kids. He can play all five positions on both ends of the floor. He has an unbelievable motor which generates a tremendous amount of energy for our team. He is very unselfish and will do anything it takes for our team to be successful. Trey Robinson (6’0 Junior-Guard-2016 All-conference) Trey is one of the toughest kids I’ve ever coached. He is our leader on both ends of the floor. He is a tremendous defensive player and can score from multiple areas on the floor.
Callin Randolph (5’11 Freshman- Guard) Callin is as skilled a 9th grader as I’ve seen in a long time. He can extend defenses with his range and then attack you off the dribble and get to the rim. He has great court vision and can get people open in the right spots. He works his butt off everyday, we are excited to see it translate on the high school level. Randolph is ranked as the #5 recruit in 2020 for PrepHoopsNC.
Justus Shelton (6’8 Freshman-Forward) Obviously Justus brings us length and a post presence. we expect him to alter shots at the rim, be a great rebounder and score for us in the paint. He is a very smart player with a great basketball pedigree. (son of Mountain Heritage High School Girls’ coach and former WNBA player Susie Shelton).
Lucas Jenkins (6’2 Freshman-Wing) Lucas can play all five spots on both ends of the floor. He loves to slash and finish, but can step outside and shoot the 3, which we worked on a lot this off-season. We look for him to be a match-up problem for a lot of teams.
2. Avery County High School– The Avery Vikings will return three seniors off of a 26-4 campaign. Jeffrey Puckett, Christian Hicks and Andy Dominguez will join junior Deacon Heath and sophomores Evan Krug, Chase Kirkpatrick, and Caleb Pritchard as returning members of last year’s team. The Vikings will need strong leadership from the seniors and an uptick in production from some underclassmen to keep Avery in the conversation in the Western Highlands Conference.Puckett is a four year varsity player and with his 6’4 frame he provides versatility and tremendous athleticism for Avery and new head coach Scott Grubb. Grubb previously was the head coach at Ashe County High School. He replaces Scott Polsgrove who left to become the Head Coach at Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy, Mass. Avery will again lean heavily on solid man to man defense and well-spaced player movement to continue it’s current trend of success. Though young, Grubb feels the Vikings are talented and will get better as the season progresses. He feels there will be an adjustment period early on but is confident that the returners can help bring this team along as they enter conference play. “We will need tremendous leadership and buy-in to fill the void left by point guard Jacob Waldroop and forward Luke Crowe who led the team last year in a number of statistical areas.” The good thing is we have kids who know what it takes to be successful. They are willing to put the time in and I feel lucky to be their coach,” said Grubb.
Owen senior Ben Craig3. Owen High School- Head Coach Chuck Robinson and the Warhorses finished last season at 16-11 overall and 9-3 in the conference and lost to Lincolnton High School in the NCHSAA 2-A state playoffs. Returning is all-conference selections Brian Bartlett, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard who averaged 15.4 points per game and 8.3 rebounds per game last season, Ben Craig, a 6-foot-2 shooting guard averaged 14.2 points, 5.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds last season, and 6-foot-6 big man Matt Brown who averaged 12.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per contest last year.
4. Polk County High School- The loss of seniors Jamal Wheeler and Wesley Mullis will be huge shoes to fill scoring wise, averaging a combined 32 points per game. The Wolverines do return 2018 W/PG Dillon Overholt who averaged right at 8 points and 3 rebounds per outing last season. 6-foot-1 senior James Wingo averaged 6 points and 6 rebounds per game last season.
Tyrese Cauley 6’4″ Jr.
Key Newcomers
Blake Hamrick 5’9″ Jr. Transfer from Veritas
Grant Moss 5’9 Jr.
Tyrese Hunt 6’0″ So.
Justin Starnes 6’3″ So.