Preview: WNCAC
Here is the PrepHoopsNC preview for the Western North Carolina Athletic Conference. 1.  North Henderson High School- Finished last season at 23-4 overall. The Knights return Conference player of the Year Austin Nelson,  a 6-foot-5 guard/forward.  Nelson can take over a…
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Continue ReadingHere is the PrepHoopsNC preview for the Western North Carolina Athletic Conference.
1.  North Henderson High School- Finished last season at 23-4 overall. The Knights return Conference player of the Year Austin Nelson,  a 6-foot-5 guard/forward.  Nelson can take over a game with his size, scoring ability, and length. He is a do-it-all type player who has a passion for winning. His recruitment is not at the level that it should be coming from a under-recruited area and playing with Team United on the Nike EYBL circuit this summer should help with that. Also returning is 2019 6-foot-3 wing Kalin Ensley who averaged 5.9 points per game and 4.6 rebounds and 2017 6-foot-4 F/C  Markese Lynch who averaged 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 rebounds.
2. Tuscola High School (Waynesville)– Key Returning Players:Â
Head Coach Nathan Messer had this to say about the upcoming season, “When I took over the program at Tuscola in 2009, we had a four-year run where we went 65-40 overall (44-19 in conference).  We capped that run with a split-conference championship with Smoky Mountain in 2012.  We entered a two year rebuild from 2012-2014 and there were some tough times in that stretch.  But I knew better times were to come”. “Our feeder middle school (Waynesville Middle) was putting together some good seasons during our rebuild and we had a core group of underclassmen who arrived on campus during that stretch who have committed to putting in the year-around work required to have a strong program.  That’s what it takes to have the kind of season we had last year and to build on that going forward. Those young guys are now juniors and seniors and they saw their hard work start to pay off last season as we went 15-10 and ended the year with a close playoff game against a 23-win Hibriten High School team.”
3. Pisgah High School- The Black Bears return three all-conference players that finished 9-5 in the Western NC Athletic Conference in Trey Morgan, Zeke Long and Mason Herbert.
4. Smoky Mountain High School-Finished last season at 25-4 overall and advanced to the third round of the NCHSAA playoffs ending in a loss to Lake Norman Charter. Return all-conference selection Tommy Brennan, a 6-foot-2 2018 shooting guard. He averaged right at 15 points per game this past season including 29 points against conference power North Henderson High School.
5. West Henderson High School- The main returning scoring threat is Will Lindsey, a 5-foot-11, 2017 guard who averaged 9.7 points and 2.5 rebounds to go along with 1.7 assists per game. Also returning off the 15-8 team is 6-foot-5 wing Davis Phillips who averaged 9 points and 4 rebounds last season. 2019 F Ian Rogers will be a good one to watch over the next few years. Standing 6-foot-6, Rogers is a defensive presence that averaged 4.5 points and 4 rebounds last season seeing action in 21 games.
6. Brevard High School– The Blue Devils finished 2-18 last season under head coach David Siniard. The return of 2018 6-foot-2 guard Ari Williams (14.5 points and 5 rebounds) and sophomore 6-foot-1 guard Breylon Owens (6.6 points) will be a key factor in how the season turns out. Also returning is junior point guard Terrance Johnson who averaged almost 5 points per game last season.
-7. Franklin High School- Last season, the Panthers finished 5-18 overall and 3-12 in the conference. A young team returns led by sophomore guard Andrew Terrell, the 5-foot-11 guard averaged 9 points and 3 rebounds last season. Also returning are underclassmen 6-foot-2 forward Silas Raby and 6’foot guard Brock Kloeppel.
8. East Henderson High School-Â This season will be another rebuilding year as East Henderson High School returns only one player off last year’s team that finished 8-16 overall. Head Coach Bruce Gilliam will have to try and develop younger players that played last season on the junior varsity level.