Greene Central vs North Pitt: PrepHoops 5 Best
It’s still early in the high school hoops basketball season, but you could not tell from watching these two teams compete over the weekend. In what felt like a playoff atmosphere all game long, North Pitt and Greene Central battled in a highly entertaining back and forth match-up that wouldn’t be decided until the final minute of regulation, which Greene Central pulling off the win on the road in a very tough environment. Check out 5 standouts from the game listed below.
Best Guard: Devonte Pettaway – 5’11” PG | Class of 2017 | North Pitt High School
Most people in eastern North Carolina are already familiar with Pettaway. He’s a very hard player to guard when he’s in attack mode, regardless of legitimate rim protectors being under the basket. Has an uncanny ability to get into the paint and convert over longer defenders. Off the dribble, he showed a ton of creativity to get his shot within the flow of the game. Nothing appears forced. Despite his team falling, he finished with a game high 29 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists. D2 schools should definitely get in on this kid as soon as possible. He’s been playing out of his mind. He’s a great student as well.
Best Big Man: Imajae Dodd – 6’7” PF | Class of 2019 | Greene Central High School
Imajae came into this contest averaging over 20 points and 10 rebounds. He’s a well-known prospect in North Carolina that already has several Division 1 offers and should he continue progressing like he has, it’s a matter of time before he potentially begins to attract some national attention. Despite on paper appearing to be somewhat of an undersized post presence at 6’7”, what can’t be shown on paper is his motor, high skill level, timing and youth. He finished this contest with 21 points, 11 rebounds and 4 blocks despite not having the best shooting night. This kid screams potential and his production is beginning to catch up with it.
Most Versatile: Don Pigford – 6’5” G/F | Class of 2017 | Greene Central High School
Don Pigford has made it clear that he is a college level prospect. D2 schools would be wise to come see him the first chance they get. He stands around 6’5”, has an enormous wingspan, a really quick second leap, underrated ball-handling skills and solid finishing ability. He is one of those players that doesn’t need to directly have plays ran for him in order to make a huge impact on the game. On defense, he frustrated his opponents all night with his length forcing his man into several awkward looking shots. Blocked several jumpers, had a ton of deflections, a ton of steals and had 3 monster put-back dunks that changed the momentum of the game. Whatever D2 or possibly D3 school that gets him will have a player.
Most Intriguing: Donte Johnson – 6’4” W | Class of 2019 | Greene Central High School
Donte Johnson is a very intriguing lefty that had a very solid showing versus North Pitt. He was all over the glass, running the floor, defending and finishing strong inside on both sides of the rim. It was my second opportunity to see him and I wasn’t disappointed in the least bit. He has all the tools to become a versatile wing that can do a ton of things well. Has solid shooting mechanics, boxes out well, corrals rebounds out of position and appears to have a solid motor. Will be interesting to track him as the season goes along. Definitely has potential to become a college player.
Most Underrated: Reginald Carney – 6’0” PG | Class of 2017 | North Pitt High School
Reginald Carney is a pure scorer. Off the dribble, he’s able to get by most defenders with 1 or 2 quick dribble moves to free himself for a nice looking pull-up jump-shot. He was one of a few players in this game (along with Devonte Pettaway of North Pitt & Don’Quez Davis of Greene Central) who was able to get whatever he wanted off the dribble. Stays in the lane wreaking havoc and converting mid-range opportunities. Despite going up against a ton of length, he didn’t appear to be bothered as much as you would expect despite giving up more than 4 inches to most of the defenders on him. I could definitely see him taking the juco route and developing into a quick scoring threat that can also handle the ball over time at a 4 year school.