Open Gym Tour: Henderson Collegiate

<p>One of the best teams at the 1A level in the state of North Carolina is the Henderson Collegiate Pride. The Pride made it all the way to last year's 1A State Championship game, where they fell to Bishop McGuinness 55-54. Despite the loss, Henderson Collegiate is back and better than ever with a few newcomers in the stable as well. On Tuesday, with Queens University and Emory &amp; Henry in attendance, I was able to get a look at what to expect.</p> <h5>Top to bottom Henderson is stacked</h5> <p>The Pride are a team loaded with talent and a majority of it is in the 2021 class. They'll certainly be led by 2020 guard <strong>Kalib Matthews</strong>, who is already committed to Queens University, but with the likes of 2021 <strong>Javonte Waverly,</strong> 2020 <strong>Kameron Brooks</strong> and 2021 <strong>Akhiris "AK" Holden</strong>, they're set to make waves as some of the best juniors at the 1A level. </p> <p>There will be a lot of weapons at Coach George Marshall's disposal, that's for certain. Matthews is a certified bucket that can create off the dribble and get any shot he wants on the floor. Waverly is a lockdown defender and a terror on the offensive end with his ability to get to the hole. He received his first offer from Elon this past week.</p> <p>Brooks and Holden will be the wildcards with their ability to knock down the 3-pointer. Holden is an underrated athlete that plays above the rim as well. His athleticism was on full display as he caught a tip dunk off the rim before it was all said and done during live scrimmaging.</p> <p>Matthews, Waverly, Brooks and Holden aren't the only prospects to keep an eye on either. They've also got 2021s <strong>JaQuaveon Venable, Kaleb Royster, Khris Franklin,</strong> and 2020<strong> Niko Weaver</strong> and even 2022 <strong>Todd Ragland. </strong>With such a deep backcourt, it's hard to imagine this team not making it back to the 1A State Finals in March.</p> <h5>Building a culture</h5> <p>The best asset of this team is their ability to shoot the 3-pointer. One person expected to change the trajectory of the program is 2021 combo guard <strong>Nick Green. </strong>Green transferred from St. David's and showed why teams will regret leaving him open this season with his shot-making ability throughout open gym. He also has a knack for getting open without the ball in his hands. There's a reason Appalachian State reached out about him recently.  </p> <p>Another new piece is 2020 forward <strong>Charles Kiah. </strong>After missing last year due to transfer rules, Kiah is back as well. He's a fundamentally sound player with a good feel for the ball around the rim and an underrated shooter.</p> <h5>Finding their identity on the glass</h5> <p>The biggest thing this team needs to find is their edge on the rebounding front. With forwards like Kiah, 2021 <strong>Jashea Hart</strong> and 2022 <strong>Jarrod Small</strong>, Henderson Collegiate still needs to find their identity in the frontcourt. Hart contributed on JV last season and is coming into his own on the interior. Small is another prospect that's coming also. He's got all the size and prototypical body to play on the interior, now he just needs to learn to put together the small things like defending and rebounding. </p> <p>2021<strong> Davon Allen</strong>, who already has an offer from Vance-Granville Community College, is another prospect that can play both inside and outside and has an opportunity to make an impact in the frontcourt. As he finds his confidence and motor, he's another player to keep an eye on for this squad.</p> <p>It's early, but Henderson Collegiate is already in the early stages of building something special. They're ready to return to the top of the ladder in the 1A ranks and run the tables in the North Central Conference as they did last year. Stay tuned, cause this won't be the last you hear of them. </p>