NCISAA 1A Preview- Who To Watch?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The NCISAA is a consistent hotbed of talent in North Carolina, with the likes of Dennis Smith Jr., Trey Murphy III, and Grant Williams being alumni of NCISAA schools. With another year of basketball around the corner, we dive into each class of the association to find out which teams and players have the potential to make the most noise, starting with the 1A class. Notable news for the 1A classification this year is that both Greenfield School as well as Grace Christian School of Sanford both have moved up to 2A for the upcoming season. This leaves a big favorite alone in the class, but will open up more opportunities for teams to make deep runs and be competitive within the classification.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>United Faith Christian Academy</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>UFCA is fresh off a 1A title, and the Falcons are showing no signs of slowing down. Fordham commit [player_tooltip player_id='1204932' first='Alex' last='Bates'] is an athletic, slashing 6'5 wing who has developed his jumper a lot over his high school career, and ultimate glue guy [player_tooltip player_id='1315501' first='Lance' last='Gill'] is back to provide all the under the radar plays for this squad. The two seniors will lead a UFCA team that has brought back as well as added talent all over the court. D1 players abound, with Bates, Gill, sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='1226598' first='Bryce' last='Slay'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1046670' first='Isaiah' last='Sutherland'] all commanding D1 and D2 interest. Sutherland will man the interior for this group, and the addition of Metrolina Christian transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1076353' first='Dylan' last='Deluca'] will add some size as well. Weddington transfer [player_tooltip player_id='1241705' first='Evan' last='Morton'] has apparently cemented his hold on the lead guard position for this squad as an exciting two way floor general. Overall, this United Faith team is just as deep and talented as they were last year, and should make lots of noise within both 1A as well as all of North Carolina high school basketball. They are the odds-on favorite to repeat.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Crossroads Christian</strong>&nbsp;</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Colts of Crossroads Christian are another squad that could be in the mix this year. This team is old with lots of experience, and 2023 [player_tooltip player_id='1154649' first='John' last='Henderson'] will be the leader of a Colts team that loves to run up and down the floor. He's a plus athlete both in strength and verticality, and can make high energy plays down low. Teammates <strong>Shane Anthony</strong> and <strong>Noah Towles</strong> will partner together as a strong 1-2 punch out of the backcourt; Towles the lead provider and Anthony a sharpshooter and scorer at all three levels. Junior <strong>Ben Gladeux</strong> will look to offer both size and scoring ability in the frontcourt, and [player_tooltip player_id='1059714' first='D'Markus' last='Tucker'] also provides size, strength, and physicality as a bigger, burly forward. This team should make noise in its class, and will be an interesting matchup for many squads this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cape Fear Christian</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Another team to watch within the division is Cape Fear Christian. Deshawn Woods is gone, but the Eagles return one of the most electric scorers and playmakers in North Carolina in 2024 [player_tooltip player_id='854881' first='Zeke' last='Brock']. His impressive summer has driven his stock up greatly, punctuated by a 58 point performance on the Big Shots Global circuit, tearing down former high school sensation Aquille Carr's previous record. An 18P/11A&nbsp;season was just the start for this stud, and with him being the lead conductor, his numbers will only jump higher. [player_tooltip player_id='1220094' first='Jakson' last='Cullen'] is a 2025 name to watch in this class, as he continues to find his scoring and playmaking ability in a bigger role this year as well. The front-court is missing a big name, but the Eagles should be able to win a lot of games this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check back in soon for a breakdown of the talented NCISAA 2A class.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->