NCHSAA 2A East Preview – Who to Watch?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We're back with another NCHSAA preview, this time covering the 2A East division. Who is expected to come out on top? Find out below.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Farmville Central- Death, taxes, and Farmville Central as the favorites in 2A; they are all constants in this world. The Jags return [player_tooltip player_id='854917' first='Jah' last='Short'], the recently committed New Orleans guard with impressive length and athleticism. He may not be the best perimeter scorer in the world, but he is an issue in the paint. Supporting him is [player_tooltip player_id='854911' first='Jayden' last='Pitt'], a smaller guard who still boasts elite explosiveness and athleticism like short. Look for them to be a dynamic 1-2 punch this season. [player_tooltip player_id='1076368' first='Alex' last='Moye'] is the brother of former Jag Leontae Moye, and he is continuing to carry on the family legacy. He is a good scorer and does it physically for a guard, and will also rebound the ball well this year for the Jags. His perimeter scoring will be a huge part of the Jags ceiling this year; whether he can knock down 3's at a high clip will be huge for their offense. These three horsemen will be the centerpieces to what the Jags do this year, but it will be intriguing to see who else emerges from the Farmville pipeline as new key pieces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Goldsboro- Goldsboro has one of the most dominating guys at the high school level in NC with [player_tooltip player_id='949375' first='Ta'Korrie' last='Faison'], a big 6'7 guy who will be a tweener at the next level. He is an awesome jumper and mover on the floor, and it translates into everything he does. Offensively, he is an elite finisher and plays above the rim, while continuing to work on his jumpshot and perimeter game. Defensively, he's quick enough as a wing to play hard on the ball and is super active on that end; he will be a two-way star somewhere in the next couple of years. Tajmari Joyner is a nice complementary piece for the Cougars, with great slashing ability that is complemented by a plus jumpshot. His natural body and athleticism set him up nicely to succeed on defense as well. [player_tooltip player_id='1076371' first='Amari' last='Latham'] and <strong>Jahid Karim</strong> are two intriguing new faces for the Cougars that should provide some depth and talent of their own. The Cougars will be a team to keep track of this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Cummings- Cummings is a team led by one of the youngest prospects to watch in 2A, sophomore guard [player_tooltip player_id='1382077' first='Johnniyus' last='Sharpe']. Sharpe is primarily a finisher when scoring the ball, but really has good feel and maturity for being a lead guard at his age. Keep an eye on him as he continues to round out offensively. [player_tooltip player_id='1131338' first='Kaden' last='Hammond'] is a monster down low that should only increase his walking double-double status this year, as his strength and size has increased even more. He rebounds and boxes well, and his touch around the rim is solid. <strong>Jakari Dobbins</strong> and <strong>Ramael Warren</strong> are complementary pieces, Dobbins who will play as a hard-nosed gritty guard, and Warren as a pesky thief and defender of opposing guards. This core being so young means that the sky is the limit for Cummings, it just depends on the teams growth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>East Cartaret- When it comes to the Mariners, everything starts with [player_tooltip player_id='1030009' first='Shamel' last='Baker']. He is a heady guard that is an ultimate scorer; he is just in attack mode when the balls gets into his hands. He shoots it pretty well from each level on the floor but primarily does his damage inside the arc. That's where his counterpart [player_tooltip player_id='1062166' first='Charles' last='Matheka'] comes in. He will play the lead guard spot at times and does serious damage with both his playmaking as well as his above average 3 point shot. Dual sport athletes [player_tooltip player_id='1317653' first='Jacob' last='Nelson'] and <strong>Erik Jernigan</strong> will pitch in here and there as well, but Baker and Matheka drive this team wherever they end up. Expect the Mariners to end up near the top with those two.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Hertford County- The Bears may be overlooked on the statewide level, but these guys deserve real recognition. [player_tooltip player_id='854912' first='Israel' last='Powell'] is the head of the snake for them, with some real quickness and acceleration that allows him to be a monster in transition as well as aggressive and a pain on defense. <strong>William Valentine</strong> is a marksman from deep that will be another part of their Swiss Army Knife of scorers, and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2316727' first='Rimiez' last='Williams']</strong> is a dog defensively that makes opposing guards struggle. [player_tooltip player_id='1225453' first='Keveon' last='Rodgers'] is a bigger guy who plays as their undersized forward and comes down with a lot of boards; he's a two sport athlete and uses his physicality well. This is a deep and well rounded team that will make noise come tournament time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check back later this week for our 2A West preview!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->