June Storylines – Public School Edition

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the season of team camps approaches, with high schools ready to play once again, there's a ton to figure out. As our de facto "halfway point" between the end of many team's seasons and the beginning of their next ones, it's time to evaluate who's next in line. Read below for some of our biggest storylines when it comes to our public schools (NCHSAA).</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">How Will State Champions Reload?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Three of four state champions will be losing a lot of talent from their teams, and it will be on them to reload as well as develop from within.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>For Wilson Prep, [player_tooltip player_id='1917793' first='Tae' last='Barnes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2268349' first='Elijah' last='Newsome'] are going to be the guys to step up next year, and in particular, I think Newsome will be outstanding. He's already shown his ability to make OMG plays, getting high above the rim to throw it down or sky for some chasedown blocks. He's been good for Juice All Stars so far on the grassroots circuit as well, showing he's going to bring the scoring pop back to Wilson.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Central Cabarrus is going to struggle to reclaim the magic of their last two seasons, but they will still be a high level group with their coaching staff and remaining talent. [player_tooltip player_id='2319811' first='Emari' last='Russell'] will be counted upon to take over the scoring load and play with the ball in his hands, and he shares a lot of similar attributes to the Daniel twins. A breakout year for him and he could be a college guy for a local school. <strong>Cayden Smith</strong> also played legitimate minutes on the wing, which will be important for their size and three point shooting. It will be a year where we learn a lot of new names from the school, that's for sure. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>North Mecklenburg always has guys in the stable, and they actually graduate less than these other mentioned schools. But with their top 2 guys gone, [player_tooltip player_id='1409583' first='Chadlyn' last='Traylor'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1680977' first='Ashton' last='Pierce'] are going to have to step up and become leaders and elite closers to maintain that success. The skill level in the backcourt will absolutely be there, but can the two become killers and guys who excel in the spotlight? I'm excited to find out. Don't count out [player_tooltip player_id='1454559' first='Greg' last='Murray'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1916754' first='Carson' last='Evans'] carving out big roles too, as they've both been playing great AAU ball this spring. We'll see them a couple times across the state in June.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading {"level":3} --> <h3 class="wp-block-heading">HS Transfer Portal - Who's Moving?</h3> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With the idea of moving high schools becoming more and more prevalent these days, lots of guys are beginning to move based on what fits them best basketball-wise. Hickory Ridge landed one of the best of the cycle with 2025 [player_tooltip player_id='1226605' first='Isaiah' last='Henry'] moving from Cannon to his local public school to time up with guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1608357' first='Tyzhir' last='Dyer'], [player_tooltip player_id='2419150' first='Parker' last='Watkins'], and [player_tooltip player_id='2280466' first='James' last='Wood']. The GM4 is going to be a warzone every night with them becoming a big time team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Aidan Smalls making the move over to Clayton to continue his football and basketball career is going to have a big ripple across the Wake County public school scene as well. Clayton gets the point guard they need to run the show along with a deep cast of characters that includes [player_tooltip player_id='1365466' first='Andrew' last='Grimes'], [player_tooltip player_id='1673520' first='Jeremiah' last='Henson'], and [player_tooltip player_id='1212902' first='Justice' last='Mitchell']. While over at Gibbons, guys like [player_tooltip player_id='1948023' first='Griffin' last='Cockerham'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2171867' first='Damon' last='Phillips'] will get more opportunities to shine and develop, making them an intriguing group to track.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's still very early, but we could see some guys move schools during team camp and it will be our first time learning about it. We'll be sure to update you later in the summer with a list of movers as we compile and get more information.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->