Triad Preview Series: West Cabarrus (NCHSAA)

As we enter the dog days of summer, high school squads across North Carolina have begun to prepare for the 2024-2025 season. Among them are teams from the Triad, an overlooked, underrated region home to big-time prospects and programs. Welcome to year two of the Triad Preview Series, a two-part, in-depth look at the best basketball the Triad has to offer. Today's piece will feature West Cabarrus, a Concord, N.C. program that is looking to bounce back in 2023-2024.   Similar to the Trojans out of Northwest Cabarrus, a program West Cabarrus is quite familiar with, the Wolverines underperformed in 2023-2024. West Cabarrus finished last season 10-15, 5-7 in conference, and as a lower ranked program in the NCHSAA 4A class. With a talented roster that is more experienced, mature, and capable of winning big-time games, let's take a look at who on this year's squad can help them get back in playoff contention.    This is a West Cabarrus team that is loaded with talent at the guard position. I have no doubt that strong guard play will be one of the many strengths of this Wolverine roster in 2024-2025. A key piece to this season's backcourt will be class of 2025 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2175511' first='Kenyon' last='Spencer']. At 6'0", Spencer is a strong, well-sized, physical guard who is an established leader on and off the floor. He's an elite ball handler, good distributor, and underrated scorer. Spencer has proven he can run this team's offense efficiently while taking care of the basketball and creating plays for his teammates and himself. I like his ability to run the fast break, too. He plays with speed and with poise which allows him to generate offense in transition. With a West Cabarrus squad that needs a good amount of senior leadership, expect [player_tooltip player_id='2175511' first='Kenyon' last='Spencer'] to step up in the backcourt and get this program back on track.       Class of 2025 guard [player_tooltip player_id='2173140' first='Jacob' last='Warren'] is another prospect on this West Cabarrus team I'm high on this upcoming season. We've got Warren listed as a combo guard given his ability to create plays on and off the ball. I like to think of Warren as a versatile two-way guy who prides himself on playing lock down defense and making plays for himself and his teammates. He's a consistent three-level scorer who excels with the ball in his hands. Warren is an elite finisher at the rim who can execute through contact. He's got a respectable mid-range game that allows him to do some serious damage around the perimeter. Most notably, Warren has significantly improved his three-point shooting to the point where he feels confident letting it fly when he's got the right look. The combination of [player_tooltip player_id='2173140' first='Jacob' last='Warren'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2175511' first='Kenyon' last='Spencer'] leading this West Cabarrus backcourt is intriguing. I like it a lot. There games compliment each other well and there is some serious upside to having both of these guys share the backcourt in 2024-2025. Let's see if they can put it together. If all goes to plan, we're looking at two of the most underrated guards in the NCHSAA.     Veteran leadership will be crucial to the success of West Cabarrus' 2024-2025 season. Another class of 2025 prospect that will be at the forefront of this program's turnaround is Keondre Wade. At 6'8", Wade is a long, athletic forward who's got a ton of potential. Wade is a skilled finisher underneath the basket, elite shot rim protector, and is a coachable prospect who loves to work. He's a competitor on both sides of the floor who has continued to improve in each of his three seasons of high school basketball to date. a key piece of Wade's game that I would like to see him continue develop is his outside shot. This would add another level of versatility to his game and would space the floor for this West Cabarrus team that has a guard heavy roster. There is no doubt Wade will be crucial for this team's success given his length and size. They'll need him to continue to be an elite rim protector and shot blocker for them to be successful on the defensive side of the floor. With bigger expectations now the standard for West Cabarrus, keep an eye out for Keondre Wade.       Class of 2026 forward Mandrake Lewis is another intriguing prospect in this team's frontcourt who will be integral to their success, specifically on defense. At 6'4", Lewis is a well-sized, athletic, stretch-4 prospect who is a player to know. Lewis is an elite defender who has also established himself as an elite scorer. While this program in 2024-2025 will need to get all they can out of his size and length on the defensive end of the floor, they will also utilize his ability to execute off pick and rolls to create plays. I like the development I've seen from Mandrake Lewis. Keep an eye out for this guy to make some serious noise in 2024-2025.     Marcus Hurley is another wing prospect who's got a ton of potential. Hurley is a big, strong prospect who plays an aggressive, all-out brand of basketball that sets him apart. At 6'4", Hurley is an elite defender who loves to compete. He's an underrated rebounder for a guy his size and does a nice job of creating plays off 50/50 balls and turnovers. I think Hurley will have a bigger presence in this team's offense as they will need his length and size down low. If he can work to polish his footwork and ability to score underneath the basket, he should have a great year sharing the frontcourt with Keondre Wade and Mandrake Lewis.

As we enter the dog days of summer, high school squads across North Carolina have begun to prepare for the 2024-2025 season. Among them are teams from the Triad, an overlooked, underrated region home to big-time prospects and programs. Welcome to year two of the Triad Preview Series, a two-part, in-depth look at the best basketball the Triad has to offer. Today's piece will feature West Cabarrus, a Concord, N.C. program that is looking to bounce back in 2023-2024.