High School Spotlight: Gary 21st Century Cougars

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The High School Spotlight Series is back and we are excited to feature multiple teams throughout the state once again! The season is still a few months away, but it is never too early to look ahead at the high school season. We will be taking a look at some quick hitters, the top player(s), a potential breakout player, other roster members, and more for the upcoming season. For today's spotlight, we take a look at the Gary 21st Century Cougars.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Quick Hitters</strong></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Went 21-7 last season.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Lost to Manchester in Semistate.&nbsp;</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Head Coach James Scott returns for his 3rd year as head coach. He is 61-63<strong>&nbsp;</strong>as a head coach.</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>Contender for Class 2A State Finals </li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Player: [player_tooltip player_id='1561080' first='Terrence' last='Hayes']<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/jahari-miller/"></a></h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>When you are arguably the top player in all of Class 2A basketball, you will always earn an automatic spot as the top player no matter what team you are on. 2026 guard [player_tooltip player_id='1561080' first='Terrence' last='Hayes'] returns to Gary 21st Century for one more go-around as he looks to lead the Cougars to a possible Class 2A State Championship. As a junior, he was by far the most productive player for Gary 21st last season<strong>,</strong> averaging 20.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game. Hayes checks the boxes in terms of athleticism, explosiveness, and playmaking. The junior All-Star comes into this season with a host of Division I offers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Potential Breakout Player: [player_tooltip player_id='1561004' first='Ronald' last='Mosley']</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The guy that will be running alongside Hayes in the backcourt this upcoming season is fellow 2026 guard Ronal Mosley, who has also had a stellar high school career. The senior guard will return as the team's second-leading scorer<strong>,</strong> averaging 10.8 points as well as over 2.0 steals per game as a junior. Mosley is one of the more dynamic guards we have in the northern part of the state and plays with such a high motor on both ends of the floor. He plays extremely well off the bounce and has the ability to play above the rim if he gets a chance to get downhill. He is a player to watch in Class 2A this season.<a href="https://prephoops.com/player/landon-lampley/"></a></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Other Key Roster Members</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1561078' first='Me'trell' last='Harbin']</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2399386' first='Derek' last='Scott Jr']</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='1561084' first='Jacolby' last='Donaldson']</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2470647' first='Kayleb' last='Young']</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>[player_tooltip player_id='2797666' first='Ryan' last='Mosley']</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list -->