Underclassmen Lighting NC Up

There is a special crop of underclassmen talent in the 2028 and 2029 classes in North Carolina that are all gearing up for playoff runs and trying to complete their schedule after the weather delays from the past few weeks. A lot of these kids have taken on major leadership roles at proud programs despite being so early in their high school careers. Without further delay, here's a look at another group of these high performing underclassmen.    Coleman is arguably the face of public school basketball in the City of Charlotte right now and it's because of the energy he plays with, his embracement of the West Charlotte community, and the fact that the kid wins and performs consistently. West Charlotte has played a really tough schedule and still sits at 16-4 on the season as we come down the stretch. Coleman is averaging 17.2 Points, 7.3 Rebounds, 3.7 Assists, 3.2 Steals, and 1.8 Blocks per game. The kid is absolutely stuffing the stat sheet and doing it efficiently on 55/35/66 splits as a sophomore. Coleman excels at getting downhill and is a truly special "traffic" finisher as he can explode and contort his body however he needs to. He often tries to dunk in traffic and is frequently rewarded with foul calls. Defensively, he's a menace that can guard four positions at the high school level. He's also showing real growth as a PG which is great considering his size and athletic gifts. As he continues to up the volume on outside shots, if he can maintain similar efficiency, he's going to find himself ranked amongst the top 60 players nationally by this time in two years and have his pick of the litter on where to attend college.     This kid is a wrecking machine out in Eastern North Carolina and it's only a matter of time before people around the state and country become super familiar with AJ Scott. Scott has helped lead the charge for a New Bern team with a 15-3 record and a 4-2 mark in conference. Scott has found a way to flourish and produce while still gelling with other talented players, an incredible trait early on for a young kid with this much raw ability. As a freshman, Scott is averaging 15.9 Points, 4.6 Rebounds, 1.1 Assists, 1.4 Steals, and 1.9 Blocks per game. He's also shooting 46% from the floor as a freshman. Scott's athleticism, poise, and motor are his calling cards early on in his career. The kid plays hard, super aware of whats going on around him, and is a well rounded + supremely gifted athlete. As Scott continues to develop his outside touch, grow into his frame, and get more high level experience, there is little doubt that he's going to get recruited at the national level. He's checking all of the boxes up to this point and from all accounts is really focused on becoming the best player he can be.     For a new program with all young players, it's extremely important to have the centerpiece to build that foundation around and [player_tooltip player_id='3483107' first='Sylva' last='Okauru'] is exactly that for Brian Clifton and St. Christopher Academy. The team has struggled in the W/L column as it's a completely new program but Okauru has been an undeniable bright spot. He's averaging 16.6 Points, 13.2 Rebounds, and 1.3 Blocks per game. He's a cleanup guy on the boards and on the interior. Super raw in many areas but finding a way to be productive despite having essentially no real basketball experience coming into this season. Okauru plays really hard, he's constantly on the glass and getting buckets on the interior and will be a guy in NC's loaded 2029 class to monitor closely. His production as a freshman is more than undeniable, it's actually truly impressive.     [player_tooltip player_id='2700757' first='Ayo' last='Awosanya'] is such a valuable piece to have on your team with how much he's able to impact the game at both ends of the floor. For a Myers Park team with multiple next level prospects on it, Awosanya is their most impactful two way player. This team is 14-7 on the season and poised for a deep playoff run and Awosanya is such a big part of that due to his activity. He's averaging 17.5 Points, and 8.1 Rebounds per game while shooting 71% from the floor on the season. He is 50% from three as well but only on half an attempt per game. His switch-ability defensively combined with his efficiency and volume offensively make him malleable to all different types of play styles and surrounding personnel. Ayo can really finish around the rim at a high level and is continuing to expand his game beyond that with higher frequency. He should continue to have a stock rising type spring/summer as well.     Hargett is proving to be one of the State's top freshman early on with his ability to produce and directly impact winning in his first season at Heritage. His team is 13-8 and he's taken on a lot of playmaking responsibility as a freshman with some established talent on this roster returning. Hargett is averaging 15.1 Points, 3.1 Rebounds, 2.4 Assists, and 1.4 Steals per game. He's doing all of that on 45/32/86 splits, really impressive for a freshman with his usage + the level of competition. Hargett is a creative passer in ball screen situations, he has an advanced understanding of the game at this stage. He's not super developed physically but has a legit frame to grow into over the coming years. He's got advanced footwork when looking to self-create jumpers and is able to make them in a variety of ways. Hargett has an incredible foundation for a young PG and should continue to develop into a high level prospect in NC's stacked 2029 class.

There is a special crop of underclassmen talent in the 2028 and 2029 classes in North Carolina that are all gearing up for playoff runs and trying to complete their schedule after the weather delays from the past few weeks. A lot of these kids have taken on major leadership roles at proud programs despite being so early in their high school careers. Without further delay, here's a look at another group of these high performing underclassmen.