NCISAA 2A Preview – Who to Watch?

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2A classification in the NCISAA is LOADED with talent, with enough teams that can make deep runs in the state tournament to have to count on two hands. Check below for all the teams to watch and who will be leading them towards the promised land.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Burlington School- The Burlington School may be back-to-back champions, but a lot of turnover has occurred within the program. Coach Ryan Bernardi has moved on to national powerhouse Prolific Prep, and dynamic duo [player_tooltip player_id='854890' first='Kobe' last='George'] and [player_tooltip player_id='577871' first='Avion' last='Pinner'] have moved to defending 3A champs Concord Academy. However, the Spartans bring back a diverse and talented group to go for state championship number three in a row. Returners [player_tooltip player_id='1098355' first='Zion' last='Walker'] and <strong>Myles Hooker,</strong> the latter coming off a severe injury, will provide leadership and experience to the Spartans. [player_tooltip player_id='1145482' first='Ashton' last='Troutman'] and [player_tooltip player_id='992925' first='Steven' last='Lassiter'] will provide offensive ability to the forwards group, and other guys like <strong>Ty Outlaw</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='1373705' first='Cam' last='Flippen'] will provide depth and ability to the roster as a whole. TBS has to be counted on to be the favorite with such a deep roster that they have.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Trinity Academy- The Tigers have a deep team, and it starts with [player_tooltip player_id='1363176' first='Trevor' last='Barrett']. The senior guard is a plus shooter who can score the ball from all three levels and would be a welcome addition to lots of programs. [player_tooltip player_id='1014991' first='Kevon' last='Vanderhorst'] is a fast stockriser as a 2023 guard who led Team Curry 17U in APG at the UAA finals, and having him dominate the ball will help create opportunities for everyone else. [player_tooltip player_id='1343866' first='Clash' last='Peters'] is an intriguing name in the class of 2024 who is already picking up low major D1 offers as an interior undersized 5 man and will get to have much more of a statewide opportunity to show his talent. With this group of talent and a lot more always waiting to have their turn, Trinity will stay a force this year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Gaston Day- Gaston Day is a scrappy squad that brings back a lot of their talent and should push to be champions this year in the class. [player_tooltip player_id='854914' first='Callum' last='Richard'] is fresh off committing to East Tennessee State and the rangy big with great interior touch should be the engine that powers the Spartans this year. <strong>Collin Fayed</strong> and [player_tooltip player_id='993656' first='Evan' last='Montanari'] will provide the outside scoring for this group in the backcourt, and don't count out <strong>Kurt Hunter</strong> and <strong>Chase Owens</strong> to provide some real support. A name to watch is 2026 <strong>Ayron Jackson</strong>. He was 6'4 last season and seems to have gotten bigger in his first year in high school; he'll be worth monitoring as the season continues.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northwood Temple- [player_tooltip player_id='1103265' first='Cannon' last='Keziah'] will lead a Northwood Temple squad that does lose a lot of production, including ECSU commit Jaquantae Harris. The Eagles biggest strength this year will be the insane amount of size they now have in their frontcourt. 3 players will now be over 6'11, including returner [player_tooltip player_id='944993' first='John' last='Baldwin'], who was the Eagles main presence down low. He will now split time with the "Twin Towers", who consist of 7 footer <strong>Daniel Mbaeteka</strong> and 7'1 <strong>Harold Oluses</strong>. Mbaeteka will look more like the prototypical post scoring big man, while Oluses figures to be athletically oriented like modern 5s. While this team is not the frontrunner in 2A, the addition of this size alone, added by Keziah returning, makes Northwood Temple a team to watch this season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Wayne Country Day- [player_tooltip player_id='848089' first='Collin' last='Tanner'] was the engine that made this WCD team run, and his loss will not help things in Goldsboro. However, this team is still full of talented players. [player_tooltip player_id='1113673' first='Jordan' last='Cooper'] and [player_tooltip player_id='848086' first='Nayshin' last='Waller'] will be the two guards to watch in the Chargers backcourt. Cooper is much more of a perimeter scorer and a passer, while Waller does his damage inside, scoring at the rim with his larger frame. [player_tooltip player_id='1603895' first='Carlos' last='Vasquez'] is a 2024 combo guard that will probably play more of the 3 and the 4. <strong>Kaylen Coles</strong> will be the teams leading rebounder as an undersized four. This team returns almost everyone, and even if their star name is gone, this entire team will find ways to replicate success.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Northside Christian- Losing <strong>Wesley Tubbs</strong> will hurt the Knights, but Northside Christian will absolutely show us new guys to watch on a state level. One of those may be[player_tooltip player_id='1278076' first='Antonio' last='Perkins'], a strong guard who can play both outside and inside as well as defend multiple positions. He will be part of a deep guard group that includes <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1869285' first='Kyrell' last='Shaw']</strong>, [player_tooltip player_id='854883' first='Joshua' last='Bullock'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1338309' first='Jahmir' last='Brown']. With a low amount of frontcourt depth, this team may have to go to 4 or 5 guards at a time during the year. Two younger names to watch are 2026s <strong>[player_tooltip player_id='2502840' first='KJ' last='Shouse']</strong> and <strong>Josiah Johnson</strong>. Their development may be key to a successful season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Check back soon for the NCISAA 3A breakdown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->