2023 In Review – NCISAA 3A Edition
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With 2023 winding down, its time to take in all that’s occurred so far in the 2023-2024 season. With non-conference play winding down, the NCISAA 3A class is a very open race, with defending champs Greensboro Day strong but not…
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Continue ReadingWith 2023 winding down, its time to take in all that’s occurred so far in the 2023-2024 season. With non-conference play winding down, the NCISAA 3A class is a very open race, with defending champs Greensboro Day strong but not world beaters like last year. Read below for some of the top storylines and players so far this season.
Trio of Triad Teams at the Top
In a class that was always going to be pretty wide open in the race for a state title, it seems there’s three main contenders that will be playing for the championship.
Forsyth Country Day would be the betting favorite as of right now, with an 11-2 record with a two point loss to Cannon and a four point loss to NC GBB. Bobby Cannon Jr Bobby Cannon Jr 6'10" | PF Forsyth Country Day | 2024 State NC has been electrifying as a slashing forward with outstanding length and rim protection so far. Nathaniel Q Williams Nathaniel Q Williams 5'10" | PG Forsyth Country Day | 2026 State NC was outstanding as a coach on the floor and a commanding presence at the point guard spot when I saw him, and he has kept that level of play up all year. Iverson King Iverson King 6'6" | CG Forsyth Country Day | 2024 State NC and Draven Pilson Draven Pilson 6'7" | SF Forsyth Country Day | 2024 State NC provide college level physicality, size, and defense at the wing positions, and Jahon Foster Jahon Foster 6'3" | CG Forsyth Country Day | 2024 State NC has been a sparkplug/sixth man type of guy off the bench.
For Greensboro Day, defending their title as well as losing four starters from that team, their 12-4 record and 3rd place finish in a strong HAECO Invitational field has showed that concerns about a rebuilding year were unfounded. Will Otto has been steady and transitioned to be more of a scorer compared to a facilitator, but still has both tools in his arsenal. Addison Newkirk Addison Newkirk 6'6" | SF Greensboro Day | 2025 State NC has also stepped up from being a glue guy to having more of an assertive scoring role, one that we saw on display this summer in grassroots action. Jaden Palmore Jaden Palmore 6'2" | PG Greensboro Day | 2025 NC has also developed into a higher level pass-first PG, while Kohi Strickland Kohi Strickland 6'5" | SF Greensboro Day | 2026 State NC has progressed from his EYBL action into a defensively oriented wing.
HPCA was my sleeper pick headed into the season, and their depth as well as top end talent has come to the forefront as they’re 12-2 with a championship victory in the Myrtle Beach Classic. Isaiah Sanders Isaiah Sanders 5'11" | PG High Point Christian | 2024 State NC is a classic do it all point guard who just picked up tournament MVP, leading the charge in both scoring and assists for his team. Adam Grier Adam Grier 6'4" | SF High Point Christian | 2027 State NC is a long, athletic guard who is able to guard multiple positions but is developing a three level scoring game in front of us. Max VanWeerdhuizen Max VanWeerdhuizen 6'0" | PG High Point Christian Academy | 2026 State NC is a sharpshooter who spaces the floor, while Jaiquan Clay Jaiquan Clay 6'5" | SF High Point Christian | 2026 State NC is an undersized forward who plays the big spot for them, and brings immense rim protection and athleticism for his frame.
Charlotte Area Teams are Nipping at Heels
With this class being wide open, both Concord Academy and Gaston Christian fit nicely into the second tier of contenders. They’re both groups that have played a very strong strength of schedule but haven’t come out unscathed (CA is 8-10 and GCS is 9-8), but have lots of talent and guard play that can carry them deep into the playoffs.
Concord Academy is led by Indiana State commit Sean Birmingham Sean Birmingham 6'8" | CG Concord Academy | 2024 State #215 Nation NC , a 6’7 wing/forward who scores the ball well at multiple levels on the floor, especially with his jumper. Guys like Jake Benham Jake Benham 6'2" | SG Concord Academy | 2025 State NC and Ian Howard Ian Howard 6'3" | CG Concord Academy | 2025 State NC are great scoring guards that can shoot and drive the ball to the mid-range respectively, and Andre Rudy has shown he can be a playmaking guard. Alex Kornacki and Icare Bakadisula Icare Bakadisula 6'8" | PF Concord Academy | 2025 NC will be difference makers in the frontcourt if they can develop and find their form later in the season, but CA will still be a tough out no matter what in the state tournament.
Gaston Christian is led by former Duke standout Chris Duhon, but their high level talent extends onto the court as well. Their trio of Makoi Mabor Makoi Mabor 6'11" | C Gaston Christian | 2024 State NC , Cameron Newman Cameron Newman 5'11" | PG Gaston Christian | 2026 State NC , and Joe Rhyne Joe Rhyne 6'3" | SG Gaston Christian | 2024 State NC will continue to lead them as far as they can go. Newman is a shifty, quick little point guard who has shown the ability to make plays for himself and others. Rhyne is a sharpshooter and secondary playmaker for the group, while Mabor has shown the most upside as a physical, rim running big man who is a terror around the rim on both ends of the floor.
These two teams will get to face each other in a rematch from earlier in the season, where the Eagles won by 8. However, it’ll be a close matchup between two teams that could end up in the last four of the state tournament, if not further.
Triangle Teams Winning, but Unproven
The only remaining undefeated team in the class, as well as two teams with top 10 MaxPreps ratings, all hail from the Triangle. Cary Christian is 7-0, Grace Christian (Raleigh) is 10-5, and Wake Christian is 10-3 as they head into conference play after their holiday tournaments.
It’s a two man show for the undefeated Knights, as Andrew Neal Andrew Neal 6'0" | CG Cary Christian | 2025 State NC is averaging over 27 PPG while David Wisniewski Jr David Wisniewski Jr 6'5" | PF Cary Christian | 2024 State NC . is averaging a massive double double with 17 PPG and 13 RPG. Coach Bill Thompson has his group off to their best start in possibly his entire tenure, but still needs to play more teams of note. Their best win is a scrappy victory over Calvary Day, but they’ll have plenty of opportunities to prove themselves as January comes.
Grace Christian of Raleigh is 10-5 but one would say they’ve gotten out and played a tougher schedule, with their best win coming against Ravenscroft. Quasim Oden Quasim Oden 6'1" | PG GRACE Christian | 2024 State NC has returned from an early season injury to lead this group from the guard spot as a high impact floor general, while Michael Phillips Michael Phillips 6'4" | SG Grace Christian | 2026 State NC has shown dynamic athleticism on the high school stage, reminding us that he may be a bonafide D1 prospect when all is said and done. Guys like Steven McLeod Steven McLeod 6'2" | CG GRACE Christian | 2024 State NC , Noah Kyritsis and Dylan Couse Dylan Couse 6'7" | PF Grace Christian | 2024 State NC are all senior leaders who made impact plays for them when they need it. I’d say they have a lighter schedule the rest of the way except for a big matchup with FCDS in January which will tell us a lot about both teams.
Coach Chad Robbins has continued to turn his Wake Christian group into one of the best teams in recent school history, as they’re 10-3 so far. The brother duo of Beckett Coon Beckett Coon 5'9" | SG Wake Christian | 2026 State NC and Berkley Coon have been electrifying scoring wise, both scoring over 16 PPG and knocking down 69 threes between them. Brady Williams has also been scoring it at a high clip, as the three of them have been a dynamic trio that opposing teams have found difficult to stop. With wins over Ravenscroft and Trinity Academy, this group will need to keep winning and developing confidence to be a team who makes a really deep run in Feburary.
Other Names to Monitor
Grace Christian (Sanford) has two next level prospects to know in Ma’Kyi Butler Ma’Kyi Butler 6'5" | SF Grace Christian (Sanford) | 2024 State NC and Nate Jones Nate Jones 6'0" | SG Grace Christian School | 2027 State NC . Butler is a 2024 who leads the team and ranks fifth in his class in scoring at 19 PPG, while Jones is a 2027 who looks to be one of the better PGs in his class so far… Aidan Davies has been an electrifying post presence for Coastal Christian, averaging over 20 PPG while not making a single three pointer on the year. He attacks hard inside and fights hard on the glass… Dane Cassada Dane Cassada 6'3" | CG Calvary Day School | 2026 State NC and Preston Copeland Preston Copeland 6'8" | C St. David's | 2025 State #346 Nation NC are some of the top names in the class that we haven’t mentioned yet. Cassada is a jumbo point guard with great vision and instincts, while Copeland is a HM forward who has played hard inside and rebounded the ball well despite plenty of extra attention coming his way.