Trinity, Word of God among NC high school basketball teams making a strong impression
The high school basketball season is well under way with limited conference games being played across the state. Christmas is right around the corner and many teams will be playing in Holiday Tournaments to round out the calendar year. That being said, we have a nice sample size of things to come.
In Raleigh, Wakefield was rolling along with an 8-0 record but was upset by Jordan High School. Trinity Academy of Raleigh sits with an 9-1 record with their lone loss coming to Word of God, which is nationally ranked.
Head coach Bryan Burrell has done a masterful job at building Trinity Academy into one of the premier teams in the NCISAA and is currently ranked seventh in the Observer Top 20 statewide poll. Noah Ross 6-7 senior (UNC-Wilmington signee) leads the way averaging 17.8 PPG while Sam Perez 6-8 senior (High Point University signee) brings plenty of versatility to the roster. Look for Trinity to battle defending state NCISAA 2A state champions The Burlington School for the 2022 title.
Word of God, also of Raleigh is a non-association team that recently made noise across the Hoop State by defeating Overtime Elite. In addition, Word of God is one of four teams in the state ranked in the top 30 by several media publications. Word of God has a loaded roster featuring Freddie Dilione 6-5 junior point guard who may be one of the most complete players in the state regardless of class. Word of God is currently 11-1 and on paper has as much talent and depth as any team in the state.
Trending upward
Kirk Angel is considered one of the top coaches in the state. New Hanover is now 7-0 and is one of the early favorites coming out of the NCHSAA 4A East Region. He has a very veteran team led by James Jones 6-4 senior (12.6 PPG), Mikhail Pocknett 6-6 senior (10.6 PPG) Jarrod Vaughn 6-6 junior (10.6), Khalil Genwright 6-4 junior (9.6 PPG), and Lenier Pocknett 6-5 senior (6.4 PPG)
While Wakefield suffered its first lost of the season to Jordan High School, they have been one of the stronger teams in the Raleigh area at the public school level. Wakefield recorded a huge early season win over Northwood, who made it to the 2021 NCHSAA 3A state championship. Wakefield early season wins were quite impressive and in a year of no dominant teams in the Raleight area. they too could be one to make a deep playoff run at the NCHSAA 4A Eastern Region.
Northwood, lone loss came early in the season at the hands of Wakefield 48-40. Last year, Northwood had the big three scorers in Jarin Stevenson 6-9 , Frederico Whitaker Jr. 5-9, and and Drake Powell 6-6. Both Stevenson and Powell were regarded as two of the premier players in the state for their class (2024). Stevenson transferred to Seaforth, which was the new school in his district. Even with the departure of Stevenon, Coach Matthew Brown does a tremendous job and Drake Powell 6-6 sophomore is a star on the horizon. Look for Northwood to be a serious contender to get back to the NCHSAA 3A championship.
Chemistry matters
Looking over the basketball landscape, it’s obvious many of the most successful teams have one thing in common and that is team chemistry. Weddington went 18-0 last season and won the NCHSAA 3A state championship. They moved up to the 4A classification and are currently 9-0 and steamrolling over the competition. In speaking with head coach Gary Ellington, 11-12 of his current rosters all played together at Weddington Middle School.
The other player moved to the Weddington school district his freshman year. On paper, they may not have the depth and overall talent as other teams in the NCHSAA, but one thing is crystal clear, they embellish the “team first” philosophy which can easily carry them to another state title.
Around the NCHSAA
Preseason polls are only a snapshot or prediction based upon talent on paper. Now, we have a nice sample size to give some of the early leaders for each classification. In the 1A West, Hayesville coached by Michael Cottrell has built a tremendous program in the western part of the state. Hayesville is currently 6-0 and is led by Kolbe Ashe 6-0 senior point guard and Jake McTaggart 6-6 senior forward. Meanwhile Mt. Airy is off to a hot start at 5-0 and Brooks Sizemore is leading the way averaging 18 PPG.
In the 1A East, Wilson Prep is the defending state champions. Coached by former Harlem Globetrotter, Anthony Atkinson. Wilson Prep lost a close one to North Edgecombe and don’t be surprised to see a future rematch down the road in the state sectionals or regionals. North Edgecombe is currently 4-0 and is led by Amarion McCrae 6-4 senior and Marquel Hudson 6-1 senior. McCrae is having a monster senior season. He is averaging 22 PPG, 9 RPG, and six steals per game while Hudson is averaging 16 PPG.
In the NCHSAA 2A West, Hendersonville (8-1) and R-S Central (9-1) are the cream of the crop. Hendersonville lost a one-point heartbreaker to R-S Central while R-S Central lost a tough game to 3A A.C. Reynolds of Asheville. Leading the way for Hendersonville are Dwight Cannady 6-1 senior who is averaging 26.6 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 3.6 APG and 2.9 SPG. On the other hand, Keenan Wilkinson is not far behind averaging 25 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 4.4 APG, and 3.05 SPG. The 1-2 punch of Cannady and Wilkinson makes it one of the nicest backcourt scoring duo in the state. R-S Central is currently 9-1 and are led by a senior and a freshman. Tyrese Miller 6-3 senior is averaging 16.6 PPG while Mikey Wilkins 6-6 freshman is averaging almost a double double of 14.6 PPG and 9.9 RPG.
The NCHSAA 2A East has been one of the most, if not the best and most competitive region and classification in the state. You have the likes of Farmville Central and Kinston that will compete for a state championship year in, year out. Farmville Central has won three consecutive state championships and looks like a FOUR-peat is not out of the question. Farmville Central is currently 8-0 and is set on cruise control and Larry Williford is considered one of the most successful coaches at the high school level today. Led by Jah Short 6-3 junior (20.4 PPG) look for Farmville Central to be in the conversation as one of the top teams in the state regardless of classification or affiliation. Another coaching icon is Perry Tyndell of Kinston. Kinston has won its share of state championships and is currently 5-0. Kinston is led by Jeremy Dixon 6-6 senior.
In the NCHSAA 3A West, Central Cabarrus and West Charlotte should be the teams to beat. Central Cabarrus is currently 9-0 while West Charlotte is 7-2. While Central Cabarrus won’t be the most intimidating teams in the warm up line, they are well coached, play together and will pressure you the entire length of the court. Central Cabarrus is lead by the guard trio of Jaiden Thompson, Chase and Carson Daniel. West Charlotte recently upset Northside Christian of the NCISAA in overtime. This could be a big motivational game for coach Jacoby Davis. Trailing 50-35 late in the third quarter, West Charlotte battled back and pulled off the upset. West Charlotte has Donovan Raymond 6-9 junior who contines to get better each outing.
The NCHSAA 3A East could come down to West Cartaret (8-2) and Northwood (8-1) West Cartaret is led by Jaxson Ellingsworth 6-9 senior forward who is averaging a double double. (13.0 PPG and 10.1 RPG) We talked briefly about Northwood and Drake Powell 6-6 sophomore wing is clearly one of the top players in the state for this class. In addition, Frederico Whitaker Jr. runs the point and provides a steady influence on both sides of the ball.
In the NCHSAA 4A West, we have mentioned before the top contenders in Chambers, Weddington, North Mecklenburg and Ardrey Kell. Most people thought Weddington may have an adjustment period to being the 4A compared to the 3A classification. That being said, Weddington has been mowing down one team after another. Another team that is trending upward again is North Mecklenburg. Many thought the loss of Jeremy Gregory, they may struggle a bit out of the gate especially with the early season lost of Davison Cunningham who was out with an injury. Unfortunately for the opposing teams, North Mecklenburg has been on a mission and the veteran backcourt along with Isaiah Evans 6-6 sophomore, look for the Vikings to make another deep playoff run.
In the NCHSAA 4A East, Millbrook has been the dominant team, but was hit hard with graduation. Wakefield is currently 8-1 while Richmond 8-0 and New Hanover 7-0 are teams to monitor closely. Richmond is led by Paul McNeil 6-6 sophomore who many think is the top prospect in the absolutely loaded North Carolina 2024 class. Also, Kirk Angel is another coach that has a stellar reputation and his team is also off to a hot start.
Game of the Week (NCISAA)
United Faith Christian Academy traveled to Greenfield in a key NCISAA 1A matchup, two of the early season favorites to win the 1A state championship. Greenfield held own to capture a thrilling 73-72 win in overtime. Look for these teams to have a rematch come February.
This story was originally published December 22, 2021 at 5:30 AM with the headline "Trinity, Word of God among NC high school basketball teams making a strong impression."