You may have heard the phrase "June is for high school basketball" more in the past couple of years. While it was always the month for team camps, the relatively new "live camp" period that allows college coaches to see a number of recruits in a scholastic environment.
Last week, HighSchoolOT went to one day of N.C. High School Athletic Association's live camp and one day of the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association's live camp.
Below are 10 takeaways after seeing many of the top programs and players from across the state.
1. Cherokee might be the best public school team in the state...
Click here for more
I kinda felt bad. The Lady Braves only played one day in the NCHSAA live camp, and neither game they got that evening was remotely competitive (they won 88-41 and 73-20!). Maybe the schedule-makers didn't understand just how good Cherokee is, and gave them what you would expect to give a now-2A team. I think sometimes, over the past two years, people around the state got so distracted by how many Cherokee fans there are that showed up to back-to-back state championships that they neglected that this team can beat anybody in any class on any given night.
I don't think Cherokee got better from blowing out two teams who didn't have the guards to handle their endless full-court pressure, but it might be more important to note that they look like they've had no drop-off from a year ago. Lilly Lossiah inserts herelf into the lineup that only graduated one player, and Joscelyn Stamper can swing the ball to open shooters from the post. There are five freshmen, four of whom are younger sisters of a teammate, and while they won't start they are a lot better than most teams' second/third team subs.
And yet...
2. ...they will have new competition for the 2A title
Click here for more
Look, anything can happen on a given night. If there's one team that I saw that had guards that could attack the rim and not get overwhelmed by all that Cherokee throws at you, it's Queen's Grant. The Lady Stallions went 22-5 last year with Misa Garris driving the bus and Za'Miya Bynum filling the gaps. They were blown out by Bishop McGuinness in the fourth round of last year's playoff, but Bishop was the only team in the state that had Cherokee on the ropes in the fourth quarter.
Now add a third guard, sophomore Janiyah Boyd from Monroe who averaged 32.0 points per game and was named HSOT second-team all-state last year. It's the second year in a row Queen's Grant got a big transfer (Garris came over last year from Garinger). Senior forward Casey Smith gives them a 5-foot-10 active player in the post to go to battle with Stamper and other bigs.
Speaking of transfers...
3. The offseason's biggest transfer is—
Click here for more
Cooper Cox, a point guard who had Power Five offers as a freshman en route to HSOT honorable mention all-state honors is going from Wesleyan Christian — the NCISAA 4A runner-up — to three-time defending NCISAA champ Grace Christian of Sanford. Her court vision and passing are off the charts.
The Crusaders were already bringing back two first-team players in Jordan Speller (who was not with the team at this live camp but has been invited to take part in OTE, which wraps up in August) and Kyndoll English and losing Appalachian State recruit Isa Roman.
With Cox in the lineup, that means she helps Speller move off the ball and can keep the ball moving at the same clip it was a year ago.
Kennedy Jackson , a fifth-year senior, has also made the move from Wesleyan to Grace, which gives the Crusaders an incredible starting five (assuming for now that Aubriana Shojgreen rounds out the five).
4. More transfers and their impact
Click here for more
Camri Hobbs , formerly of Jay M. Robinson, is now just across the county line at Mallard Creek. What this does for the Mavericks is make them the 8A favorite. She's been a point forward her whole career, and a two-time HSOT all-state pick, but this might help her move off the ball more.
Alani-Skye Wilkerson goes across town from Seventy-First to Terry Sanford, which means the Bulldogs have a little more size at the forward position.
Providence Day is getting back Jaida McClure , who spent last season in South Carolina. McClure was an all-state guard with the Chargers previously. As I'll state later on, this is a game-changer in the NCISAA.
Adaora Mogbo , formerly of Grace Christian of Sanford, is now at Holly Springs. An athletic post player who had a big game against Terry Sanford last year.
5. Names you should know (obvious edition)
Click here for more
Stuart Cramer's Oshauana Holland was her usual outstanding self, scoring almost all of her team's 41 points against Cherokee (I would not be surprised if she had as many as 37). The Wake Forest recruit willed her team to the 3A runner-up finish last year, and earlier that day sh ewilled them to beating 4A West runner-up McDowell.
Yes, Marvin Ridge's Kate Schindler can shoot the rock. But she's no 3-and-D player, at least not at this level. She does everything else right too.
Dvdaya Swimmer still drives the bus for Cherokee. They have a lot of guards with similar skills, but no one matches her poise.
North Mecklenburg's Lenise Joseph is going from a true low-block monster to showing off her versatility. As if being a first-team HSOT all-state team selection as a sophomore wasn't enough!
Leena McField of Northern Guilford is still a polished all-around player with incredible basketball IQ and a green light from 3.
Hoggard's Tristan Shivers is the kind of player who checks every box but the measurables. So while she only has a D2 offer, she does everything else right. The game moves in slow motion for one of the state's best passers.
Lake Norman's Kelsey Rhyne doesn't feel like she's been in high school forever, but I feel that way sometimes considering my introduction to her was a flame-throwing freshman in the 4A championship game. The offense now runs through her, and the Navy recruit might be the NCHSAA record holder for career 3s very soon.
6. Players I like (that aren't as obvious)
Click here for more
Hickory Ridge's Ma-Kaela Gidney does a little bit of everything from the point guard position and should be one of the best players in the 704 this year.
Knightdale's Ayomide Adewumi plays taller than her 6-foot frame. A true rim protector and rebound reaper.
There's something about a point guard who can't be sped up and makes the right decisions. That's Elizabeth Kirkland of Seventy-First.
Butler's Hannah Moss was all-state for us last year, but sometimes got lost in the shuffle behind some pretty good seniors. She's shouldering more of the load this year.
I know Green Hope's Lea Tomanska only averaged 4.9 points and 5.1 rebounds a game last year, but she's a 6-foot-5 sophomore who can run the court and plays tough. If her team can get her more touches, her productivity could take off.
Marvin Ridge will go as far as guard Haley Lenahan can take them. You know what you're getting each time from Schindler, so Lenahan's role becomes one they must have.Stanley
Anna Kate Chance of Hoggard is the perfect No. 2 option for the Vikings, who might be the 8A East favorite this upcoming year.
New Hanover's Brianna Stanley is a fiery 5-foot-5 guard who gets into the paint and shows no fear.
Claire Barber of Green Level is a shifty all-state player whose importance to the Gators was underscored in no time. With her, they defeated *. Without her, they lost *.
London Barber of Gates County is a bit of a "point forward" that the state would've heard more about had they not been upset in last year's playoffs by North Duplin.
Hunter Huss freshman S'Ryah McCorkle is a 6-foot post who absolutely "gets it" when it comes to working the glass.
7. The grind is going to be the toughest in 7A
Click here for more
In most sports, the 7A class will be better than 8A next year, and perhaps beyond.
Think about this: in 8A you have at least Mallard Creek and Hoggard (Wakefield and Rolesville got hit hard by graduation).
In 7A you have, at minimum: Southeast Raleigh, South Garner, Overhills, Marvin Ridge, McDowell, North Mecklenburg , and Lake Norman.
Not only are those more teams, those are teams that could probably take down every 8A team with exception to Mallard Creek and Hoggard. Just getting to the East or West final will be hard enough.
8. Teams trending upward
Click here for more
There are two teams left in 1A that won 20-plus games last year, and Neuse Charter was one of them. The Cougars bring back their top two scorers plus bring up freshman Ahnala Temple , who is already skilled beyond her years and has a scholarship offer from ECU. She and sister Lily Temple will make a backcourt that'll be hard for others to handle.
Overhills had arguably its best season in school history last season and things could be lining up for another step this year. The Jaguars have two downhill guards in Paris Autry and returning all-state player Najiha Allen that can turn a game on a dime if they get hot. Can they rebound and defend well enough to take out the 7A East competition?
A.C. Reynolds returns Tait Harvey from injury, so the Rockets have a chance in a wide-open 6A West.
South Garner was turning a corner last year when they got bounced by Chapel Hill in the playoffs. The Titans, however, were young and bring back almost everyone. They win the award for "team that looks the best walking off the bus" (for the record, usually this award has no bearing on on-court play, but last year I only went to the boys' NCHSAA live camp and gave that award in my mind to Ben L. Smith and Southern Durham... they played each other for the 3A title a few months later). The Titans are driven by Chloe Crawford but the towering forwards, Harleigh Clark and Calise Crawford , are game-changers. South Garner has five players listed as 6-foot or taller!
Southeast Raleigh doesn't have the height of South Garner, but the Bulldogs have a slew of guards who could be in for a breakout year. Dariyah Davis will have to take a step forward as a sophomore, plus Trinity Dunn and Korryn Davis will have to do the same as a junior.
9. The five best NCHSAA teams I saw
Click here for more
DISCLAIMER: I only caught one half of one day, which equates to, a maximum, 32 teams. Some of those had more games on Saturday. Some teams who played on Friday played earlier and I didn't see them. So if someone blew people out of the water and I didn't see, it doesn't mean we don't know about them, it just means they can't be in the "teams I saw" portion.
- Let's start with Cherokee. Keep in mind this transitive property fun fact: they beat Stuart Cramer by 45, and Stuart Carmer beat 7A contender McDowell by seven.
- Southeast Alamance, by returning literally everyone, is hitting on cylinders most teams don't reach until January. Teams in 5A will have to catch up.
- Lake Norman may have lost seven seniors from an incredible four-year run, but I'd argue no NCHSAA team had a better first two off the bench than Kaiya Bond and Rayana Minard . Add that with the rising play of Finley Sherrill, a 6-foot-1 sophomore, and the Wildcats ain't going nowhere.
- North Mecklenburg already had Joseph in the post and Stephanie Mobley running point. Now enter Autumn Lacy , a freshman who already has D1 offers, and the Vikings produce some serious matchup problems.
- Mallard Creek is far from a finished product, which is to be expected with Hobbs coming on board. There are few teams that can match the talents of My'Asia Young , Kiara Anderson , and Hobbs on a night-in, night-out basis.
- Honorable mention: Terry Sanford, who is still Terry Sanford. They're good and have room to grow, and that's a good combo to work with for the summer.
10. The five best NCISAA teams I saw
Click here for more
From where I sit, there was almost never a doubt how the NCISAA playoffs were going to work out last year. There was a considerable gap between Cannon School and Wesleyan Christian to everyone else in 4A and the same goes for Grace Christian of Sanford and Concord Academy in 3A.
I don't think the gap has narrowed, but I do think there are some teams that can move into that space.
Grace Christian's transfers make it at least as good as last year and don't forget Cannon School, which was not at the NCISAA live camp and was instead at an event in Georgia. The Cougars bring back four of five starters from the NCISAA 4A championship.
- Providence Day returning all-state player Ginny Anne Dumont and getting back McClure puts the Chargers and their grind-it-out style back into the 4A race.
- Concord Academy, meanwhile, looked improved from a year ago with all-state sophomore Justice Alexander taking another step forward in her game, Taylor Smith running point, Ava McDermott showing real defensive potential and 6-foot-3 Victorian Collins cleaning up in the post.
- Wesleyan Christian, despite some losses, has a pretty darn good backcourt with Sara Kate Carr and Blythe Cunningham .
- Forsyth Country Day is led by Lila Kelly — a junior wing worth the price of admission. She plays a little like another county player, the recently-graduated Adelaide Jernigan from Bishop McGuinness, but stronger. Gigi Lyons and Landry Tsuji give the Furies three dependable options, but depth will be an issue.
- North Raleigh Christian, led by Khloe Moye and Ja'rie Green , should win quite a few games.
- Honorable mention: The Burlington School went just 13-9 last year, but their big three of Alaiyah Mitchell , Kamryn Russell , and Kennedy Harrelson should be better this year.
If I had to rank all these teams and more, I would make them... known in tomorrow's way-too-early girls basketball statewide rankings.
See you then!