Re-shuffling the deck of HS basketball players

I was getting in a few shots(basketball), over at General Greene and at Jefferson School this afternoon and the shooters were talking about players making moves from one high school, to another….

The word I got on the court was this and I wouldn’t even put this out there, but I have followed most of these kids for the past several years, and I want to keep up with them and give our readers a chance to do the same, now that they are moving on….

Lee Sweeney from Grimsley to Mount Zion in Durham
Rashad Sweeney from Grimsley to Mount Zion in Durham
Theo Pinson from Southeast Guilford to Oak Ridge(We already had this one last spring, but it becomes official when school begins, as it did last week….)
Christian Hairston from Grimsley to Greensboro Day School….
Krechaun Williams in the process of heading to Oak Ridge from Grimsley….

*****Quite a bit of talk today on the court, and we wish all kids well and we will do our best to keep up with them, at their new stops…..*****

Also, according to Saturday’s N&R, Joseph Level Sr., has left 1510AM WEAL and 97.1FM WQMG, (both radio stations are Entercom Communications properties), and we are not sure where Joseph is going, but we wish him the best in the future and we feel certain that he will land somewhere soon….Joseph’s sons, Joseph(football) and Josh(basketball) are team members at Dudley High School….

Good job Joseph and Good Luck Joseph…….

39 thoughts on “Re-shuffling the deck of HS basketball players

  1. did u know that 2 of orma bigs from overseas arrived last weekend and andy why is everybody tryna hit up oak ridge now

  2. grimsley lost literally everyone from last years team now. they would have been the best public school team kin the triad had all these kids stayed

  3. Andy,
    How about interviewing a rep from GCS and see why they don’t enforce the rule of sitting out a year if a student transfers? I know after the Northern thing, it was stated that any transfers would have to sit out a year. It’s very frustrating when you play a school and there’s a former student on the other team now playing against you, probably telling his coach all your plays.

  4. Looks like Page will be one of the teams to beat regarding the public schools this year.. Looks like Grimsley is losing alot, Dudley also losing Hairston & co.

  5. As of now Krechaun Williams is at GHS. Even without him ghs would still suprise some teams. williams is a great player but has alot of negative baggage. im not impressed with what page has. With or without williams Ghs will be led by PG Burrell Brown, who is one of the best around, and will win some games.

  6. Guilford is one of the primary problems with this whole transfer business. 1# guilford co cannot keep any kid from transferring from a public school to a private, 2# its the adopted rules of guilford co that is driving these kids, parents and coaches into the private schools.

    As parents of kids that are on track to be “great atheletes” and straight “As” (a few “Bs”), we are currently evaluating the moves of other kids previously and currently with a huge level of interest. Our kids will likely attend either GDS, ORMA, Westchester or HPW.

    The education is better, the coaches are better (especially basketball at most of the schools), and the parents all welcome you with open arms.

    Tell me how many public high schools can preach their college acceptance rate, how many have coaches that are willing & want to play any team with better players or teams from around the state or country, and how many parents have you socialized with at your schools games that did not even have a kid at that school?

    The private schools appear to be able to provide an environment for my kids (and us as parents) that Guilford Co seems to be against. Guilford no longer wants “AAU” type of coaches but instead history teachers coaching their teams, they no longer allow coaches to reach out to the community because they are afraid that everyone is recruiting or making illegal deals on the side, they are asking the public school coaches not to play the privates because they are afraid of competition, they are losing a lot of kids to any # of private schools for educational and atheletic reasons and no one within Guilford Co public schools seem to care or reach out to those kids.

    Thus, why would I send my high performing kids in both the classroom and on the courts/fields into a high school system that is afraid of competition both in the classroom and on the court, a system that is running off many of its best students in the class, on the court/field and pushing out many of its best coaches. The education and the sport programs will help ensure my kids get the best opportunity available. We do not have time to wait for Guilford Co to get their pants out of their butts and their noses out of the rain. Thank GOD that we can make different choices for our kids financially and that we are aware of the different choices available.

  7. Northern Guilford lost 4 baseball players . Rory Atwell, George Carter, D.C. Arendas and Sean Mas. Why di they leave Northern Heard from a friend another one is on the fence. What is going on with that. Four or five players do not leave at once for no reason

  8. Families have choices,

    I respect your opinions and your decision to send your kids to a private school and I am glad you can afford to do that. But, you are off base on some of your ‘assumptions’. The rules Guilford County set up were set up to prevent people from arbitrarily switching schools without actually moving, which is against NCHSAA rules anyway. By rule, if you transfer schools and don’t live in that district (which is what was going on at Northern) and don’t have a special assignment approved by the district you are ineligible for 365 days. I don’t think anyone has a problem with a kid who actually MOVES to attend another school. It is a whole different story when someone just checks out and goes across town without ever moving.

    As far as the private schools in the area. Sure, they have an academic advantage that a lot of the publics can’t really touch. Athletically, schools like GDS and ORMA have a lot more coaches on staff than the publics, and alot more available than some of the publics. I think, however, that your assumption that the public’s are afraid to play them is WAY off base. I don’t think they have a problem playing them but many of the private’s (and some of the publics) use the games as a platform to recruit kids. I am not pointing fingers but it happens.

    As for the AAU statement and privates. Have you attended many AAU games? I observed an AAU game a while back where a coach cursed an official up one side and down the other. Went on the court and screamed at an officials and they had to call a game. Is that the environment you want for your kid? Not saying every AAU coach does this but it happens. A good coach is a good coach, regardless of public or private affiliation. There are good public coaches in GCS that would gladly play anyone. I think your assumptions are off base in that aspect.

  9. I wonder where OR is going to play their baseball games. If GCS would get leadership and do like Winston Salem does a lot of these problems would orrect themselves. Kids want to go where there are good teachers and coaches. It is a shame that GCS does not care about the later.

  10. ORMA is a joke, no one would, or was, attending that school before Stan got there.

    They’ve sold their history and purpose to Coach K.

    Now, it’s a just a cheap option for people who need attention or want to feel recruited without paying the money for real private schooling and solid academic performance.

    Lumping ORMA in with places like GDS, FCD, HPW is laughable.

    I’ve go problems with transfering or private schools, just do it for the right reasons. If you’re going to a baseball scool with a great academic history, fine. You’re getting the best of both worlds. But ORMA is about one thing only and it seems people are heading there as a way to stick to their public school without really thinking about the whole picture.

  11. Alot of parents live their lives through their kids and want them to succeed in athletics and do not even think about the education part. How many of the athletes in Guilford County will make a living playing sports. A few if any. Better get a good education because the direction our country is heading you will need it and luck.

  12. There sure is a lot going on and we will try to keep an eye and ear on the whole picture…

    As far as the GCS leaders putting a rule into effect that if you transfer from one GCS school to another, then you have to sit out a year, if your family is moving for what the county feels is valid reasons, then they can’t do that….

    Mo Green has the legal background, being a former attorney and if looks at the transfers closely on a case by case basis, he should have a very good idea where the GCS system would stand on each transfer and know what the schools and the kids, can and can not do….

    If you going to make them sit out a year, then don’t allow them to transfer in the first place…

    Sometimes there are family issues that dictate moves, such as marriage breakups, splits, single parent job changes and other details…

    The county is going to surely know what they are up against in each seperate tranfer…

    As far as knowing the plays, and the new kids at their new schools sharing the plays with their new teams, alter or change the plays or run some new ones…..There are some plays like sweep right and sweep left that you can not and will not ever change, but others can be adjusted…..

    Many teams and I have always favored this approach, say we are just gonna line up and how about you stop us, if you can….Many times if you run your offensive plays correctly and effectively, and you believe in what you do and how you are doing it, the other team can’t stop you…..

    Busy time and it seems the trend continues to be more movement from the public schools to the be private and this trend may decrease in time, but right now, it seems to be in vogue…..

  13. Private or public school” if u can play u can play” The coaches at private schools are no better than the coaches at public schools. I saY these young men should get their education cause I’ve seen all of the players Andy listed above and to be quite honest they all need work before college coaches come calling. EDUCATION FIRST

  14. I think it is really sad what is happening in GCS. As an example of what is happening in the GCS, and for anyone that can’t understand why the athletes are leaving the GCS schools or especially Grimsley, look at this quote from the Grimsley AD on the Grimsley website.

    “this year our football team will receive helmet stickers for their community service instead of their performance on the field. ”

    I bet that comment will really bring out the college coaches to Grimsley football. I can only imagine the comments…”That quarterback really has potential he did 20 hours of community service. ”

    As for where will ORMA play baseball, there appears to be 3 really good choices. They could play at Northern since it appears their entire baseball team is leaving, or they could play at Memorial Stadium since the County would welcome someone taking it off of their hands, or they could play at the Hebrew Academy since they have the best manicured field in Guilford County but they don’t field a team.

  15. Some of the private schools have better academics, but you cannot convince me that they are better than Northwest, Grimsley, etc…. If the child is truly gifted, you can enroll them in the IB program at Grimsley. We know many kids who have gone through this program and it is fantastic. Also, it is FREE!
    I think the majority of the athletes are leaving for athletic reasons. Don’t wrap it around academics. They are being persuaded by their AAU coaches, parents, etc…so they can get a better chance of obtaining a scholarship. I have seen plenty of AAU games and I think some of the coaching is terrible. Uptempo ball with little regard for fundamentals. The AAU programs are much better at getting exposure for the child. As always, some are leaving for the right reasons, but don’t believe for a seconds that this is the norm.

  16. It may not be showing up now on the field, but Grimsley is doing some good things in the community….

    That Robert Lane kid they had a few years ago was a good community kid and he went to onto do well at Georgetown, you never know, it takes time, but maybe the trickle down effect will take place again…

    It is going to really take some for the college coaches to come calling on Grimsley….They have to have a chance to rebuild the program for football….DJ Reader will get his due share of college looks, but after that I’m not sure….

    It will take time, and I know you have heard that before, but look at what Coach Rodney Brewington has been able to do at Smith…..He has Ebron headed to UNC, Demari Boswell to the Naval Academy and other players getting looks….

    Brewington’s first year and for two years prior to that, Smith didn’t even win a game and they won five last year and made the playoffs for the first time in years and they are off to an (2-0) start headed to NWG on Friday….

    Coach Kevin Gillespie had a lot of rebuilding to do at Page also and they went (9-2) regular season last year and won the Metro the year before that….

    It can be done and when it is accomplished, it is satisfying, but you have to do it the right way and that is key ingrediant, finding the way…..

  17. I can promise you they wont play at Northern or Memorial Stadium. A&T and Greensboro College play at Memorial. No GCS will be allowed to play OR

  18. 6’8″ 260 lbs Aaron Scales is at HP Christian. He was at SW Guilford and was then enrolled at Westchester before something fell through over there. He is a 2012 recruit that is big and athletic. He is a huge pick-up for their team. He played with D-One Sports this summer and apparently got on some radars. He will play upfront with a 6’10” Nigerian that is a sophomore and on the 17u national team over there. They had a Lithuanian guard transfer in from The Rock School in Florida which is a bigtime basketball program. With Oates and Weethee, the Cougars could be pretty good.

  19. The way Mr. Scales tips the scales, he needs to be playing football for HPCA too….

    Will Jon Bethea be playing basketball for HPCA this year?????

    I had read somewhere,where JB had left VCS for HPCA and baseball…….

    Maybe it is one sport and that is enough for Jonathan….Good athlete….

  20. It could be that JB finished up at Vandalia Christian last year and he is headed off to college, just thinking out loud…..

  21. Does anyone know why everyone is exiting the basseball team at Northern and going elsewhere.

  22. What goes around comes around,what did the folks at “whirlieville” do to ya’ll? Back in the late 90’s Dudley fell down in football . . .but got back up,the same thang happen with your “swashbucklers ” at Page, and at “Eagleland ” as well; it goes in circles,just hope your favorite team is not next my friend. Then and only then will you see. The Whirlies will be find,just make sure you’re ready when you play them ,they keep coming at you ,they don’t quit,don’t sleep on them or you gonna see a bad day . . .believe that !!!!

  23. Just read something on nc preps about Pursley getting whooped because ,he has a ” YOUNG TEAM” ; some excuses are good when you don’t have what you think you have. Just like out at Grimsley, they been robbed of players as well,but Pursley keeps it in stride as well as the new coach at Grimsley. Some of you so called ” sport guru’s ” need to get a brain and learn another line of business, cause you sure don’t know too much about some situations . . .but, . . .YOU THINK U DO ! MAN these are kids you guys be talking about getting back at someone else. I pity the lot of you. When the ‘Whirlybirds” come back, most of you on here will be the “I told you so” as#kisser . L8tr !

  24. JB Bethea is at HP Christian and will play both basketball and baseball. He wanted to play for his brother his senior year, and the baseball program is really good at HP Christian. Believe it was a good move for him.

  25. Just thinking about this public/private school issue and it seems to me public school wins. Let’s look at sports because we all know kids are transferring because of sports and not academics.
    Top football player in the state last year (kenan allen) attended a GCS public school, Top basketball player in the state (P J Hairston or Reggie Bullock) attended public schools, one of them right here in GCS, the top baseball players in the county ( Tobias, Smith,Paula,Carter
    Crawford) all attended GCS. In Soccer Page has the #5 ranked team in the U S. I’m wondering if the lesser talented players are transferring to private schools because they haven’t put in the hardwork and sweat that it takes to make them the best. Its not GCS job to make any child a better athlete, however it is
    GCS job provide the best possible education.

  26. To Justafan, think about what you just said and let’s get all the facts on the table. What coach was most instrumental in Kenan Allen getting his scholarship?(Answer: Coach O at ORMA not Northern’s). Where is PJ Hairston?(Oak Hill). Tobias and Smith and Crawford graduated but where is Carter this year?(Answer: FCDS) And regarding your statement: “Its not GCS job to make any child a better athlete, however it is GCS job provide the best possible education”. This is the crux of the whole matter as many parents think it is important for GCS to provide both athletics and academics and the bottom line is these are the parents moving their kids to private schools. Our nation claims to be all about choice, and choice is why these kids are in private schools. Please don’t knock the kids or parents for trying to get what GCS is choosing not to provide.

  27. We could use some help up here in Yanceyville with our corn crop coming in this week end and if any of the County or City kids want to come up and help us catch a few crops and work on your picks Come On.

    We’d love to have Coiro and his boys help us with our corn and they can hang around and help us with our football team too. We haven’t had had a decent team up here at Bartlett Yancey in years….You people down there in Guilford ought to have to go through what we face at the end of every year. 1-10, 0-11, 2-9, at least we know that 2+2 still =’s 22.

    FFA all the way up here in Yanceyville and Caswell County where Corn is still the King.

    You think you got problems? You aint seen nothing till you cross the county line.

  28. My son plays on a team with some of the baseball kids that have left Northern and they said the New coach couldn’t play dead in b western. Very little baseball knowledge and the practices are 12 year old rec league style. Take some infield and then each kid gets 8 pitches in BP. All of the kids that left have a chance to play some college ball, some where to the best of my knowledge. Thanks Andy

  29. Burrell is back, but Carter G has graduated at Grimsley….Burrell can play point with any guard in the city and Carter was a very solid outside shooter and he was a student of the game….I used to see Gourley and his dad at games all over the place on his off nights, they would be there studying the other teams and that is what you have to do to get better…

    If anyone can keep it rolling after losing a number of players, then Coach Corbett can. He can go with Burrell, DJ Reader, Charlie Jones, Brian Doss, and the Brogdon kid and they will still win at least 10 games…..The Nadler kid, who also shoots well from the outside may also be back….

    Don’t close the book or turn your back on Coach Darren Corbett……

  30. you are correct that the public school programs have had a lot of great talent but also keep in mind that most of that great talent is developed and showcased outside of the school setting. sports such as basketball clearly develop their talent levels primarily outside of the school setting via the AAU circuit. the private schools are much closer to what kids experience in AAU than most high schools could ever achieve. dudley is one of the few high school programs in this area that even tries to provide high exposure for its basketball program. this is also one of the reasons that dudley has attracted so many high level players in recent years.

    the majority of D1 type of players in basketball in the raleigh and charlotte areas are already going to private schools. the same trend is happening at this very moment in guilford county for boys and girls basketball. you used PJ as an example for the public schools but where is he now (hargrave – a private school in VA). the only reason that you have not seen this happen in sports such as football and school is because the private schools have not made that full investment yet.

    i agree that it is not guilford counties job to produce athletes and it is their job to provide the best education but everyone knows that a great sports program helps drive the school spirit forward – which in turn helps drive educational values in the classroom. if given a choice, i would prefer to have the best of both worlds (education and athletes). if you do not believe me, then ask nearly any uncg student or graduate if they wish the school had a great football team or soccer team.

  31. I have heard from several Northern baseball parents over the summer and they will have to establish some give and take(between coaches and players), before the start of the 2011 season.

    I feel like they will and this day and time you never know, some of the players that left, may return for second semester…..

    Sometimes the private schools don’t work out, but my goal is still to see all the kids stay in school…..

  32. SMDH!!!!!!!
    Coach O didn’t get Kenan Allen anything that young man has god given talent any fool can see that. P J Hairston left dudley because he needed to be challenged and he didn’t go to a private school in Guilford Co. Tobias is still at SE and Paula at NE.
    Don’t know why carter left so I won’t speak on that. If u read my post I was referring to last years best. I personally have seen Allen and his father work on football where was Coach O or private school. I have seen Tobias and his father on the baseball field for hours. I’ve seen paula and his father at hicone field many times. Talent hardwork dedication is what it takes to make a great athlete. Not a private school or GCS. I’m not knocking any kid I am just saying Schools primary job is to educate. GCS I want them to educate my child and if he excells at sport I will take the necessary action to make her the best she can be and I won’t whine about what GCS is not doing or what a private school has done after she has already shown excption talent

  33. justafan,

    You are way off base about the AAU curcuit being about ‘developing’ players. The vast majority of AAU programs (and I am not saying ALL AAU programs) are good because they get the best talent…they have very little to do with developing the players.

    Middle and high school coaches (whether private or public) do most of the development.

    There are good basketball teams throughout Guilford County. The county is full of competitive teams. There is quality private school basketball played here as well. I think the coaching in Guilford County is pretty good in basketball as well.

    and Andy, you missed my point on the 365 rules. I realize family reasons may be behind certain moves…it isn’t the family that actually physically moves that is the issue. It is the player who transfers without ever changing addresses (or even more, the ones who do it and use a fake address) that do it for athletic purposes that are the ones targeted for the 365 rule. Most people have no problems with transfers who actually move…it is the others.

  34. A lot of the problem is the NCHSAA. Their rules punish the coaches that want to make the kids better. For example August is a dead period for all winter and spring sports. Coaches can not work in skill development with any of their players. In September you can only work with one less than a team. Isn’t that ridiculous. Just another example of government control.

  35. PJ is at Hargrave not Oak Hill……….and he’s not going there for basketball since he’s already committed to UNC for his game while at Dudley………..trust, Dudley competes in the best tournaments around the nation and has been doing so far many yrs…………DHS basketball alumni reads like a who’s who of GC basketball………Haywood is playing in the NBA right now……..Tory and Terry Holt played football at Easern Guilford before making making it to the pros………..if you’re good enough the right people will find you………….far too many people think going the prep school route is an automatic ticket to success in athletics around here………..

  36. Dwayne Montrell Goldston (Grimsley 2011) is more than capable of carrying this young grimsley basketball team. He is by far, the most underrated player out of all GCS highschool basketball programs.

Comments are closed.