8th Grade All-Star Basketball Games coming to Ben L. Smith HS this Saturday night with girls at 5:30 and boys at 7pm

8th Grade All-Star Basketball Games coming to Ben L. Smith HS this Saturday night
(Presented by Veritas Sports Academies and Sheetz)

TEAMS:
EAST GIRLS (white uniforms)
Ellie Baldwin Greensboro Day
Sierra Beasley Mendenhall Middle
Tori Briscoe Northeast Middle
Mikayla Curtis Southeast Middle
Jazmin Harris Eastern Middle
Leona Hunt Allen Middle
Nichelle Jeffries Northeast Middle
Rakel Williams Hairston Middle
Deja Lennon Lincoln Middle
Markietta Parker Southeast Middle
Roxanne Pfenning Greensboro Day

WEST GIRLS (black)
Sarah Bailey Wesleyan
Chloe Brewington Kernodle Middle
Lauren Carter Southwest Middle
Elisse Cunane Northern Middle
Kyree Hall Welborn Middle
Dominique Jackson Southern Middle
Shaniya Jones Ferndale Middle
Kassie Robakiewicz Northern Middle
Da’ Mieh Searcy Southwest Middle
Bri’a Gibbs Kernodle Middle
Breana Ware Southern Middle

EAST BOYS (white uniforms)
Timothy Boulware Hairston Middle
Jacob Crutchfield Triad Math & Sci
Will Dillard Greensboro Day
Devonte Hines Kiser Middle
Austin Inge Kiser Middle
Mahlik Lowe Lincoln Middle
Caleb Matthews Mendenhall Middle
Unique Neal Lincoln Middle
Andy Pack Kiser Middle
Montez Venable Eastern Middle

WEST BOYS (navy uniforms)
Nick Brown Caldwell
DJ Crossen Southern Middle
Jalen Gamble Welborn Middle
Jo’el Jenkins Southern Middle
Bryan Maynard Ferndale Middle
Bryson Powell Southwest Middle
Thomas Smith Northwest Middle
Tre Turner Kernodle Middle
Ryan Williams Ferndale Middle
Ahmad Jeffries Guilford Middle

5:30 pm Girls Tip-off
7:00 pm Boys Tip-off

**Note that all participants were selected by player’s opposing coaches.

36 thoughts on “8th Grade All-Star Basketball Games coming to Ben L. Smith HS this Saturday night with girls at 5:30 and boys at 7pm

  1. Wow how is Will Dillard playing in this game, is this the same Will that went to Aycock? If so he should be a 9th grader

  2. wonder where all this talent will be playing hs ball…..I’m sure most will end up at the privates.

  3. Most of the kids that played in the all star game last year are at public schools, not private. Why do you all think that if a kid reclassed, they should not play? If they are the best in whatever grade…then they are.

  4. If he is a year older then everybody in 8th grade then he will be one of the best in his grade. So does that answer your question? He is the only reclassed kid in the game. He would have made it last year as a true 8th grader so dont get that mixed up. But he is about to be 15 years old. The age of a high school freshman/sophomore. Not his fault he was nominated to play though.

  5. @use your brain He may be a year older, but he is actually in the 8th grade. He was in 7th last year, and did reclass prior to being in 8th grade. So what? That is his actual grade. Best is the best. It won’t even matter later. Why do we have to try to put kids down because they are good at sports? if it were academic, no one would care

  6. The reclassification thing is crazy, I’ll be glad when NC goes away with it. If you are as good as you say you are then why reclass. The kid is great in basketball don’t get me wrong I just don’t see how he made the team.

  7. he is actually in the 8th grade because he did a grade twice. Nobody is arguing him being in the 8th grade. He took a spot from some kid who is 13 years old in 8th grade at one of these schools. Like i said, hes a good player. He would have made it last year but reclassing is an academic issue that is being taken advantage of for sports.

  8. Most of these kids reclass because they are not prepared for the classroom work required for their grade level (not for basketball). Most black boys (I am black just for reference so don’t get it twisted) are not being prepared in the public school system for a school such as GDS, WES, etc.. The public schools don’t have the same standards across the board that you will find at the private schools. Girls are generally better prepared to enter GDS than boys. GDS only has a few reclassed girls but nearly all of the boys are reclassed. Don’t fault these kids and their parents for trying to put them in a better situation. This year is the 1st year that this kid was an 8th grade so he should be eligible like any other 8th grader.

  9. It said on the previous article about this game that kids are chosen by the opposing coaches and who THEY thought were the best. Not based on who won a game or one from each school. Votes of the coaches.
    Also—NC is not alone with reclassing kids. It’s across the nation and a lot of the premier athletes have done the same.

  10. ill agree with you on a decent amount of that. My issue is with his age and being 15 years old, and taking this opportunity from somebody that is 13 years old. Race has nothing to do with it. You are saying black boys arent being prepared in the school systems. Does that mean the white boys are? Parents need to stay on their kids to focus in the classroom. The education in guilford county is fine. It may be better at GDS or WES but if they did their work in the public school before they switched to a priavte, they wouldnt need to reclass. There is no excuse, and putting down other schools as a result of a teen not caring or getting it done in the classroom isnt fair to the teachers at those public schools either. If a kid doesnt wanna learn he doesnt wanna learn. I dont know Will Dillard personally or any of the kids that reclass and leave public school. But i am willing to bet if they buckled down, focused and got A’s and B’s at their public school they wouldnt have needed to reclass when arriving at gds. If they didnt work hard, put forth the effort and do well its not the public school systems fault. I am clearly debating with somebody that knows Dillard and these reclassed kids personally. You know more of their individual stories then me. I cant blame parents and kids for wanting a better situation. My post said he was a good player and it wasnt his fault he was nominated. But lets not blame school systems acting like these kids were getting straight A’s, maximizing their public school education and it still wasnt good enough to succeed at these private schools

  11. what middle school coach voted Dillard in @supportallathletes? because hes a varsity player at his private school and didnt play a single middle school game. So no middle school coach nominated him. its a popularity contest..

  12. kids in general learn differently and those private school settings offer smaller classrooms, more personal attention without most of the teachers caring ONLY about meeting some numbers or dealing with all of the stringent quotas they have to meet. It’s not about just buckling down to get A’s and B’s. You are correct saying you don’t know their personal situations and home life. Some boys actually NEED that extra year to mature where several parents I know kept their sons back an extra year before kindergarten and 1st grade. Don’t criticize reclassed athletes without knowing all of the parameters involved. There are several older boys that may be 3 years older than any young athlete that couldn’t hold a candle to the talents they have.

  13. @well that’s not true How do you know that they didn’t vote him in? It’s not as if it’s a secret he’s in the 8th grade. So now, Middle School coaches ONLY go to Middle School games? They have blinders on to all of the other kids in the city older or younger? He still is in the 8th grade and they know it.

  14. I’m surprised none of the guys from Aycock made it. Im pretty sure the 7th grade girl from Aycock will be in this game next year.

  15. Reclassing is ok but a kid that choose to take that route should not be allowed to play in a game like this. Age is a key factor and its taking the opportunity of another kid away. I know most do it for grades but some do it just to have that extra year on the high school or middle school level. I for a fact that the Dillard kid played in some high school games this season.

  16. only middle school coaches were asked, not high school coaches. Dillard plays varsity.Never played a middle school game. “opposing coaches were asked who had in impact on the game” He got voted on popularity

  17. In reference to reclassing, let’s take a historical perspective. NC’s flagship institution, UNC-Chapel Hill (the nation’s first public university), had one of the schools most celebrated athletes turn 20 at the end of his freshman season, by the name of Tyler Hansbrough. However, there is no asterick to be found beside his name when he broke the all time scoring record by Phil Ford that states that he reclassed or was ‘older”. His brother Ben, played for Notre Dame Basketball team and finished at 24. So who’s scholarship did the Hansbrough brothers take? Never heard a word about that reclassification

  18. It should be fun watching all the kids play and you got PJ Hairston’s little brother and Reggie Dillard’s little brother out there on opposite teams to make it interesting…..

    The gym at Smith will be busy…Last year a large crowd was on hand and it should be the same this year…Good crop of kids and we need to support them…

    Time to give this topic a break for tonight…We will open it back up again tomorrow….

  19. Something to look at is the point that Will Dillard’s appearance could change if his team(Greensboro Day School) is playing for the NCISAA Title on Saturday….They go into that tourney as the #1 seed and the title game is at 12 Noon at Forsyth Country Day…

    So you never know….Playing two games in one day is a lot to ask of a kid and he should see considerable time for GDS in that Final…

    All on the upbeat and you want a good game and a good crowd at both games/venues…

  20. This whole re-class thing is so dead and getting as old and tired as the Page vs SA post. Let’s pull out birth certificates on everyone and look at their age vs what grade they are in and I guarantee alot of people will be shocked at how many kids that have failed or been held back in elem or middle school. Some people just have to have something to hate or somebody for. Grow up and shut up! This 8th grade local All-Star game ain’t going to make or break Will. Will has already played against RANKED, grown men…the experience he has had is unparallel so keep talking and he will keep grinding. How many 8th graders have made Sportscenter and y’all worried about local all-star game….lol

  21. He plays aau. They play multiple games in a day. He will play even if he plays in playoffs at 12. I will say that Will doesnt play against ranked grown men because ranked grown men dont play high school or aau basketball. Look Will is a great athlete, but hes an undersized 3-4 who plays inside the 3 point line. Needs to develop a jumper if you want to put him on the high chair like you all are doing.

  22. This site and CITY is the worse at talking up players both girls and boys with all this hype and fanfare. However,I am just stating the facts. He was on Sportscenter, He has played against top-notch D1 prospects. Just locally alone, Will has played Theo Pinson-RANKED. How many 8th graders can say they played Wesleyan, Page, High Point Christian, just to name a few and the guys they played against in Florida looked like grown men to me. The point is, since you want to be technical, Mr. Dillard will be just fine and his resume is already impressive for HIS AGE. However, like anyone else from Amateur to PRO, you never stop working, learning and being humble and hungry. Don’t hate the player..hate the game because everybody from media, to coaches, to parents and the players play it. All players have something they need to work on so your point about his jumper is void. Even LeBron, works on areas of his game. Will has shortcomings LIKE EVERBODY else, so what’s your point?

  23. well being that he is 15 years old and is the age of a sophomore in high school, he should be playing against high school comp. He is a good player. But you my friend, are killing him. Keep mentioning sportscenter, because that will get him somewhere. It was a dunk, that is worth 2 points at a camp. Nobody is hating the player here. he should go off for about 40 in this local all star game since you think hes so great. And whoever is cheering harder then his mom(who should be his biggest fan) ill know its you. Maybe he will give you some of his money when he makes it to the nba since you compare him to Lebron. Lots of kids dont pan out due to people like you blowing them up. But hey, keep letting him know he was on sportscenter. I doubt he even brings it up as much as you do. Watch him play, dont live vicariously through him though.

  24. Surprised there was no one from Northwest Middle represented, there is a blonde point guard who was awesome when I saw her. Very surprised she isn’t on the list.

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