High School Basketball Under the Radar in the off-season

Here is some of the high school basketball news that we have been hearing about in the off-season and this goes along with all the coaching changes that we have been seeing in the past week….

Ryan Freeman head boys basketball coach at Northern Guilford the past three years not headed anywhere just yet..Ryan Freeman no longer coaching at Northern, but still on the teaching staff at NG….There is a boys job opening at Burlington Williams….Tommy Cole coached both the boys and girls teams at Williams last season and I don’t know how anyone could keep that up…..We do wish the best of luck to Coach Freeman….He did a great job at Northern, after taking over the Nighthawks in the time of turmoil and he took them to the Pizza Hut Finals in his second year with the Nighthawks….Coach Freeman would make a great coach if Burlington Williams or another school decides to look in his direction….

Cory Haines from High Point Central to Forsyth Country Day….The Furies are loading up and Haines is a very highly regarded player by Rick Lewis at the Phenom Hoop Report and we look for Haines to re-class with FCD and be a sophomore next season….Haines only real weakness in the past has been his jump shot and he has been working on that part of his game this summmer….

Sam Hunt to Wesleyan is still the talk and if it has not been locked down yet, it could well be a done deal by July 1….Sam would be leaving Dudley and if does go ahead and end up at Wesleyan like we feel he will, he will be re-joining former Duldey teammate Jaquel Richmond and we would probably see Sam go back to the two-guard and Jaquel run the point for WES…..Would love to see Sam stay at Dudley and go ahead and finish up there, but if moves on over to WES and begins play for Coach Keith Gatlin, we hope it all works out OK for Sam…My only major regret is that if Sam leaves Dudley and new coach Brian Seagraves, the Panthers will not have a proven leader coming back to run the show for the Panthers in 2012/2013….Dudley will need that floor-leader and if Sam goes over to WES, will he will re-class and finish with Richmond and Theo Pinson, in their senior year??? Sam would have been a senior at Dudley this upcoming season……He could re-class and get the extra year of high school at WES…Sam going or Sam staying, we will have to wait and see for sure, but it looks like he is gone and on his way to WES….

39 thoughts on “High School Basketball Under the Radar in the off-season

  1. Also WES is picking up the #1 incoming freshmen in the state and maybe the nation. 6’8″ Harry Giles from Winston Salem. Also getting Donovan Gilmore from Northeast Guilford, 6’8″ with a few offers already. Sam Hunt would be another huge addition.

  2. Donovan Gilmore had one of the biggest upsides of anyone around here…His wingspan at 6’8 can cover the lane…..That kid could be dangerous…..

  3. I have not actually seen Gilmore play. However, I do know that he starts for The CP3 All-Stars 17’s who have had a very good season. I also know that he has at least two D1 college offers as of now and as he reclasses that number will only grow. I hope to go see him play in the CP3 invitational at Proehlific in July. Harry Giles Isn’t a huge name around here yet because of his age plus he is a little out of the Greensboro Sports followers jurisdiction since he is from Winston. He is, without a doubt, the best player I have ever seen at his age. You can’t see him on the AAU circuit because he is currently out with a broken foot but just look his name up on youtube and you can view his dominance. Sam Hunt has a scorers reputation that speaks for itself.

  4. I know that comparisons can sometimes be unfair, but just out of curiosity, how would you compare Giles and Theo Pinson at this same age/stage of their careers???

  5. And you are right and on the money about Sam….I think he posted 39 points against the UNC JV’s on Thursday night last season in Chapel Hill…..

  6. I can’t really compare them. I never saw Theo until his freshmen year so I will be able to compare them once I have seen Harry’s freshmen year. As of know, all I know is that Harry Giles is likely to grow to close to seven feet tall and have the body type of say a Kevin Durant. He has the ability to shoot, pass, dribble and he has some of the biggest yet softest hands I have seen. He is already comfortable using his off hand which is a huge advantage especially at his age.

  7. I have heard rumors that some big time colleges have already gauranteed him a scholarship once he is old enough to procure them.

  8. When you can shoot the ball any time you want to, you should score a bunch of points. Wouldn’t you agree? Some time I think we need to be objective when we are reporting information.

  9. The object is to score and win and the green light means go….We could ask Mr. James and Mr. Wade about that and they would agree…Can’t win/hit if you don’t shoot and sometimes if you are the hot hand you have to take command….

  10. Facts:

    I am not exactly sure what you are trying to say. Giles only averaged 18 ppg. He wasn’t just out there shooting shots because he was the best. He was a team player and was one of Flat Rock Middle School’s best passers. I think you need to be informed before you are subject of our objectivity.

  11. 1- Sam Hunt is not going to Wesleyan. He is not leaving Dudley to be Jaquel’s back up.
    2- Harry Giles is a very good player but no one cares how much a 6’6″ middle school kid scores on 5’11” kids.

  12. Andy,
    I think your cheerleading gets the best of you sometimes, and you fail to grasp the whole story. I think you were the only fan that the coach in question had, and that was probably a big reason that daddy came into the picture. I’s impossible that you are right and everyone else is wrong. Just for your info, Williams would be a terrible fit, and the Elon connection will not be a plus.

  13. Mt Tabor said “no one cares how much a 6’6″ scores on 5’11” kids but that is exactly what was said about a 6’3″ Theo against middle school kids. The reality is that Theo was clearly going to be a high level player because the skill sets were clearly there. I have not seen this Harry kid but I have read information about him. He clearly is the real deal and will play high D1 basketball. Playing with the other kids at Wesleyan the entire year will help him more than playing the entire year against kids with half his skill set. I would suggest the same could be true for a Sam Hunt if he came to Wesleyan. He could take over the 2 guard spot and get more attention at Wesleyan because of the high level teams they will be playing than what he would get at Dudley. The private school just play a much tougher schedule and can play nearly 10 games per more than the public schools.

  14. It seems WES is potentially getting a lot of new faces from all over. What about GDS or HP Christain ? It looks like boys basketball will again be extremely tough for the private schools. I also had New Garden Friends has several new players from Caldwell that will really make them a much better team next year.

  15. The New Garden Friends Bears will be a team to watch…I have been telling people that for the last two years and it is getting ready to happen…If the big men from Caldwell go over to NGFS, look out….Big Matt Uchdike and the other Nigerian Nightmares will make a very imposing front line at 6’9 across the front….Obi Rapu will eventually be one of the top point guards in the state….I think he will be a junior this coming year/season….

    They call me Mr. 99.9…..Right 99.9% of the time and right on time…..Just give me some more time and I will give you the ‘Rest of the Story” I am holding a couple of cards right now that I can’t let loose until later in the Summer……Smooth Ride…..

  16. Matt Uchedike has graduated and they will have Smart Ikenna 6’10” big from Thomasville Prep with them this season look out for them to have a great season next year

  17. Watch for Michael Kobani and Emeka Itezu…..Both have eligibility remaining and they are in the 6’8/6’9 range….

  18. Why does the transferring and re-classing need to end? No kid is going to re-class just for the fun of it. These kids are re-classing either because they are not “academically” prepared for the new school or it was felt they would need one extra year to satify some additional recruiting questions. The transferring is necessary to allow the reclassing and plus there are many colleges that will tell a potential recruit that they would like to see them play more consistently against better competition. This is why many of the elite often play for a Oak Hill or locally at a WES, GDS, or HPC. The public schools can only play 22 or so games but the private schools can play 32-40 games per season and play a far better schedule.

  19. The latest talk is, if you reclass you can get all the academic work that you claim you need but you will not be eligible for athletics. Let the movement begin.

  20. From what I have been hearing, there is a new rule due to go in next school year, not this one coming up, but in 2013/2014, and it says if you transfer any time after your 8th grade year, you CAN NOT re-class/reclassify……..

  21. You can still get all the “academic” help you claim your reclassifying for while wasting money that could be used for college.

  22. Hey, Don’t everyone forget that Kid Devan Gregory over at Dudley, give him the right playing time he will be a game changer. Can’t wait to see him and the panthers this season..

  23. the reclass rule starts in 2014 and as far as academics goes if you reclass, the 5th year of academic classes are not recognized by the NCAA clearinghouse. Understandable if you feel you need another year to polish up. But it doesnt help academic pertaining to GPA.

  24. Two things, Theo is not going to Oak Hill. And the new recruiting rule might first be in place in 2014 but it will not affect any student athlete until 2016. Also, the rule does not prohibit reclassing. It just makes students go to school for once. At some schools, players have all the credits they need to graduate and thus take very few courses their senior season. This is what the rule is against is requires a specific number of senior year class credits to be immediately eligible for NCAA sanctioned play. This WILL NOT end reclassing. It will just monitor and make sure kids aren’t breezing through without classes their senior years.

  25. Keep on hoping. The movement is in motion. Go to Prep and JC. Stop playing with kids and play with students your own age.

  26. Heard from NCISAA reps today and they told me that the new rules would not take effect until 2016……THey had planned for the the changes to be ready by 2015, but they will not take effect until 2016 and they will give the NCISAA a better chance to govern who is coming in for the quick academic fix and who is really coming in to get the education…..In the past the transfer problems were at their worst when students came looking for the quick A’s….Had always thought the rule would apply that you could no longer re-class after your 8th grade year and we’ll just to wait and see if that still is part of the new ruling….If Theo did make the move to Oak Hill, you would think the new kid coming in from Winston-Salem would be the heir-apparent…..High School players are wanting to stay in high school longer so that they can get to college and then once they get to college, they want to see how fast they can get out of there…..Go figure……

    Sure makes for a deep discussion and I don’t have all the answers, but I have been around the educational process for what seems like forever and it is not all cut and dry any more….Back in the day you didn’t have a Red-shirt, you were lucky if you had a ‘T’ shirt and if you did, it was thin, cause this time of year, you were set to sweat……The thinner the better, cause it is just going to keep on getting wetter and wetter, it is about like you are wearing a sweater out there in the heat that is gettting ready to consume us…..

    And the band plays on…..

  27. If you are a fifth year senior you can only retake one class that is offically counted towards your GPA or you may not need to take any classes to graduate. You have a game with ______tonight at 7:30 PM. The team that you play has been in school since 7:30 AM working hard. You on the other hand was in bed until noon and took your one class at T-Prep. Who has the advantage? Some time we have to cut out the BS and call it what it is.

  28. Looks like the new guidelines will be set to clean things up and make it tougher on schools that have been letting students come and re-class and then re-take courses where they had failed and in some cases students have been cramming in last minute core classes when they should have been on a classroom schedule taking the workload and not loading up with last-minute on-line classes designed to just get you through and graduated….The 8th grade cut-off for transferring may not go into effect, but I still think that would be a good rule of thumb….If you want to transfer and re-class, do it at least right before your before your 9th grade(transfer right after your 8th grade year and no later) and not later than that if you want to re-class…..What ever happened to Summer School….They take it in college to get caught up and even to get ahead…..We will be seeing some changes…..*****We will have to keep a watch out for 2016 now….*****.

    And what about a school like Shining Light Academy? They have some pretty good young players over there and they could add-on and become a contender among the higher level teams….NCISAA DII or DI’s….They would have to join the association first, now in the North Carolina Association of Christian Schools and they would have to join NCISAA….We have seen how much New Garden Friends School has grown in just a few years and Shining Light could start burning like that too, if they wanted to go that direction…..SLA has the Robinson boys and they had Ryan Crumpton and he might be ready for graduation and gone……Caldwell has made strides, although they have been looking for a new coach…..Burlington Christian Academy is another school that has come on strong in the last couple of years, led in part by former NEG AD John Primm…..We all know about the jump in level of competition at HPCA and how far the Cougars have come…..Going to be interesting with all the private schools out there and we shall see who the next David is, when it comes to taking on all of the Goliaths out here…..

  29. I don’t know about Thomasville Prep (at least that is who I am assuming is T-Prep) but at schools like Wesleyan, GDS, HPCA, WCDS, & FCDS, these kids who reclass still are required to take pretty difficult courses and are not given a pass due to their sport. And I am not quite sure who has the advantage because Thomasville Prep lost to every local team this past season so I’d say they would be at the disadvantage.

  30. True that Thomasville Prep boys lost a lot more games last year but that was the result of a lot of the players transferring to different schools when they left Oak Ridge. They went to WES, GDS, HPC and another kid somewhere else. The best that the Oak Ridge team had to offer went somewhere other than Thomasville. The girls stayed together and they were a powerhouse team that did not lose to any teams in NC and made it into the ESPN top 30 last year. I cannot speak about the education at Thomasville but its clearly not on the level of schools such as WES, GDS or HPC. The fact is that these are just my assumptions. I can only speak to the school with my kids in it and go by what school officials are saying about other schools which can be twisted for their benefit. Some schools have a proven track record that colleges already respect and other don’t. I would prefer to take my chances with a school that has a proven record on and off the court. The sport will take care of itself.

  31. Reclassing is ridiculous. If you need another year to get better academically or physically, go to prep school. Reclassing helps private schools because they basically get to have college freshman on their team. Parents who say it is a good thing are simply rationalizing it. Prep schools have been around for a long time for this specific purpose. It is so easy for kids to transfer between high schools, AAU teams and college teams. How about this concept? Stay at the same school, work harder in the classroom and on the court and everything will work out.

  32. Prep school’s have been around for years is true but name how many prep schools are within 30 minutes of Greensboro with a really sports program. It is easy to say “why not just go to a prep school” but kids want to stay close to home before going to college. Some kids will also reclass due to injuries. Some kids will hit that extra growth phase or finally “get it with their game” and suddenly realize they may be somebodies radar – all of which could push someone to reclass. When you are fighting for a $100k – 200k free ride – reclassing or transferring is not too much to ask for. These kids should be praised for understanding that they are doing something great for their family by trying to ensure their college future and save their family a small fortune.

  33. Sam Hunt to Wesleyan? I heard he was going to HPCA or staying at Dudley, with him most likely just going to stay where he is. Word is Kobani from Caldwell may end up at HPCA as well because of the CP3 connection of Baldwin and Ogbodo. Wesleyan is supposedly loading up again with Giles and Gilmore and GDS is getting Sharwyn McGee who used to be at Ragsdale.

  34. I have a source that is telling me Sam Hunt will be at Dudley next year without question. Mike Kobani, I was told, will either be at NGFS or remain at Caldwell.

  35. Kobani was with HPCA yesterday in a jamboree according to someone that played against them. Don’t know if that is official though.

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