Impact players to watch in each region of the boys basketball state playoffs
As the high school basketball state playoffs get underway this week, we are sure to see some standout performances from players across the state.
Already this year, we've seen the N.C. High School Athletic Association single-game scoring record fall when Richmond's Paul McNeil Jr., a NC State commit, scored 71 points in a win over Lee County.
During last season's playoffs, we saw North Mecklenburg's Isaiah Evans, a Duke commit, score 62 points in a double-overtime win over Chambers.
- Active players who have scored more than 1,000-points in their career
- Top single-game scoring marks in basketball this season
So who are some of the big names to watch out for in this year's playoffs? We dug deep into the MaxPreps statistical database to identify three impact players to watch in each region of the boys basketball state playoffs.
This is by no means a comprehensive list, and there will certainly be some memorable performances by players not mentioned, but we had to draw the line somewhere — there's a lot of basketball talent in the state and only so much time in the day for me to type — so that line is at three per region.
In addition, if a team does not post statistics on MaxPreps, they're not up for consideration. Sorry, but if we don't have the information, we can't share it!
4A East Boys Basketball Impact Players
As mentioned above, Paul McNeil Jr. (Richmond), has already established himself as one of the best scorers in North Carolina high school sports history. The senior NC State commit dropped 71 points on Lee County this year, breaking the NCHSAA single-game scoring record. Then the very next day, he scored his 2,000th career point.
McNeil leads the 4A East in points per game by nearly 5 full points at 31.3 points per game. He is the only player in the 4A East to surpass 700 points this season, posting 752 in 24 games. Standing at 6-foot-6 and 185 pounds, McNeil is shooting 53% from the field this season, including 38% from three-point range. He's also not a player you want to send to the line. McNeil shoots 84% on free throws.
Scoring is just part of his game though. McNeil is also top 10 in the 4A East in rebounds per game (9.3). Richmond made it to the 4A state championship game last season, and McNeil wants to lead his team back — and win it this year.
- First Round: (31) East Chapel Hill @ (2) Richmond
Colt Langdon (Millbrook) has already established himself as one of the top scorers in Wake County history. The junior guard has scored 1,686 points in his career, including 666 so far this season. He's within striking distance of the all-time scoring record in Wake County, held by Garner alum Donald Williams, who went on to become the Final Four Most Outstanding Player at UNC in 1993.
Langdon stands at 6-foot-7 and averages 26.6 points per game, making him the second-best scorer in the 4A East this season. Langdon shoots 48% from the field and 36% from long range.
In 25 games played this season, Langdon averages a double-double with 10 rebounds per game. He's tied for third place in the 4A East in rebounding average, one of just four players in the region to average double-figures in the category.
- First Round: (29) Jack Britt @ (4) Millbrook
Justice Mitchell (Clayton) joins Langdon as one of just two players in the 4A East averaging a double-double with a 20+ points per game average. A junior forward for the Comets, Mitchell averages 20.1 points per game and 10 rebounds per game in 24 games this season.
Mitchell ranks fourth in points per game and is tied for third in rebounds per game in the 4A East.
At 6-foot-6 and 200 pounds, Mitchell has made big strides this season. As a sophomore, he averaged 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds. This year, he is shooting 58% from the field.
- First Round: (20) Holly Springs @ (13) Clayton
4A West Boys Basketball Impact Players
Isaiah Evans (North Mecklenburg) had the most impressive playoff performance last year as a junior, scoring 62 points in a double-overtime win over Chambers. That included a buzzer-beating three-point basket to force overtime. So there would be no surprises if the Duke commit did something else crazy during this year's playoffs.
Evans is one of the best players in the country. Standing at 6-foot-7 and 195 pounds, the forward is rated a five-star prospect by ESPN. He's also ranked the No. 7 player in the country by ESPN.
Earlier this year, Evans was named to the McDonald's All-American Game.
- First Round: (28) T.C. Roberson @ (5) North Mecklenburg
Defending 4A state champion Sadiq White Jr. (Myers Park) is an easy pick as an impact player in the 4A West. White helped Myers Park win the title last season.
This season, White is averaging 17.9 points per game on a loaded Myers Park roster. He's also shooting 68% from the field. White averages 5.8 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game too. White, a junior, stands at 6-foot-8.
- First Round: (32) Mallard Creek @ (1) Myers Park
Richard Goods (Grimsley), a center and forward for Grimsley, has one of the most impressive stat lines in the 4A West. He averages a double-double with 21 points and 13.7 rebounds. He ranks No. 5 in the 4A West in scoring and No. 1 in rebounds. Goods also ranks No. 2 in the region for blocks per game with 3.9.
Goods has only been held to single digits in scoring one time, but he has scored 20+ points in 15-of-25 games played. His high this season was 38 points against Western Guilford. Goods has recorded double-digit rebounds in all but two games. His best rebounding performance was against Ragsdale when he brought in 23 boards (and scored 29 points).
- First Round: (26) Page @ (7) Grimsley
3A East Boys Basketball Impact Players
If Orange makes a run in the 3A East playoffs, Coleman Cloer (Orange) will be a big reason why. The 6-foot-7 guard/small forward leads the region in scoring this season with 24.3 points per game. Cloer shoots 53% from the field, 41% from three-point range, and 79% from the free throw line.
Cloer has been on a scoring tear lately. In his last six games, he's averaging 28.1 points per game. That run includes three consecutive 30-point games — 30 points against Person, 39 points against Southern Alamance, and 31 points against Eastern Alamance.
It's not just scoring though. Cloer also averages 8.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game for the Panthers.
- First Round: (23) Currituck County @ (10) Orange
Mason Dobie (First Flight) will likely be a 2,000-point scorer for his career. The 6-foot-2 junior has already scored 1,519 points in his career, including 544 this season. He is the second-leading scorer in the 3A East, averaging 20.9 points per game. Dobie and Cloer are the only two 3A East players averaging more than 20 points per game.
Dobie shoots 76% from the field, and he has made 77 three-point shots in 26 games this season.
- First Round: (24) E.E. Smith @ (9) First Flight
If you're a regular visitor of HSOT, you have probably heard the name Ben Fox (East Wake). If you quickly glance at Fox's statistics for this season, you may not be wowed by the 9.9 points per game average. But that would be a mistake.
Fox battled an injury for much of the first half of the season, but he's gotten healthy, and his scoring has come along too. In the last 13 games, Fox has scored in double-figures in 10 of them. That includes a 50-point performance against Southern Wayne. Anyone who can score 50 points in a game is someone who could be an impact player in the playoffs.
- First Round: (22) Williams @ (11) East Wake
3A West Boys Basketball Impact Players
Desmond Kent Jr. (Central Cabarrus) has really upped his statistical contributions to his team this season. The 6-foot-6 senior is averaging 19.1 points per game this season for the Vikings, which makes him top 15 in the 3A West.
Kent is shooting 64% from the field this season. He's also averaging 8.4 rebounds per game (which ranks No. 16 in the 3A West), 2.3 blocks, and 2.1 steals.
Last season, Kent averaged 12.4 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game. He was named the MVP of the 3A state championship game too.
- First Round: (31) Pisgah @ (2) Central Cabarrus
Jerquarius Stanback (Asheboro) leads the 3A West in rebounding and is No. 4 in the region in scoring. The Appalachian State recruit is averaging 24.6 points per game this season while shooting 62% from the field. He also leads the 3A West in rebounding, averaging 11.3 rebounds per game.
Stanback also leads the 3A West in blocks per game with an average of 4.3. He also averages 4.1 assists and 2.7 steals.
- First Round: (23) Jesse Carson @ (10) Asheboro
Caiden Brewer (East Henderson) is just 0.6 points behind Stanback in his scoring average, making him the No. 2 scorer in the 3A West. Brewer averages 25.2 points per game, shooting 53% from the field, including 33% from three-point range.
Brewer doesn't average a double-double like Stanback, but he still makes his presence known on the boards with 7.8 rebounds per game. He also averages 4.7 assists and 3.4 steals per game.
- First Round: (27) Oak Grove @ (6) East Henderson
2A East Boys Basketball Impact Players
Marcel Freeman (North Johnston) leads the 2A East in scoring with 25.8 points per game. He shoots 55% from the field and 46% from three-point range. The 6-foot, 170-pound guard has connected on 61 three-point attempts this season and has scored at least 20 points in all but three of his 23 games. Freeman's best scoring output came against Vance County in December when he scored 42 points. Seven times Freeman has scored 30 or more points.
- First Round: (20) West Craven @ (13) North Johnston
Chaise Smith (Washington) ranks 12th in the 2A East in scoring, averaging 18.1 points per game, but it's not just about scoring for Smith. The 6-foot-2 sophomore point guard gets other people in position to score, as he leads the region in assists with 6.6 per game. Smith has 151 assists on the season, and has recorded seven or more assists in 11 games. Against Hertford County, Smith posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists.
- First Round: (18) Beddingfield @ (15) Washington
Mykal Williams (Farmville Central) returns to the Jags team after winning the 2A state championship last season. Williams is one of several playmakers on Farmville Central's roster, leading the team in scoring with 16 points per game (slightly ahead of Tyler Whitehurst's 15.4 points per game). Williams shoots 49% from the field. He also averages 3.3 assists per game.
- First Round: (32) Ayden-Grifton @ (1) Farmville Central
2A West Boys Basketball Impact Players
Juke Harris (Salisbury) is one of many talented players in the 2A West. In fact, it's impossible to narrow this list down to just three... but that's what I have to do. Harris, who will play college basketball at Wake Forest, averages 30.6 points per game — second in the 2A West and one of four players averaging over 30 points per game. The shooting guard shoots 56% from the field and 80% from the free throw line. He also averages 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.0 steals, and 1.1 blocks per game.
- First Round: (31) Anson County @ (2) Salisbury
Sophomore Kendre Harrison (Reidsville) may be the best two-sport athlete to come out of North Carolina since Julius Peppers when it's all said and one. The forward/center is a five-star player in both basketball and football. He leads the 2A West in rebounds with 15.2 per game. He's recorded 349 rebounds this season — 219 defensive and 130 offensive. He also averages 19.1 points per game, shooting 68% from the field. Harrison is tied with Landon Vaughan (Bandys) with 3.6 blocks per game, the top mark in the 2A West. You may need to alert the backboards that they're not safe too...
- First Round: (32) Madison @ (1) Reidsville
I tried not to have two players from a single team on this list, but in this case it's just not possible. Dionte Neal (Reidsville) has a huge impact on the game for the Rams — both from scoring and from setting other players up to score. Neal averages a double-double this season with 20 points and 10.8 assists per game. He has recorded 248 assists this season with 54 turnovers. Neal is also second in the 2A West in steals per game, with 4.2.
- First Round: (32) Madison @ (1) Reidsville
1A East Boys Basketball Impact Players
Reid Albright (Chatham Central) is the second leading scorer in the 1A East this season, but the top scorer in the 1A East playoffs. Albright averages 22.5 points per game this season, shooting 55% from the field, including 35% from three-point range. He's also a 70% free throw shooter. Albright is close to averaging a double-double, with 9.3 rebounds per game. He also averages 4.9 assists and 4.3 steals, both of which put him near the top in the region in their respective categories.
- First Round: (28) Woods Charter @ (5) Chatham Central
Ben Ferguson (Wilson Prep) is the leading scorer on the top-seeded team in the 1A East, posting a 17.8 points per game average, shooting 56% from the field. He doesn't shoot a lot from three-point range with 11 made long-range baskets, but when he does shoot from deep, they go in more often than not. Ferguson's three-point shooting percentage is 58%. Ferguson also averages 2.5 assists per game for Wilson Prep.
- First Round: (32) Warren County @ (1) Wilson Prep
Senior shooting guard/small forward Unique Kelly (West Columbus) will be one of the top scorers in the 1A East playoffs. Kelly ranks 15th in the 1A East in scoring with an average of 17.6 points per game. Kelly has scored in double figures in every game he has played in this season, with a season-high of 31 against Whiteville. He also averages 2.9 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
- First Round: (27) Columbia @ (6) West Columbus
1A West Boys Basketball Impact Players
Cameron Rattler (Andrews) averages a double-double for the season with 17.4 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. He is shooting 56% from the field and 73% from the free throw line, while pulling in 268 rebounds this season. The senior has scored in double-figures in all but three games this season, and posted a season-high 30 points against North Buncombe in December.
- First Round: (20) North Rowan @ (13) Andrews
Timothy Brower (Eastern Randolph) is the top offensive weapon for the Wildcats, averaging 21.2 points per game this season. He has been in double-figures in all but three games and has scored 30 or more points on four different occasions. Brower shows up for big games too. In a loss to Swansboro (the No. 1 seed in the 3A East) in January, Brower scored his season-high of 36 points, going 15-of-17 from the field. He also averages 4.7 rebounds, 3.3 assist, and 2.0 steals per game.
- First Round: (25) Hayesville @ (8) Eastern Randolph
If there's going to be a major 31-over-2 upset in the 1A West this season, Garrett Morgan (Queen's Grant) is going to have to play a big role. The 6-foot-3 senior leads the region in scoring with a 25.8-point per game average, shooting 51% from the field and 70% from the free throw lin. Morgan has scored in double-figures in every game this season, and has surpassed the 30-point mark six times. His season-high is 42 points. Morgan also averages 5.5 steals, 5.1 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game.
- First Round: (31) Queen's Grant @ (2) Corvian Community
