10 burning questions about the soon-to-start high school basketball season

Believe it or not, it’s time for high school basketball season. There are real games on the schedule next week.

Here are 10 burning questions about the season.

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1. How is the boys’ talent level in Charlotte-area? It suffered some heavy graduation losses.

Yes, a lot of top 100 national talent has left.

Myers Park’s Sir Mohammed and Bishop Boswell are at Notre Dame and Tennessee. North Meck’s Isaiah Evans, who led his team to the state championship and played in the McDonald’s All-American game, is at Duke.

Myers Park’s Sadiq White, a potential McDonald’s All-American this season, transferred out of state. He’s at IMG Academy in Florida and has committed to Syracuse.

White would’ve probably been the top-ranked boys player in the state. With White gone, fast-rising national recruit Isaiah Denis of Davidson Day and Moravian Prep’s Eli Ellis, from Hudson, N.C., near Hickory, look like the two top prospects in the state.

Is talent down? Perhaps a little, but there a lot of players who just haven’t made themselves into household names yet. With some of the heavy hitters gone, look for guys like Denis, North Meck’s Chadlyn Traylor and Carmel Christian’s Bryce Slay to become more familiar regional names as the season moves on.

2. What about Clemson recruit Trent Steinour. Didn’t he transfer, too?

In September, Steinour announced on social media that he was transferring to Montverde (Fla.) Academy. About a week later, he changed his mind.

A 6-foot-10 center, Steinour is the second-highest ranked player, behind Denis, in The Observer’s coverage area. He’s a top 25 recruit nationally at his position and helped lead Lake Norman to a 28-3 record and an appearance in the N.C. 4A Western Regional championship game, or state semifinal.

With him back, Lake Norman becomes a 4A favorite again, and Steinour gives a big boost to the area talent pool.

3. How about girls’ basketball?

Last season, we saw girls’ basketball lose its middle class, where there was a large separation between good teams and everyone else. In the off-season, there’s been a wealth of transfers that will likely grow that gap.

That also means that when conference play comes around and area teams are facing area teams, there will be some eye-opening scores. But there is still plenty of talent around.

Statewide, the top player is Watauga’s Kate Sears, who had a historic playoff run last season leading her team to the regional final. Sears, committed to Virginia Tech, averaged 30 points in the playoffs and led her team past Charlotte heavyweights like North Meck, Myers Park and Mallard Creek.

She had 38 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals in a 61-55 loss to Charlotte Catholic in the state semifinals.

4. What are some key dates to remember?

Schools that do not have football teams started practice Oct. 23. Other schools begin Wednesday.

Non-football schools can start playing Nov. 4, and other schools on Nov. 15.

Private school practice began Monday and most teams start playing the week of Nov. 11.

Private school playoffs begin the week of Feb. 10 with state finals Feb. 21-22.

Public school playoffs begin Feb. 25 with state finals March 14-15.

5. Will the NCHSAA continue with its Final Four format?

Yes.

Last March, the NCHSAA held its regional and state championships during the same week in Winston-Salem at the Joel Coliseum. In the past, the regional championships had been at neutral sites on either end of the state, sometimes at high school gyms, followed by state finals a week later.

Complaints about overcrowding and ticket sales caused the association to move the regional event to a larger venue and, by most accounts, combining the regionals and state championships into one week was a very positive move.

Regionals, this year, will be March 10-13. State finals to follow. All of it back in Winston-Salem.

6. What are some of the best boys’ early games to watch?

On Nov. 7, two teams that could quickly become regional powers will meet: Queens Grant Charter plays at Ambassador Christian.

Never heard of them? That’s OK. You will.

Queens Grant is a 1A school that just brought in coach Joe Badgett, who The Observer named one of the top Charlotte coaches of the past 40 years in the spring. Badgett has assembled a roster as good as any 1A public school in North Carolina.

Ambassador Christian is a new private school near Lake Norman coached by former Myers Park state champion Scott Taylor. Taylor has picked up some transfers from former state power United Faith, which at least briefly shut down its basketball program.

Another early season event to watch is the Phenom Hoops tip-off classic at Davidson Day Nov. 15-16. The feature game is Davidson Day vs. Raleigh’s 4A Millbrook High, at 8 p.m. Nov. 16.

7. What about the girls’ side?

The Charlotte Hoops Challenge, which is Nov. 29-30 at Harding High, has become one of the best early-season events in the southeast for girls’ and boys’ teams.

Two of the featured girls’ matchups are state championship game worthy: Mallard Creek vs. Watauga; and Greensboro Day vs. Cannon School.

8. Who’s the best player you’ve heard of going into this season?

Check Harding High’s Kaharri Coleman, the grandson of former Mallard Creek coach C.J. Johnson, who passed away earlier this season. Coleman is a 6-1 freshman.

Florida State coaches have already been to Harding to see Coleman, Rams rookie coach Corey Baker said.

Baker — a high school McDonald’s All-American who signed with Kentucky — has coached players like Leaky Black (UNC/NBA), Bam Adebayo (High Point Christian/NBA) and Dennis Smith (N.C. State/NBA).

Baker thinks Coleman is on a similar trajectory, at least to the college level.

“His IQ is incredible,” Baker said. “His feel for the game is at a different level than someone who is in ninth grade. It’s the way he sees the floor and makes his teammates better. He’s special.”

9. Which girls’ player could make the biggest difference this season?

A year ago, Kiara Anderson became a star at East Lincoln, helping to lead the Mustangs to a 29-2 record.

Then a sophomore, Anderson averaged 20.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 5.2 assists and 4.1 steals. Her mother moved to Charlotte for a job, she said, and Anderson has transferred to Mallard Creek.

At Mallard Creek, Anderson will team up with two-time All-Observer star Elle Stone, who has committed to Delaware, along with three other returning starters from a 26-4 team: Olivia Robertson, My’Asia Young and Jazmeen Stone.

10. Will The Observer have preseason coverage?

Of course. Girls’ preseason coverage will begin this week, followed by the boys. We’ll also introduce our preseason all-star teams, “The Starting 5,” and release preseason boys’ and girls’ high school all-star teams.

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