It’s been stated before, but the high school basketball scene has transformed into something comparable to NBA free agency. On one hand, the kneejerk reaction is to pose an argument for why/how transferring or reclassifying could have a positive effect on said player. The other side of the token typically points to the lack of loyalty, structure, or overall negative effects that could potentially arise. However, the reality is somewhere in the middle. Public school coaches are never going to voluntarily offer up their players for private school programs to poach. There are various examples of players transferring from public schools to other public schools but it’s certainly uncommon. Despite being largely painted out as the villains in this comparison, private school coaches are expected to perform a job, which unfortunately requires them to seek out talent from all possible avenues.
That being said, covering the greater Greensboro area over the last four years has brought a lot of enjoyment. This upcoming season will likely be more unpredictable than ever before, as there will be an extremely unique collection of talent for public and private schools. This series will be ongoing and broken down into numerous parts, so be conscientious of that if your team doesn’t appear…
Grimsley
Last Season: 18-8 (Lost in Third Round to North Mecklenburg)
Being the longest standing high school in Greensboro’s history, one would imagine that Grimsley has seen the most athletic talent throughout the years. While they’ve definitely had their fair share of success, their basketball program is just beginning the return to relevance. Grimsley is one of the biggest, most storied programs in the area and they’ve been among the top schools in nearly all sports for the last twenty years, except basketball. Everything really seemed to come together upon the hiring (or rather rehiring) of Coach Darren Corbett, removing him from Terry Sanford and providing the opportunity to lay a new foundation at Grimsley. In his first returning season, Corbett led the Whirlies to their best record in over a decade. As much as coaching factored in, Amhil Flowers is easily one of the best basketball players to walk through those doors within recent memory. He should have a productive career at High Point but the Whirlies will dearly miss his leadership and two-way versatility. However, there are numerous building blocks in place to allow this group to continue enjoying success. Daniel Cooper is their most productive returning piece, nearly averaging a double-double last season, and naturally knows how to get it done. He embraces his high-motor/low-maintenance role and genuinely plays the game with zero individual agenda, making him a terrific leader by example. He finishes around the basket and through traffic while consistently standing out as a strong defender and two-way rebounder. Travis Shaw is likely going to make money by playing football but still remains an exciting specimen on the court. He possesses great IQ, hands, touch, vision, footwork, positioning, and ridiculous strength, which collectively make him an overwhelming assignment for almost every opponent. Jayden Watlington gradually saw more and more playing time as last season carried onward but should have an even larger role going forward. He’s a wiry, skilled guard prospect with a solid balance of creating for others and applying pressure as a perimeter shooter. Tyler and Lawson Albright are both multi-sport athletes that appear likely to go high-major through baseball and football, respectively. Demarion Workman was the lone freshman on varsity and didn’t receive a ton of opportunities but has a game that should continue to blossom. Lastly, there is a rumored potential transfer that would certainly make Grimsley a contender, but everything is all speculation at this point. The Whirlies have the pieces to continue making noise, so we’ll be monitoring their journey throughout the upcoming season.