2024 Ethan Ratledge (Davie County)
It’s not uncommon to find a senior taking on a role like this to work for the betterment of the team as a whole. Davie has a clear system working off ball screens and several weapons that fit the mold to operate them at a high efficiency, and what you have to love is how unselfish Ethan is in working that continuity instead of prioritizing finding his shot. He’s a pick ‘n pop threat that rebounds, is comfortable handling the ball and making decisions on the perimeter, and has sound IQ which all fill in his role to do damage quietly in a very low maintenance approach.
2024 Malaki Long (Ashbrook)
Although the team’s intentions are to turn you over and make the game a track meet, which is a scheme Malaki is perfectly capable of excelling in, he had a great impact in being the setup guy when things slowed down to half-court play. He particularly impressed me with his passing, as I feel it’s well-known for him to be an aggressive finisher that gets to the basket a ton. Coming off ball screens, he managed his pace well to leave the defense stunted and found the tight windows in traffic to deliver crisp pocket passes for guys to finish as they cut to the basket.
2024 Kaleb James (New Life)
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better athlete with a more advantageous wingspan to fully utilize his capabilities than Kaleb. There’s such a wide radius he can impact as a rebounder, shot blocker, or defender. He just has that level of raw athleticism that makes everything easier, including the difficult finishes he converts through fluid agility in the air. And in terms of his effectiveness with his active hands and reach, he came up with countless chase-down blocks that were straight-up ridiculous and should’ve been easy layups. He has the production and entertainment factor that could bring excitement for both a program and its fans at the next level.
2025 Addison Newkirk (Greensboro Day)
The GDS program needs no introduction and Addison embodies a lot of the great qualities that the Bengals have built their reputation on. He’s got a high IQ for the game, is patient and deliberates with his actions, and the list could go on and on. With the current makeup of this younger roster, he’ll undoubtedly be a leader by example for others to follow, and with his size he can provide versatility with his steady playmaking and feel to service roles no matter the position 1-5 on either end. The production and success never lie, and Addison has consistently displayed a great brand of basketball college coaches will want to prioritize.
2025 Landon Rowe (NW Cabarrus)
Having the chance to watch them multiple times this weekend, it was very easy to pick out all the positives Landon brings as a leader for this group. The common theme of those being consistency and well-roundedness. He’s steady and sound in every area of the game, scoring it on every level without taking bad shots or making mistakes with his reads and turning it over. He’s the primary shooting threat, a strong ball handler, has a nice blend of athleticism with control, and the roster makeup requires him to defend and rebound bigger, which he does. There’s just a great sense of overall level-headedness with his game that should allow him to keep developing in the right ways.