Basketball is constantly changing. It’s evident at every level, but the high school landscape is more fluid than ever before. Player movement isn’t just expected, it’s almost encouraged nowadays. Kids seeking a new opportunity isn’t new. The sport has long been used as a tool and vehicle to open up other possibilities for the youth. This notion is evident for several of the top programs in North Carolina, including The Burlington School, which might have its most talented roster ever. The Spartans are returning multiple key pieces and adding seven new guys to the mix.
The Returners:
6’3 ’28 Jack Baker
6’4 ’28 Brayden Miles
5’9 ’27 Jamyr Coleman
5’11 ’27 Asante Phillip
5’10 ’26 Drew Johnson
Despite only returning five players from last year, each of these pieces is vital to the Spartans’ success. After a full season of varsity experience under their respective belts, sophomores Jack Baker and Brayden Miles should be ready to take the next step as leaders. Baker has visibly excelled as a focal point for SW15H Elite throughout the travel ball season. He’s a very polished scorer whose blend of shooting and self-creation leads to constant offensive opportunities. Baker is comfortable with or without the ball. He possesses useful vision and clear upside as a playmaker. Baker also rebounds well for his size and competes with energy on defense. He should continue to warrant attention after earning an offer from Eastern Kentucky last month. Meanwhile, Miles is a quality utility piece with excellent size and athleticism. He’s a reliable finisher, but can also knock down open jumpers or attack off the bounce as needed. Miles finds a lot of success through his motor and willingness to do the dirty work. He’s a strong rebounder, particularly for his position, and defends much bigger than his size. It’ll be interesting to see how Miles blossoms as he continues to develop his overall skillset.
Guys like Coleman and Phillip each understand and embrace their respective roles. Coleman is quick, scrappy, and plays to his strengths. He provides energetic defensive prowess and reliable three-point shooting ability. Similarly, Phillip is a high-motor guard who can initiate the offense or find scoring opportunities as an off-ball threat. He plays with toughness and offers a nice blend of penetration, passing, and perimeter shooting. While each of those four brought real value to the Spartans, it could be argued that Johnson was as important as anyone on the roster last season. He’s an extremely crafty, heady guard with the ability to fill it up in a variety of ways. Johnson is a capable playmaker who showcases great vision and consistent production as a scorer from all levels. His quickness, handle, and change of pace allow him to break down opponents and touch the paint with regularity. Johnson finishes, knocks down jumpers, and has an arsenal of useful floaters/runners at his disposal. Add in his transition ability and anticipation defensively, and it’s easy to see his next-level appeal.
The Newcomers:
6’9 ’27 Charles Pur
6’3 ’27 Karon Watlington
6’4 ’27 Julian Lowe
6’5 ’27 Geren Holmes
6’10 ’27 Kamari Nicholson
6’3 ’27 Stormur Kiljan Traustason
6’6 ’29 JT Tuck
It’s difficult to envision many teams with as much incoming talent as the Spartans. Folks should already be very familiar with the year-round duo of Pur and Watlington. At 6-foot-9, Pur is a real mismatch for opposing big men. He’s extremely skilled for his size and possesses long arms, fluid athleticism, and phenomenal feel on both ends of the floor. Pur finishes with touch, plays above the rim, spaces the floor at a high percentage, and scores with ease in the midrange. He’s a quality faceup threat and low-post option whose nonstop motor leads to a constant flow of offensive rebounds and second-chance opportunities. Pur is also a legitimate rim-protector with incredible timing and instincts to block or alter shots defensively. He’s also a very likable individual, both on and off the court, and a natural leader who should continue to draw attention as a nationally recognized prospect. Meanwhile, Watlington is someone who has visibly progressed over the last six to eight months. He’s a smart, balanced floor general with great size, pace, and overall understanding of how to dictate the action. Watlington consistently generates shots for others, but can also reliably pick his spots and apply scoring pressure from all levels. He’s a quality athlete with nice length, toughness, and instincts as a two-way guard. Expect him to continue attracting Division I coaches.
Adding that duo would be enough to compete at a high level, but integrating guys like Julian Lowe, Geren Holmes, and Kamari Nicholson vaults this group to greater heights. Lowe is a skilled glue-guy who can operate in several roles and score in a variety of ways. He’s a reliable finisher and perimeter shooter who can create effectively off the bounce, but doesn’t need the ball to be impactful. Lowe defends and rebounds bigger than his size. Next, Holmes is someone who has continued to trend upward as an overall prospect. He’s strong, bouncy, and shoots the ball at a high clip from beyond the arc. Holmes is a very malleable piece, as his lethal shooting prowess allows him to bend defenses by simply being in a position to score. He plays to his strengths but is comfortable as a creator and penetrating threat. Holmes also makes his presence felt defensively. Rounding out this trio, Nicholson is easily one of the most intriguing prospects on the roster. At 6-foot-10, he’s a long, fluid, explosive athlete who knows how to impact the game on both ends of the floor. Nicholson can score with touch out of the post, but mainly finds scoring chances through drop-offs, transition play, and his ability to finish above the rim. His blend of timing and high motor allows him to rebound and alter or block shots consistently. Nicholson still has a lot of potential and will be a prospect for coaches to monitor closely going forward.
It’ll be interesting to see how guys like Traustason and Tuck progress throughout the season. Coming from Iceland, Traustason should be able to carve out a solid role given his blend of size, energy, and shooting. On the other hand, Tuck might have as much upside as anyone within the program. The 6-foot-6 freshman is still just beginning to harness his physical tools and scratch the surface of his long-term abilities, but clearly has the tools to be a noteworthy prospect.
Establishing a culture and getting players to embrace the process is a challenge in itself, but this practice is nothing out of the ordinary for Coach George Marshall. Since 2019, his teams have won two titles and appeared in four state championships (two at Henderson Collegiate, two at The Burlington School). Marshall’s expectations are justifiably high for this group, stating, “One of the most exciting rosters I have ever coached and a great group of young men. Balance is in place with depth at each position (particularly the size and athleticism at the Wing and Forward positions). For them to reach their potential, there will need to be a full commitment to our standards (RISE) and the motto of Tough & Together. That takes months, not days, like some people might want them to believe. We started this summer by playing three state champions from last season, all of whom returned nearly their entire rosters. One of which finished in the top 100 nationally on MaxPreps (Greensboro Day School), and two of which were in their home city at South Carolina Team Camp (Ridge View and Kennan). Adversity reveals character! And regardless of results or what people want to “say” among their circles, this is exactly what this team needs in their first June together. We are all getting accustomed to our standards and platform, and when it clicks, I believe this team will be a fantastic representative of the HoopState.”
There should be a lot of optimism surrounding the upside of this team, both right now and over the foreseeable future. The NCISAA 2A classification is a consistent bloodbath, and this year is no different. Like we’ve seen countless times, Marshall’s squad will improve throughout the season and inevitably be prepared for a title run come playoff time. Every level of college coach should be closely monitoring this group.