Roaming the county getting ready for tonight …You know you’re a basketball junkie when you spend all day inside on a relatively warm Saturday watching basketball.
Not ACC basketball. Not the NBA.
No, several hundred sat in the bleachers at Salisbury High last week watching middle school basketball.
Or, as one guy referred to it, the future.
It’s an exciting time to watch these eighth-graders. They’re one step from high school and many steps from that recreation mindset of shoot-shoot-shoot. This is where they’re taught they have teammates and you can actually pass every now and then.
Several high school coaches were seen in the bleachers last week on the first day of the eighth-grade tournament.
West’s Mike Gurley and South’s John Davis, who only hours earlier had squared off, were joking with each other. Salisbury’s Jason Causby came over to join in. Brian Perry of Carson showed.
Every time a good play was made, you found yourself glancing at the coaches. Did Gurley catch a glimpse of that move Brandon Ijames just made? Does Causby think Knox’s Kerio Cuthbertson will help him down the road? Is Davis noticing Dylan Goodman? Is Perry taking notes on Connor Bridges?
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And then, there’s the Erwin girls. When Ed Dupree retired from the Post a few years ago, we figured he’d head for the golf course. Instead, he headed for the bench to help daughter Allison, who is in her eighth year coaching the Eagles.
Allison has to be proud when she walks across the street to the high school and watches East Rowan play these days. The Mustangs are on the verge of having two 1,000-point scorers in Ashley Collins and Katelynne Poole. She coached both at Erwin.
Fans watched Katelynne’s sister, Sydney, this season and they wonder if she’ll be another Katelynne.
Sydney didn’t win the championship, but another Poole, Ashley, did. She coached the North Rowan girls to a 13-1 record.
In fact, both North teams dominated this season. The North boys went 14-0.
North could probably use Malik Ford right now. The 6-foot-4 center swatted shots into the stands with ease. T.J. Bates and T.J. Allen are exciting players.
North’s girls need a shot of adrenaline and Daterria Connor, Nikhyia Polk and Taylor Sell should help the Cavs.
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Every team has a player or two that has you wondering about the future:
– You’re sure Southeast’s Allison Blackwell and Tyesha Phillips will step in at Carson next year to help coach Brooke Misenheimer right a program that, as of today, has won only four games in three years.
– You watch Knox’s Vashti Usry make a great move and then look over at Salisbury coach Andrew Mitchell to see if he noticed.
You know he did.
– You wonder if quick, little point guards, Buster at Knox and Scooter at Southeast, will be running the show in high school one day.
– China Grove boys have Malachi Parker, Josh Medlin and Bridges, while Corriher-Lipe showcases names like Nathan Lambert, Dillon Parker and Goodman. We just have to figure out if they’ll go to South or Carson.
– You see Tabitha Ball and Shay Steele making big plays for West Rowan and see Falcon coach Erich Epps smiling.
– Southeast’s football star Travis Abbitt amazes you with his athleticism and you can’t wait to see him in high school.
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Four years from now, some of these names will be at the center of another West Rowan-East Rowan battle, racing up and down the court in front of a packed house as seasoned seniors. Maybe one of them will become the next Jordan Kimber or North’s Teaunna Cuthbertson, who went straight from middle school to the varsity.
But tonight, they’ll be in the bleachers, wide-eyed kids watching their role models.
Freshmen Jordan Kimber and Keshun Sherrill have helped West to a 15-2 record and the Falcons will be favored over East’s boys. But Sydney’s sister and East’s girls are favored over West.
Salisbury’s boys should get their 19th straight win against West Davidson. Carson’s boys should win their second straight at North Iredell. South’s boys will aim for a monumental upset at home against Lake Norman.
Shi-Heria Shipp didn’t play for Salisbury’s girls on Wednesday due to a bad ankle and may miss tonight. It won’t matter. The Hornets will roll.
North lost both games to East Davidson earlier this season and will try to reverse that trend tonight when the Cavaliers travel to Lake Road.
Kelly Everhart won’t have Ford or Bates or Allen tonight. They’ll have to watch.
And dream of the day they’re wearing the green uniform of their high school.
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On the air tonight …
The dynamic duo of Howard Platt and The Coach, Bob Parker, will be in the West gym calling the East-West boys game on WSTP 1490 AM.
Go to a high school gym and watch some basketball, folks. And be nice.
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Contact Ronnie Gallagher at 704-797-4287 or rgallagher@salisburypost.com.