Staff report

GRANITE QUARRY — East Rowan announced Trey Ledbetter as its new head boys basketball coach on Sunday.

Ledbetter will replace Andrew Porter, who was head coach for four seasons. Porter’s teams were 19-63, including 3-21 this past season.

East still has one school year of athletics remaining in the 3A South Piedmont Conference, which is strong in boys basketball.

Realignment is coming for the 2025-26 school year.

Ledbetter knows the lay of the land as an East Rowan graduate — he played for the East varsity in 2000 and 2001 — as well as a former East head coach.

He coached the Mustangs for five seasons from 2010-11 to 2014-15. East had records of 1-20, 13-12, 6-17, 4-18 and 9-14.

The 2011-12 team that went 13-12 was the last East boys basketball squad to post a winning record and the last one to make the state playoffs.

That team, which has players such as Jared Hough, Jordan Shepherd and Hakeem Gittens, had a seven-game winning streak and finished third in the 3A North Piedmont Conference standings.

Ledbetter returned at mid-season as head coach to help the Mustangs finish out a 2-23 season in 2019-20. He is credited with a 1-15 record for that partial season.

East plans to introduce — or re-introduce — Ledbetter to parents and potential players on Wednesday, May 8, at 6 p.m. in the East media center.

That’s an “interest meeting” and the Mustangs will talk about plans for summer basketball.