Sophomores lead Viking resurgence

When Aaron Johnson reached Central Cabarrus High last year as a freshman, he had never lost a scholastic basketball game. His seventh- and eighth-grade teams at C.C. Griffin went undefeated and won South Piedmont Middle School Conference championships.

But playing varsity in the powerful ME-CA 7 4A conference during his freshman year was a wake-up call. The Vikings won just four games.

This season, Johnson was reunited with former C.C. Griffin teammate L.C. Cooks, and the two sophomores are leading a resurgence at Central Cabarrus. With the duo averaging a combined 29 points a game, the Vikings had already doubled their win total from a year ago.

In 2008-09, Johnson was the only C.C. Griffin player to advance to Central Cabarrus. Cooks had enrolled at Queens Grant, a Charlotte private school. The rest moved on to Hickory Ridge.

Central's program had been struggling for a couple years so Johnson was cast into a starting role early.

By the end of the season, Johnson was the Vikings' leading scorer, averaging over 11 points a game. Things didn't work out for Cooks at Queens Grant, and he transferred to Central in the middle of the school year, but too late to join the basketball team.

Brian King served as an assistant coach under Scott Fortune in 2008-09. He had previously worked six seasons under former coach Scott Brewer from 2000-06. When Fortune resigned after last season, King took the helm.

"That's what excited me most about taking the job," said King. "Those two guys (Johnson and Cooks) were a good core to start the rebuilding process. We have seniors that are big time contributors, but knowing they will be here for three years is a good foundation. It's a good start in bringing Central back to what we used to be."

Like many of Brewer's successful teams in the early 2000s, Central Cabarrus has a shortage of true post players. King adopted Brewer's style of tenacious defense and pushing the ball up court.

As the point guard, Cooks dictates the tempo. He has a lot of poise, especially for a sophomore. A deft passer, he can also knock in the long-range shot.

"I just dribble up the court and look for the open man," said Cooks. "Or I take it (a shot) if I have the opportunity."

Against Mount Pleasant on Jan. 15, he scored a season-best 31 points. Through 14 games, he scored in double figures in every one of them, averaging 18 points a game.

Johnson plays a wing position and is the team's best on-the-ball defender. More of a penetrator, he scores a lot of his points on mid-range jumpers and in the lane.

Johnson scored a season-high 28 points against Porter Ridge and averages just under 12 a game.

Both Johnson and Cooks say they are motivated by the legend of former Central guard Ishmael Smith, now a senior at Wake Forest. Smith averaged nearly 25 points and 10 assists during his final season of 2005-06.

The Vikings won the 3A state championship in 2000, and Smith's teams tallied a 76-33 record from 2002-06. Those are the glory years King hopes will return with Cooks and Johnson.

"With these guys, I think the future is very bright," he says. "I know we have good talent as ninth-graders coming in behind them and I know we have talent coming up form middle school. So I know the future is very, very bright."