Concord Robinson’s Lavar Batts is the state’s top basketball recruit in the class of 2017
Concord Robinson senior point guard Lavar Batts is the state’s top high school basketball recruit in the class of 2017, according to the Phenom Hoop Report’s latest rankings.
Batts, 17, a 6-foot-1 point guard, has narrowed his college choices to Clemson and Virginia Commonwealth.
Batts led Robinson to the school’s first N.C. 3A state championship last season, beating Fayetteville Sanford 59-55 in Chapel Hill last March. Batts had 16 points, five assists and the assist that led to Daniel Spencer’s championship-sealing bucket.
For the season, Batts averaged 20.7 points and his 1,304 career points is a new school-record. Batts is a three-time, first-team all-conference selection, twice in the Charlotte-based MECKA 4A and in the South Piedmont 3A last season, a league of primarily Cabarrus County teams. He was South Piedmont conference player of the year.
Lavar Batts jr. Was at my basket ball camp this summer, top point guard in NC!!! pic.twitter.com/VoX1HgY8DF
— Baseball7 (@Baseballmasta7) August 17, 2016
He is one of three Observer-area players ranked in the top 10.
Independence 6-10 center Justyn Hamilton is No. 6, and Weddington’s Ryan Schwieger is No. 8.
Area players in the top 50 included South Meck’s Bryant Thomas (No. 27), North Mecklenburg’s Terrell Sherman (No. 31), West Charlotte’s Melvin Huntley (No. 33), Ardrey Kell’s Wes Morgan (No. 38), a North Florida recruit, Troy Cracknell (No. 41), Garinger’s Rayshawn Neal (No. 43, transferring to Legacy Charter SC) and Charlotte Christian’s Rob Peterson (No. 45)
▪ Several Observer-area players made the Phenom Hoop Report’s updated S.C. rankings for the class of 2017: No. 33 Donaldson Fanord, Fort Mill Walnut Grove; No. 36 Tracus Chisholm, York Prep; No. 51 Gavin Williams, York Prep; No. 52 Brandon Joseph, Fort Mill.
North Carolina 2017 Rankings
Rank | First | Last | Height | City | School | Committed |
1 | Lavar | Batts | 6’4 | Concord | JM Robinson | |
2 | Brandon | Huffman | 6'9 | Raleigh | Word of God | |
3 | Blake | Harris | 6'3 | Raleigh | Word of God | Washington |
4 | JP | Moorman | 6’7 | Greensboro | Greensboro Day | |
5 | JJ | Smith | 6'5 | Fayetteville | Northwood Temple | |
6 | Justyn | Hamilton | 6’10 | Charlotte | Independence | |
7 | Carter | Collins | 6'1 | Chapel Hill | East Chapel Hill | Davidson |
8 | Ryan | Schwieger | 6'6 | Indian Trail | Weddington | |
9 | JJ | Miles | 6'6 | Conway | Newhampton County | |
10 | Jalen | Seegers | 6'5 | Greensboro | High Point Christian | |
11 | John | Meeks | 6'6 | Burlington | The Burlington School | |
12 | Todd | Smith | 6’3 | Fayetteville | Freedom Christian | |
13 | Jaylan | McGill | 6'1 | Winston Salem | Quality Education | |
14 | Michael | Hueitt | 6’2 | Fayetteville | Northwood Temple | |
15 | Kameron | Langley | 6’1 | High Point | SW Guilford | |
16 | Connor | Crabtree | 6’5 | Hillsborough | Orange | |
17 | David | Caraher | 6'6 | High Point | Wesleyan | Houston Baptist |
18 | Kaleb | Hunter | 6'5 | Raleigh | Neuse Christian | UNC Greensboro |
19 | Josh | Hopkins | 6'4 | Greensboro | Dudley | |
20 | James | Moore | 6'7 | Robersonville | South Creek | |
21 | Milos | Supica | 6'8 | Fayetteville | Freedom Christian | |
22 | Ian | DuBose | 6’3 | Raleigh | Ravenscroft | |
23 | Telligence | Johnson | 6’3 | Fayetteville | Terry Sanford | |
24 | Tyler | Maye | 6’1 | Wilson | Farmville Central | |
25 | Dontevious | Tatum | 6’2 | Cary | Cary | |
26 | Zaire | Williams | 6’7 | Wilson | Winston Salem Prep | |
27 | Bryant | Thomas | 6'8 | Charlotte | South Meck | |
28 | Deng | Kongdok | 6’6 | Greensboro | Forest Trail Academy | |
29 | Moses | Wright | 6'8 | Raleigh | Enloe | |
30 | Tyrell | Kirk | 6'4 | Whiteville | Whiteville | |
31 | Terrell | Sherman | 6'7 | Huntersville | North Mecklenburg | |
32 | Jordan | Beale | 5'10 | Durham | Voyager | |
33 | Melvin | Huntley | 6'7 | Charlotte | West Charlotte | |
34 | Aaron | Simmons | 6’4 | Durham | Word of God | |
35 | Jordan | Whitfield | 6’0 | Raleigh | Millbrook | Campbell |
36 | Alex | Reed | 6’3 | Raleigh | Garner | |
37 | Tariq | Simmons | 6'2 | Winston Salem | Quality Education | |
38 | Wes | Morgan | 6’5 | Charlotte | Ardrey Kell | North Florida |
39 | Jordan | Perkins | 5’11 | Greensboro | Greensboro Day | NC Central |
40 | Tremain | Lawrence | 6’4 | Winston Salem | Quality Education | |
41 | Troy | Cracknell | 6'5 | Charlotte | ||
42 | Jacob | Brown | 6’8 | Winston Salem | Calvary Christian | |
43 | Rayshawn | Neal | 6’0 | Charlotte | Garinger | |
44 | Jeffrey | Puckett | 6’4 | Newland | Avery County | |
45 | Rob | Peterson | 6'4 | Charlotte | Charlotte Christian | |
46 | Austin | Nelson | 6’5 | Hendersonville | North Henderson | |
47 | Cameron | Robinson | 6'5 | Winston Salem | Mt Tabor | |
48 | Jalen | Spicer | 5'10 | Greensboro | Northwest Guilford | |
49 | Jordan | Ratliffe | 5'11 | Fayetteville | Village Christian | |
50 | Reggie | Davis | 6’5 | High Point | Northwest Guiford | |
51 | Chris | Martin | 5'9 | Charlotte | Northside Christian | |
52 | Franklin | Ugochuckwo | 6’9 | Erwin | Mt Zion | |
53 | TJ | Jeffers | 6'4 | Burlington | Burlington School | |
54 | Daquan | Lockamy | 6'7 | Garner | Word of God | |
55 | Ben | Topp | 6'7 | Cornelius | Hough | |
56 | Jael | Scott | 6'4 | Charlotte | Phillip O Berry | |
57 | Jeremiah | Pope | 6'4 | Clinton | Clinton | |
58 | Najhee | Thomas | 6'9 | Fayetteville | Seventy-First | |
59 | Douglas | Elks | 6’4 | Raleigh | Ravenscroft | |
60 | Matt | Halvorson | 6' | Arden | Christ School | |
61 | Alex | Hunter | 5’10 | Raleigh | Leesville Rd | |
62 | Sage | Surratt | 6’3 | Lincolnton | East Lincoln | |
63 | John | Kerr | 6'11 | Winston Salem | East Forsyth | |
64 | Josh | Helton | 6’8 | Kings Mountain | Kings Mountain | |
65 | Hendon | Hooker | 6’4 | Greensboro | Dudley | Va Tech football |
66 | Ethan | Herring | 6'7 | Raleigh | Trinity Christian | |
67 | Nassyr | Daniels | 6’7 | Fayetteville | Village Christian | |
68 | Solomon | Smith | 6'5 | Greensboro | Greensboro Day | |
69 | Hughston | Finklea | 6'4 | Monroe | Sun Valley | |
70 | Jorden | Davis | 6' | Durham | Durham Academy | |
71 | Jonahan | Mebane | 6’4 | Raleigh | Leesville Road | |
72 | Andrew | Ziegler | 6'2 | Charlotte | Evelyn Mack Academy | |
73 | Philip | McKinzie | 6'5 | Concord | Cannon School | |
74 | Cooper | LaRue | 6’4 | Lewisville | West Forsyth | |
75 | Ian | Hinkley | 6’5 | Wake Forest | Heritage | |
76 | Lawrence | Williams | 6'6 | Wilmington | Freedom Christian | |
77 | Tavion | Atkinson | 6’5 | Red Springs | Red Springs | |
78 | Malik | Frazier | 6’4 | Durham | Faith Assembly | |
79 | Patrick | Dorsey | 6’5 | Raleigh | Millbrook | |
80 | Bates | Jones | 6'7 | Charlotte | Charlotte Latin | |
81 | Eric | Fox | 6'7 | Apex | Apex | |
82 | Darius | Spragley | 6'2 | Rocky Mount | Northern Nash | |
83 | Lazar | Popovic | 6'8 | Concord | Concord 1st Assembly | |
84 | Logan | Vosburg | 6'7 | Hillsborough | Orange | |
85 | Jonathan | Gauer | 6'3 | Raleigh | Fayetteville Christian | |
86 | Cam | Hamilton | 5'11 | Charlotte | Vance | |
87 | Morgan | McKay | 6’8 | Arden | Christ School | |
88 | Doreion | Suggs | 6'6 | Wilson | Greenfield | |
89 | Dante | Hanner | 6’5 | Siloam | Forest Trail Academy | |
90 | William | Boyd | 6’8 | Mt Holly | Crossroads Charter | |
91 | Jalen | Knight | 5’10 | Charlotte | United Faith | |
92 | Jalen | Lowry | 6'1 | Huntersville | North Mecklenburg | |
93 | Isiah | Reddish | 6'5 | Durham | Riverside | |
94 | Mason | Hawks | 6'1 | Mt Airy | North Surry | |
95 | Rashad | Dixon | 6’5 | Durham | Southern Durham | |
96 | John | Bryan | 6'8 | Charlotte | Carmel Christian | |
97 | Jordan | Riley | 6’6 | Durham | Riverside | Tennessee football |
98 | Quay | Kimble | 5'11 | Shelby | Shelby | |
99 | Hamsah | Nasrildeen | 6'5 | Concord | Concord | USC football |
100 | Coleman | High | 6'5 | Arden | Christ School | |
101 | David | Funderburg | 6'8 | Greensboro | Northwest Guilford | |
102 | Shawn | Austin | 6'5 | Asheville | Carolina Day | |
103 | Justin | Rhode | 5’10 | Arden | Christ School | |
104 | Reece | Bogan | 6'3 | High Point | High Point Christian | |
105 | Brandon | Mayhan | 6'4 | High Point | Forsyth Country Day | |
106 | Brandon | Reeves | 6'5 | Gastonia | Gaston Day | |
107 | Brandon | Lamberth | 6'5 | Greensboro | Southwest Guilford | |
108 | AJ | Baldwin | 6’ | Fayetteville | Cape Fear | |
109 | Dcoda | Cummings | 6' | Raeford | Hoke County | |
110 | Henderson | Lentz | 6'5 | Salisbury | North Rowan | |
111 | Rovel | Ray | 6'4 | Raeford | Hoke County | |
112 | Dorian | Lewis | 6’8 | Durham | Prominence | |
113 | Sen | Keannelly | 6’6 | Morehead City | Episcopal | |
114 | Shammond | Hicks | 5’9 | Apex | Middle Creek | |
115 | Madison | Cone | 5’8 | Winston Salem | East Forsyth | Wisconsin football |
116 | Andrew | Freeman | 6'4 | Durham | Southern Durham | |
117 | Tyrek | Haywood | 6’6 | Charlotte | Rocky River | |
118 | Carter | Phillips | 6'4 | Mt Airy | North Surry | Lees McRae |
119 | Alec | Hildreth | 6’8 | Greensboro | Northern Guilford | |
120 | Jarvez | Ellis | 6'4 | Hope Mills | Village Christian | |
121 | Justin | McCluney | 5’9 | Winston-Salem | Reagan | |
122 | Michael | Grigg | 6'3 | Charlotte | Christ the King | |
123 | Daniel | Jackson | 6’3 | Raleigh | Middle Creek | |
124 | Nilous | Hodge | 6'3 | Charlotte | Western Christian | |
125 | Jordan | Nelson | 6'5 | Burlington | The Burlington School | |
126 | Jack | Garrison | 6' | East Carteret | ||
127 | Malachai | Lewis | 6'8 | Raleigh | Word of God | |
128 | Taiquan | Bell | 6'5 | Durham | Jordan | |
129 | Anderson | Keller | 6'4 | Lenoir | Hibriten | Lees McRae |
130 | Omari | Wilson | 6'4 | Fayetteville | Seventy-First | |
131 | Colton | Reed | 6'2 | Wake Forest | Heritage | |
132 | Demetrius | Butler | 5'11 | High Point | Western Guilford | |
133 | Shawn | Johnson | 6'5 | East Carteret | ||
134 | Alex | Hagler | 5'11 | Caldwell County | ||
135 | Crishawn | Lindsey | 6'3 | Glenn | ||
136 | Chea | Johnson | 5'10 | Charlotte | Independence | |
137 | Josh | Haymer | 6'1 | Fayetteville | Village Christian | |
138 | Ebon | Jay | 6'5 | Durham | Northern Durham | |
139 | Clay | Watkins | 6'10 | Chapel Hill | East Chapel Hill | |
140 | Weston | Edwards | 6' | Concord | Concord 1st Assembly | |
141 | Seth | Bradbury | 6'5 | Charlotte | East Meck | |
142 | Zach | Hobbs | 6' | Jacksonville | Northside | |
143 | Logan | Bunch | 6'10 | Raleigh | Athens Drive | |
144 | Nick | Ruggiero | 5'10 | Harrisburg | Hickory Ridge | |
145 | John | Bowen | 6'7 | Bladenboro | West Bladen | |
146 | Devin | Williams | 6'3 | Raleigh | Cardinal Gibbons | |
147 | Dondre | Johnson | 6’3 | Morrisville | Panther Creek | |
148 | Luke | Carthwright | 6’7 | Mt Airy | North Surry | |
149 | Camden | Hughes | 6' | New Burn | New Burn | |
150 | Erik | Hodge | 6’4 | Sanford | Lee County | |
151 | Noah | Taylor | 6'3 | Indian Trail | Porter Ridge | |
152 | Omar | Mohtady | 6’4 | Mooresville | Lake Norman | |
153 | Bryon | Thorpe | 6' | Wake Forest | Heritage | |
154 | Connor | Matthews | 6’4 | Fayetteville | Jack Britt | |
155 | Jahlil | Carter | 6'5 | Matthews | Butler | |
156 | Peyton | Truesdale | 6'2 | Asheville | Carolina Day | |
157 | Don | Pigford | 6'5 | Greene Central | ||
158 | Javier | Rogers | 5'7 | Durham | Kestrel Academy | |
159 | Noah | Thompson | 6'4 | Garner | Southeast Raleigh | |
160 | Landon | Lee | 6' | Raleigh | North Raleigh Christian |
*Last Updated April 2016
This story was originally published August 19, 2016 at 6:05 PM with the headline "Concord Robinson’s Lavar Batts is the state’s top basketball recruit in the class of 2017."