The All-Observer girls’ basketball All-Decade Team
Who are the high school players of the decade from the Charlotte Observer’s coverage area?
It’s a tough thing to do, to pull out the best of the previous 10 All-Observer teams. But we put together a panel to try to pick all-decade girls’ and boys’ basketball teams and one for football.
We’ll start with girls’ basketball.
The player of the decade is Butler High’s Cierra Burdick, who was a Parade All-American as a junior and a McDonald’s All-American as a senior. She led Butler to the 2010 state title and later played at Tennessee and in the WNBA.
The coach of the decade is Providence Day’s Josh Springer. Springer led his team to eight consecutive state championships from 2010-17. In 2014, USA Today named Springer the N.C. Coach of the Year. He won All-Observer Coach of the Year twice in the decade.
Janelle Bailey, Providence Day, 6-3, F, Class of 2017: Bailey was All-Observer Player of the Year in 2017. She made the All-Observer team three times and was first team twice. As a senior, she was a McDonald’s All-American and averaged 23 points, 13 rebounds. A four-time All-State pick, Bailey is a junior at North Carolina
Rajsha Blackmon, Kennedy Charter, 6-0, G, Class of 2013: Was conference Player of the Year at West Mecklenburg in 2011. In 2012 at Kennedy Charter, Blackmon led North Carolina in scoring and was 12th nationally. An Associated Press All-State pick, she averaged 31.5 points, 11.9 rebounds and 3.4 steals that season.
Brielle Blaire, Salisbury, 6-3, F, Class of 2014: Blair scored 1,581 points in her first three seasons. As a junior, she averaged 24 points, 14 rebounds, three blocks when she was first team All-Observer. She transferred to North Rowan as senior but played just eight games due to injury. Blaire later transferred from Virginia Tech to Texas Tech, where she finished her senior season in 2018.
Cierra Burdick, Butler, 6-2, G, Class of 2011: Two-time All-Observer Player of the Year, Ms. N.C. Basketball and was two-time N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year. Burdick, who averaged 23 points, 15 rebounds, five assists and four steals as a senior, was a Parade and McDonald’s All-American. She played at Tennessee, in the WNBA and is currently playing professionally overseas.
Maya Caldwell, Davidson Day, 5-10, G, Class of 2017: Three-time first-team All-Observer pick and a five-time All-State selection (some private schools allow middle-schoolers to play varsity). Caldwell averaged 21 points, six rebounds, five assists as a senior and ended her career with 2,558 points. She’s now the second-leading scorer (10.0 ppg) as a junior at Georgia.
Chyna Cornwell, Newton-Conover, 6-3, C, Class of 2020: Current high school senior was a first-team All-State pick in 2019 as well as the N.C. Coaches Associated District 10 Player of the Year. As a junior, the Rutgers recruit averaged 28.3 points, 20.5 rebounds, 3.1 blocks. This season, ESPN ranks her a four-star recruit nationally and No. 62 overall. Early in her senior year, Cornwell is averaging 22 points, 16 rebounds and two blocks.
Nia Daniel, Hickory Ridge, 5-11, G, Class of 2019: Two-time first-team All-Observer pick was N.C. Coaches Association District 9 Player of the Year as a senior when she averaged 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 steals. That season, Daniel was named Observer Player of the yYar and Ms. N.C. Basketball. She is a freshman at North Carolina this season.
Shannon Hines, R-S Central, 5-7, G, Class of 2012: A two-time conference Player of the Year, and a three-time All-District pick, Hines was first team All-Observer in 2012 when she averaged 22.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, three steals and 2.1 assists. She ended her career as Rutherford County’s all-time leading scorer (2,147 points) and later played at the College of Charleston.
Dazia Lawrence, Mallard Creek, 5-8, G, Class of 2019: The leading scorer in Mallard Creek school history, Lawrence averaged 23.6 points, 2.8 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.6 rebounds, when she was named I-MECK 4A conference Player of the Year. She’s redshirting during her freshman year at Charlotte while she recovers from an injury.
Aliyah Mazyck, Myers Park, 5-10, G, Class of 2015: Twice a first-team All-Observer pick, Mazyck was ranked No. 18 nationally by ESPN as a senior when she averaged 14.5 points and four assists for a repeat N.C. 4A state champ. She later played at Southern California, where she was All-Pac-12 honorable mention as a junior and senior.
Tiffany Mitchell, Providence Day, 5-10, G, Class of 2012: Four-time All-Observer pick was Ms. Basketball and Observer Player of the Year in 2012. Mitchell averaged 20 points, seven rebounds and four steals as a senior and eventually became a two-time SEC Player of the Year at South Carolina and the No. 9 pick in the WNBA draft in 2016 for the Indiana Fever.
Eleah Parker, Northside Christian, 6-4, C, Class of 2017: Three-time All-Observer pick had 1,484 career points and 1,265 career rebounds. Parker was a three-time first-team All-State pick. At Penn, she was Freshman of the Year and Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore. As a junior, she’s the third-leading scorer (10.3 ppg) on an 8-1 team.
DD Rogers, Myers Park, Class of 2015: 2014 All-Observer Player of the Year was a three-time All-Observer first-team pick. She was MVP of the 2013 and ‘14 state championship games. As a senior, ESPN ranked her No. 63 nationally before she played four years at N.C. State, where made the ACC All-Academic team twice.
Roddreka Rogers, Myers Park, 6-0, F, Class of 2012: She and sister DD are daughters of former ACC and NBA star Rodney Rogers. Roddreka made two All-Observer teams and was first-team in 2012, her senior year when she led Myers Park to a 31-1 record and a state semifinals appearance.
Ahlana Smith, Mallard Creek, 5-9, G, Class of 2018: Three-time All-Observer pick (two first-team) was a top-40 national recruit as a senior, when she averaged 15 points, five steals, five assists and was I-MECK 4A and All-District Player of the Year. Smith played her freshman year with UCLA but transferred to Gulf Coast Junior College this season, where she is averaging 29 points per game. She signed with Louisville in November and will join the ACC program next fall.
Shannon Smith, Forestview, 5-7, G, Class of 2010: Averaged 23.2 points, 7.1 assists for the 2010 N.C. 3A state champions. Smith, MVP in the state final, signed with North Carolina. Smith was Ms. N.C. Basketball in 2010. After a year at UNC, Smith eventually landed at Michigan where she became a two-time Big Ten honorable mention All-Conference performer.
Monet Tellier, East Mecklenburg, 5-10, G, Class of 2010: Southwestern 4A and Region 9 Player of the Year as a senior. Two-time All-Observer pick. Tellier averaged 17.5 points, 10 rebounds, 4.4 steals and 3.2 assists as a senior. Led her team to back-to-back Western regional appearances.
Jessica Timmons, North Mecklenburg, 5-9, G, Class of 2021: Just a junior in high school, Timmons has twice been first-team All-Observer. She averaged 24.4 points, eight rebounds as a sophomore. This season, TImmons is averaging more than 25 points per game this season.
Stephanie Watts, Weddington, 5-9, G, Class of 2015: 2015 All-Observer co-Player of the Year with Macyzk, Watts was a three-time All-Observer pick who finished her career with 2,556 points, 11th best in state history. She averaged 29.1 points, 8.8 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 4.7 steals as a senior, when she was named Ms. N.C. Basketball and a McDonald’s All-American.
Erin Whalen, Providence Day, 6-1, F, Class of 2016: Ms. N.C. Basketball, N.C. Gatorade and All-Observer Player of the Year as a senior, Whalen was a two-time All-Observer and All-State pick who averaged 17.6 points, 5.6 rebounds as a senior.
Jatarie White, Providence Day, 6-3, F Class of 2014: McDonald’s All-American, Ms. N.C. Basketball and co-Observer Player of the Year, White averaged 22 points, 9 rebounds as a senior. She was two-time N.C. Gatorade Player of the Year. White signed at South Carolina and finished her college career at Texas.
Zaria Wright, Concord First Assembly, 5-8, G, Class of 2017: Five-time All-State pick and three-time All-Observer selection, Wright ended with 2,989 points. She averaged 21 points, five rebounds and four assists as a senior.
This story was originally published December 28, 2019 at 6:15 PM.
