They were once teammates. Now these stars must face each other for a hoops state title spot.
Five years ago, Maseo Bolin coached North Mecklenburg High’s Tristan Maxwell and Olympic High’s Josh Banks on the Charlotte Nets 13-and-under AAU basketball team.
Bolin is a former star quarterback at West Mecklenburg High and an N.C. A&T Hall of Famer. He knew pretty quickly that he was coaching a special pair.
“They were ahead of other kids, even then,” Bolin told the Observer this week. “And it was not only their physical ability, but their understanding of the game. Josh Banks might be the smartest kid I’ve ever coached when it comes to basketball.”
So it doesn’t surprise Bolin that, as seniors, Maxwell has signed with Georgia Tech and Banks with Virginia Commonwealth. It also doesn’t surprise him that the two have led their teams to Saturday’s N.C. 4A Western regional championship game at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory.
The winner will advance to the state finals. Olympic has not been to the championship round since 2013. North’s last appearance was in 2006.
“It’s what you want,” Bolin said. “These are probably the two best players in the city and I don’t think you’d want it any other way. Their games elevate other people.”
The Olympic-North Mecklenburg game will begin at noon Saturday. It’s one of several state semifinal games involving local teams.
Olympic (22-6) will be the underdog in its matchup with North Mecklenburg (29-1), which is No. 1 in the Observer’s Sweet 16 and No. 23 in ESPN’s national high school poll.
Tristan Maxwell vs. Josh Banks
The Vikings are led by Maxwell, who averages 24.5 points per game, Robert Morris recruit Trayden Williams, a 6-1 point guard, and 6-7 sophomore center Jeremy Gregory. The team has at least five Division I prospects.
Olympic has two double-figure scorers: Banks (24 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.3 spg) and Trevon Williams (16.3 ppg, 4.1 apg, 3.4 rpg, 2.4 spg).
Bolin loves seeing his two former stars — North Meck’s Maxwell and Olympic’s Banks — be central figures in such a big game.
“Josh was a complete player back when I coached him,” Bolin said. “Sometimes I made him run the point (guard position) because of his decision-making and ability to handle the ball. Tristan was a shooter. Him being the son of an NBA player (former Houston Rockets NBA champ Vernon Maxwell), you would never know it by how he carried himself. He was humble, very coachable and would listen. He wanted to get better.”
The Nets were once the Charlotte Sonics, one of two premier travel basketball teams in Charlotte. The Sonics were founded by Ed Sockwell, whose grandsons, Luke and Drake Maye, became stars in high school (Luke at Hough; Drake at Myers Park). Luke Maye went on to win a national championship at UNC.
In 1992, the Sonics changed their name to the Nets, but as shoe company-sponsored teams came to Charlotte, Bolin lost some of his top talent. Banks stayed with the Nets through middle school and eventually left for Nike-sponsored Team United. Maxwell, who left before Banks, played with Under Armour-sponsored Team Charlotte last summer.
“I do have a feeling about it,” Bolin said. “We took (Banks) to a new level. He got better. But that’s how it goes. Those kinds of guys are going to end up on shoe teams. But they were a delight to coach. I never had a challenge coaching either one of them and I don’t remember having to raise my voice. They both had supportive families.”
Bolin said he won’t have a rooting interest in Saturday’s regional championship game — which is as deep into the playoffs as two Charlotte teams could ever meet.
He just wants his guys to play well against each other.
“I think it’s going to be epic, man,” Bolin said. “It’s one of those games, when you talk about games in our county throughout the years, this will be one of those that will stand the test of time.”
Breaking down Saturday’s other basketball games
▪ 4A girls: Mallard Creek (27-2) will play Vance (25-5), at Catawba Valley Community College. It will be the fourth meeting of the season between I-MECK 4A conference rivals. Mallard Creek won two of the first three meetings. The game starts at 6:45 p.m.
▪ 3A boys: Hunter Huss (26-4) will play Freedom (28-1) at Lenoir-Rhyne at 6:45 p.m. Hunter Huss is in the regional championship for the first time since 2013 after beating Greensboro’s Ben L. Smith High 63-59 Tuesday. Freedom is in its third regional final since 2014, when it won the state title.
▪ 3A girls: Freedom (29-0) is No. 1 in the Observer’s Sweet 16 poll and will face Southeast Guilford (29-1) at Lenoir-Rhyne at 4:30 Freedom lost to Cuthbertson in the 2019 regional final. The Patriots won the 2016 state championship.
▪ 2A boys: Forest Hills (29-0) will play Shelby (25-3) at Lenoir-Rhyne at 2:15. Shelby has not lost to a 2A team this season. Forest Hills, which won the 2018 state title, is looking for a third straight finals appearance. Forest Hills beat Shelby 77-66 in a regional semifinal last season.
▪ 2A girls: Newton-Conover (28-2) will play Salisbury (29-1) at Catawba Valley at noon. Salisbury will try to stop Newton-Conover’s Chyna Cornwell, a Rutgers recruit who had 28 points and 25 rebounds in a regional semifinal win over East Burke. Salisbury, which has won four state titles, is looking to get back to the finals for the first time since 2011. Newton-Conover’s last finals appearance was in 1992.
Regional schedule
BOYS
CLASS 4A
Saturday’s regional finals
West
North Mecklenburg (29-1) vs. Olympic (22-6), at Lenoir-Rhyne University’s Shuford Gym, noon
East
Lumberton (25-5) vs. Pinecrest (27-3), at Fayetteville State’s Capel Arena, noon
CLASS 3A
Saturday’s regional finals
West
Hunter Huss (26-4) vs. Freedom (28-1), at Lenoir-Rhyne’s Shuford Gym, 6:45
East
Westover (29-0) vs. Northwood (27-2), at Fayetteville State’s Capel Arena, 6
CLASS 2A
Thursday’s fourth round
East
Reidsville (26-2) at South Granville (29-0), 6 p.m. (completion of game halted Tuesday with 19 seconds remaining, and South Granville leading 72-66)
Saturday’s regional finals
West
Forest Hills (29-0) vs. Shelby (25-3), at Lenoir-Rhyne’s Shuford Gym, 2:15
East
South Granville (30-0) vs. Farmville (28-2), East Carolina’s Minges Coliseum, 6
CLASS 1A
Saturday’s regional finals
West
Chatham Charter (32-1) vs. Winston-Salem Prep (21-8), at Catawba Valley CC’s Tarlton Complex, 4:30
East
North Edgecombe (27-2) vs. Henderson Collegiate (25-10), at East Carolina’s Minges Coliseum, noon
GIRLS
CLASS 4A
Saturday’s regional finals
West
Mallard Creek (27-2) vs. Vance (25-5), at Catawba Valley CC’s Tarlton Complex, 6:45
East
Southeast Raleigh (26-1) vs. Millbrook (24-6), at Fayetteville State’s Capel Arena, 4
CLASS 3A
Saturday’s regional finals
West
Freedom (29-0) vs. Southeast Guilford (29-1), at Lenoir-Rhyne’s Shuford Gym, 4:30
East
Jacksonville (24-3) vs. E.E. Smith (30-1), at Fayetteville State’s Capel Arena, 2
CLASS 2A
Wednesday’s fourth round
West
Salisbury 59, Forbush 54
Saturday’s regional finals
West
Newton-Conover (28-2) vs. Salisbury (29-1), at Catawba Valley CC’s Tarlton Complex, noon
East
Farmville Central (24-3) vs. Kinston (27-3), at East Carolina’s Minges Coliseum, 4
CLASS 1A
Wednesday’s fourth round
West
Mitchell County 63, Alleghany 44
Saturday’s regional finals
West
Murphy (29-0) vs. Mitchell County (22-5), at Catawba Valley CC’s Tarlton Complex, 2:15
East
Bishop McGuinness (24-4) vs. Weldon (26-1), at East Carolina’s Minges Coliseum, 2
