North Meck’s Tristan Maxwell, Newton-Conover’s Chyna Cornwell named AP players of year
They were Mr. and Ms. Basketball, N.C. Basketball Coaches Association and the Charlotte Observer players of the year. Friday, North Mecklenburg High’s Tristan Maxwell and Newton-Conover’s Chyna Cornwell added another honor to their lists.
The pair was voted the Associated Press state players of the year. A 15-member media panel, incuding the Observer and News & Observer, voted on the awards.
George Stackhouse of Fayetteville Westover and Dee Hardy of Fayetteville Smith were selected boys and girls coaches of the year.
The awards came two months after the coronavirus pandemic led to the postponement, and eventually last month’s cancellation, of eight state championship games. The AP suspended its nomination process until there was clarity on the status of those games, then resumed after the North Carolina High School Athletic Association declared finalists as co-champions.
Cornwell, also named the MaxPreps player of the year for North Carolina. produced 30 straight double-doubles and averaged 26.2 points and 16.7 rebounds per game. Newton-Conover was named a co-state champion in 2A after reaching the finals for the first time since 1992.
Cornwell had seven votes to finish one spot ahead of Wilmington Ashley junior Saniya Rivers, who was co-Associated Press player of the year in 2019 and has won the past two N.C. Gatorade player of the year awards.
Maxwell averaged 24 points, 6.1 rebounds and 4.3 assists, leading North Meckenburg to a 30-1 record and its first N.C. 4A state championship berth since 2006. North Mecklenburg was named a co-4A state champion and finished the season nationally ranked in several polls. It was the VIkings first state championship since 2005.
Maxwell got seven votes from the media panel to edge Cannon sophomore Jaden Bradley who got six. Bradley was the N.C. Gatorade player of the year.
▪ Stackhouse, the boys coach of the year, led Westover to a 30-0 season and a share of the 3A state title. His five votes were one ahead of Freedom’s Clint Zimmerman, whose 29-1 team was the other 3A co-champion.
▪ Hardy, girls coach of the year, earned eight votes after Smith went 31-1 and claimed the 3A co-championship. Southeast Guilford’s Rachel Clark, last year’s AP coach of the year, was second with two votes after her 30-1 team claimed the other half of that 3A crown.
▪ Rivers was the only unanimous pick for either all-state team. The boys team included two players – Raleigh Word of God’s Isaiah Todd and Moravian Prep’s Josh Hall – who are bypassing college basketball for professional options.
The Associated Press contributed
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PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
BOYS: Tristan Maxwell, North Mecklenburg (7)
GIRLS: Chyna Cornwell, Newton-Conover (7)
COACH OF YEAR
BOYS: George Stackhouse, Fayetteville Westover (5)
GIRLS: Dee Hardy, Fayetteville Smith (8)
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ALL-STATE TEAMS
BOYS
Tristan Maxwell, North Mecklenburg (14)
Jaden Bradley, Concord Cannon (12)
D’Marco Dunn, Fayetteville Westover (12)
Dontrez Styles, Kinston (12)
Lane Harrill, Cherryville (11)
Isaiah Todd, Raleigh Word of God (11)
Carter Whitt, Raleigh Leesville Road (10)
Dylan Blake, Kill Devil Hills First Flight (10)
Nick Farrar, Apex Friendship (10)
Breon Pass, Reidsville (8)
Josh Hall, Hudson Moravian Prep (7)
Cam Hayes, Greensboro Day (6)
Kalib Matthews, Henderson Collegiate (6)
GIRLS
Saniya Rivers, Wilmington Ashley (15, unanimous)
Chyna Cornwell, Newton-Conover (14)
Kennedi Simmons, Southeast Guilford (14)
Jacee Busick, Kernersville Glenn (13)
Reigan Richardson, Concord Cannon (13)
Jessica Timmons, North Mecklenburg (13)
Anya Poole, Southeast Raleigh (10)
Skylah Travis, Weldon (10)
DaiJa Turner, Fayetteville Village Christian (9)
Mallorie Haines, Davidson Day (9)
Nevaeh Brown, Charlotte Mallard Creek (7)
Raven Preston, Southeast Guilford (5)
Abigail Wilson, West Rowan (5)
Molina Williams, The Burlington School (5)
Shakira Baskerville, West Forsyth (5)
Evan Miller, Charlotte Ardrey Kell (5)
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VOTERS: Rodd Baxley, The Fayetteville Observer; Paul Durham, The Wilson Times; Patrick Ferlise, Winston-Salem Journal; Jackson Fuller, StarNews of Wilmington; David Kehrli, The Times-News of Burlington; Mike London, Salisbury Post; Josh McKinney, Hickory Daily Record; Brian Meadows, Statesville Record & Landmark; Chris Miller, The Daily News of Jacksonville; Jonas Pope IV, The News & Observer of Raleigh; Paul Schenkel, The News Herald of Morganton; Malcolm Shields, The Daily Advance of Elizabeth City; Joe Sirera, News & Record of Greensboro; Langston Wertz, Charlotte Observer; Brandon White, The Daily Dispatch of Henderson.
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This story was originally published May 15, 2020 at 3:23 PM.
