The 2021-22 Union County boys high school basketball preview
.jpg "Weddington High’s Chase Lowe shoots a jump shot")
Teams to Watch
Forest Hills: The Yellow Jackets have won six straight Rocky River conference titles, winning 26 games per season during that span. Forest Hills will be led their backcourt once again, with juniors Ty Burch (12.5 ppg) and Jakaree Byrams (6.3 ppg) setting the tone for Forest Hills’ frenetic pace on both ends of the court. Longtime assistant coach Danny Bailey takes over as head coach, looking to lead his team to a seventh straight league title.
Monroe: The Redhawks return all five starters to a team that will benefit from the move back into the Rocky River conference. Monroe features a dynamic backcourt with seniors Shaleak Knotts (16 ppg, 9 rpg), Elliott Reid (6 ppg, 6 apg) and junior Khamoni Robinson (12 ppg, 4 rpg). Monroe has the balance and experience to battle Forest Hills for the league title, and be a dangerous playoff matchup with multiple guards that can make plays for themselves or their teammates.
Porter Ridge: The Pirates have been up and down, going 31-31 in the last three years. Now, Porter Ridge has experience with seniors Aaron Hough (12 ppg), Greg Wenger (7.5 ppg) and Isaiah Williams (15 ppg, 7 rpg) hoping to make the Pirates a legitimate contender in Southern Carolinas conference, which will have them more than prepared for the 4A state playoffs.
Sun Valley: The Spartans should be much improved with all five starters back -- Will Brown, Keegan Mason and Tyree White in the backcourt and Jack Bouldyn and Daniel Valentine returning to the frontcourt.
Weddington: The defending 3A state champions went a perfect 18-0 last year on their title run. However, Weddington has a new challenge as they move up to class 4A. The Warriors have a veteran squad, led by the dynamic backcourt trio of seniors A.J. Cook (13.8 ppg), Kyle Frazier (9.8 ppg) and Chase Lowe (14.5 ppg). If Weddington can find some consistent play inside, the Warriors should repeat as SCC champions and be a dangerous playoff team.
Players to Watch
Ty Burch, Forest Hills: The 6-foot-3 junior combo guard (12.5 ppg, 3.7 apg) will have the ball in his hands a lot, where he is equally talented make plays for himself or his teammates.
Blair Crumbie, Metrolina Christian: The 6-foot-1 senior guard plays a lead role (10 ppg, 4 rpg, 2 apg) for a Warriors’ team that has averaged 17 wins over the last five years.
Kyle Frazier, Weddington: The 6-foot-3 senior forward (9.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg) plays big for a Weddington team that can put pressure on their opponents with a small-ball lineup.
Shaleak Knotts, Monroe: The 6-foot-2 senior forward (16 ppg, 9 rpg) is a versatile player for the Redhawks; also a University of Maryland football commit.
Chase Lowe, Weddington: The 6-foot-5 senior point guard (14.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 6.1 apg) can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry, has offers from Army, Elon, Navy and more, according to Weddington basketball coach Gary Ellington.
Tyree White, Sun Valley: The 6-foot sophomore point guard wasted no time, earning all-conference (SCC) honors as a freshman for the Spartans.
Isaiah Williams, Porter Ridge: The 6-foot-5 senior (15 ppg, 7 rpg) will be a force inside for the Pirates again this season.
Players On the Rise
Bailey Austin, Union Academy: The 5-foot-10 senior point guard (7.7 ppg) will have the ball in his hands leading a veteran Cardinals’ team.
Parker Burke, Cuthbertson: The 6-foot sophomore point guard (3 ppg, 3.5 apg) is the lone returning starter for a Cuthbertson team that was improved at 7-7 last season.
Drew Garrett, Marvin Ridge: The 6-foot-4 senior forward looks to give the Mavericks’ experience and production inside for a team with a younger, overall roster.
Cam McKinney, Parkwood: The 6-foot-3 sophomore forward looks to build on a breakout freshman season, where he averaged 11.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
Jake Shearin, Central Academy: The 6-foot-5 junior forward (16 ppg, 7.3 rpg) is the Cougars’ go-to player.
Jack Werdann, Weddington: The 6-foot-5 senior forward (1.5 ppg) has a great opportunity inside on a perimeter heavy Warriors’ team looking for a post player to step forward.
Michael Wilson, Jr., Metrolina Christian: The 6-foot-6 junior (7 ppg, 5 rpg) had a solid sophomore season and should be even more productive on a team with all five starters back.
Preseason All-County Team
Ty Burch, Forest Hills, 6-3, Jr.
Kyle Frazier, Weddington, 6-3, Sr.
Shaleak Knotts, Monroe, 6-2, Sr.
Chase Lowe, Weddington, 6-5, Sr.
Isaiah Williams, Porter Ridge, 6-4, Sr.
Preseason Coach and Player of the Year: Chase Lowe, Weddington, 6-5, Sr
Interesting Notes
Four new head coaches start at Union County schools this season, including Central Academy’s Marcus Winnegan, Forest Hill’s Danny Bailey, Piedmont’s Brett Jensen and Union Academy’s Drew Preuninger.
Monroe basketball coach Johnny Sowell is 14 wins from his 500th career victory, all as the Redhawks’ coach. The 32-year veteran should have a good chance to accomplish the feat with an experienced team.
Conference Predictions
Metrolina Athletic Conference
Westminster Catawba; 2. Concord Academy; 3. Northside Christian; 4. Metrolina Christian; 5. Gaston Day; 6. SouthLake Christian; 7. Gaston Christian; 8. Hickory Grove.
Rocky River 2A/3A Conference
Monroe; 2. Forest Hills; 3. West Stanly; 4. Parkwood; 5. Anson County; 6. Central Academy.
Southern Carolinas’ 4A Conference
Weddington; 2. Porter Ridge; 3. Sun Valley; 4. Cuthbertson; 5. Marvin Ridge; 6. Piedmont.
Yadkin Valley 1A/2A Conference
Jay M. Robinson; 2. North Stanly; 3. Mount Pleasant; 4. Albemarle; 5. Union Academy; 6. South Stanly; 7. Gray Stone Day.
This story was originally published November 7, 2021 at 8:00 PM.