Stars from Mecklenburg, Rowan Counties are underclassmen of the year, per reader poll
For the first time, the Observer allowed readers to name the high school boys basketball underclassmen of the year.
To be a nominee, a player must have been a freshman, sophomore or junior in the Observer’s coverage area and rank among the top 10 in North Carolina in their class on MaxPreps in a major statistical category — points, assists, rebounds and steals. Stats used were through games played Tuesday, Feb. 22, just before the week-long poll began.
Here are the winners:
▪ The freshman of the year is West Charlotte’s Chadlyn Traylor. He received more than 43,000 votes, finishing ahead of Corvian Community’s Arael Jones. When the poll began, Traylor ranked No. 5 among all N.C. freshman at four assists per game. He’s helped the Lions reach Saturday’s N.C. 4A state championship game.
▪ The sophomore of the year is Butler’s Bryson Heath, who got more than 22,000 votes and finished ahead of Richmond Senior’s Paul McNeil. Heath ranked No. 7 among N.C. sophomores at five assists per game when the poll began.
▪ The junior of the year is Teyachta “Tee” Harris, East Rowan, who received more than 37,000 votes, just beating Chambers’ Jaylen Curry. When the poll began, Harris was averaging 10.8 rebounds per game, which was good for No. 10 in the junior class statewide.
Note: This is not the All-Observer or our all-state Super Team and will have no bearing on those selections, which will be named later this year.
Below is a full list of the finalists:
Charlotte Observer Junior of the year finalists
Keyshawn Adams, Bessemer City: junior guard ranks No. 6 in his class in rebounds (13.4).
Jaylen Curry, Chambers: junior guard leads his class in assists per game (9.1).
Chyron Davis, Elevation Prep: junior wing ranks No. 5 in steals in his class statewide (3.9).
Nicolas Davis, Elevation Prep: Charlotte point guard ranks No. 9 in the junior class in steals (3.7).
Teyachta “Tee” Harris, East Rowan: averages 10.8 rebounds per game, good for No. 10 in the junior class.
Jabir Jefferson, South Charlotte Thunder: Matthews guard ranks No. 10 in the junior class in assists (5.8).
Jameen Moore, Lincoln Charter: junior guard ranks No. 7 in his class in steals (3.8)
Randall Pettus, Bessemer City: Pettus is fourth among juniors with 6.8 assists per game. He’s also first in steals (6.3) and No. 7 in his class in scoring (26.0).
Mccaskill Rivers, East Gaston: junior center ranks No. 8 in his class in rebounds (11.6)
Charlotte Observer Sophomore of the year finalists
Chase Daniel, Central Cabarrus: ranks No. 2 among all N.C. sophomores in steals (4.9 per game). Daniel ranks third in steals among all N.C. sophomores (4.4).
Carson Daniel, Central Cabarrus: sophomore point guard is second in assists in his class in the state (6.3 per game)
Cayden Haywood, Hickory Ridge: sophomore forward gets 11.2 rebounds per game, good for No. 7 statewide in his class.
Bryson Heath, Butler: sophomore point guard gets 5.0 assists per game, good for No. 7 in his class.
Paul McNeil, Richmond Senior: sophomore forward is No. 3 in his class in scoring (24.6 points per game).
Sir Mohammed, Myers Park: sophomore guard ranks No 9 in the state in assists in his class (4.7).
Curtis Simpson, Hickory Ridge: sophomore forward averages 11.0 rebounds per game, good for No. 8 in his class.
Quay Watson, Hopewell: sophomore guard is No. 9 in his class in scoring (21.4). Watson ranks No. 6 in his class in assists (5.0).
Charlotte Observer Freshman of the year finalists
Ayden Burton, Bradford Prep: Charlotte forward ranks No. 10 among freshman in rebounding at 6.8 per game.
Sean Dunn, Cox MIll: Freshman ranks No. 7 among all his NC classmates at 3.8 per game.
Eli Ellis, Moravian Prep: Freshman ranks second in the state in his class, averaging 21.9 points per game.
Arael Jones, Corvian Community: Charlotte freshman point guard ranks No. 9 in the state in his class in scoring (16.2). Jones ranks No. 9 in assists among N.C. freshman (3.6).
Kellen Karr, North Lincoln: Ranks No. 7 among N.C. freshman in rebounding at 7.4 per game.
John Lash, Charlotte Christian: freshman power forward averages 8.1 rebounds per game, good for No. 5 among N.C. freshmen.
Jayden Little, Anson County: Freshman guard ranks fourth in his class in steals (2.8 per game).
Dacen “Pop” Petty, East Rutherford: freshman point guard is No. 3 in his class in assists (4.3).
Chadlyn Traylor, West Charlotte: freshman point guard is No. 5 in his class in assists (4.0).
Zymicah Wilkins, R-S Central: freshman power forward ranks No. 10 in scoring in his class at 15.2 points per game.
This story was originally published February 23, 2022 at 10:38 PM.
