‘How good we can be is crazy.’ Myers Park, chasing history, starts No. 1 in The Sweet 16

Myers Park High boys basketball coach Scott Taylor found himself doing something a little unusual as he began preparation for the season, which kicks off next week.

But, Taylor’s team looks to be a little unusual, too.

“I’ll be honest,” Taylor said. “I’ve never had one quite like this.”

In an era where many of the top boys basketball talents migrate to out-of-state private schools and pro development leagues, Myers Park has three players ranked in the top 100 by at least one national recruiting service, plus a reigning conference player of the year returning to the lineup.

So it’s probably no surprise that the Mustangs start the year No. 1 in The Charlotte Observer’s preseason Sweet 16 poll. Myers Park is ranked in the top 30 of several national polls, and has been invited to one of the nation’s best holiday tournaments, the City of Palms, next month in Fort Myers, Fla.

And that brings us back to why Taylor’s doing something he hasn’t done. He was planning a “Midnight Madness” style season-opening kickoff Thursday at school to help raise money for plane tickets to the Florida tournament. The plans included a silent auction, inflatables, boys and girls player intros and a dunk contest.

“It’s a first look at what we’re looking like,” said junior Sir Mohammed, the son of former Kentucky and NBA player Nazr Mohammed. “And it’s a first look at what we want the season to look like. It’s a different atmosphere at Myers Park.”

Is The ‘Hoop State’ back?

N.C. recruiting analyst Rick Lewis believes that, after a few down years, statewide basketball — and particularly Charlotte-area basketball — is on the upswing. Sure, nationally ranked talent like Mikey Williams and Trey Green (both former Lake Norman Christian stars), Aden “Biz” Holloway (Covenant Day), Eli Ellis (Moravian Prep), Rob Dillingham (Combine Academy) and the 2022 N.C. Gatorade player of the year Paul McNeil (Richmond Senior) are all playing outside North Carolina, but Lewis believes the state is loaded again.

At the top of the N.C. class of 2025, for example, is Myers Park’s Sadiq White, a 6-9 forward who 247 Sports ranks No. 20 nationally among sophomores.

Team-wise, Lewis believes the state is also deep.

Five schools — Myers Park, Carmel Christian, Greensboro Day, Providence Day and North Mecklenburg — are ranked in the MaxPreps Top 100 national poll. Four are from Mecklenburg County.

So the Mustangs are sitting atop a preseason Sweet 16 that is pretty strong, and one that could produce multiple state champions.

“It shows you the strength of teams in this area,” Lewis said. “Myers Park is No. 1 in the Sweet 16 and Carmel Christian is No. 2 and they’re both top 40 in the nation. That’s pretty good.”

‘How good we can be is crazy’

Myers Park has three high-major recruits in White and Mohammed along with 6-4 junior point guard Bishop Boswell, who transferred from South Mecklenburg and decided to give up football to focus on basketball full-time. Boswell and Mohammed are both top 75 recruits nationally in the junior class.

Also back is 6-8 senior Elijah Strong, a Wofford commit who was SoMECK player of the year last season. Sharpshooter Sam Walters, another college recruit, also returns to the lineup with Santana Lynch, who will play multiple positions.

“How good we could be is crazy,” said Mohammed, who averaged 17 points last season. “Our ceiling is as high as it can possibly be. We have a lot of talent. I can’t even describe it.”

Myers Park is one of the state’s largest and oldest schools. Outside of football and basketball, few schools in North Carolina can match the Mustangs’ overall athletic success.

But Mohammed, his coach and his teammates know that Myers Park has never won state titles in the two biggest sports -- football and basketball.

The 2022-23 season, with as much promise as it holds, is all about ending that history.

“One hundred percent, it’s about getting to Chapel Hill (site of the N.C. 4A state finals in March),” Mohammed said. “That’s where we want to be. If we don’t get there....”

His voice trailed off.

Asked a similar question about reaching the finals, Taylor starts by saying that anything can happen in a one-and-done playoff scenario. His voice trailed off, too.

But then Taylor looked down at his court, and he looked up with wry grin.

“Each season has its own story,” he said. “We can’t avoid the expectations. We started talking about it this summer when we saw what it looked like to have a group like this on the court. There’s no reason to run from it. We want to be in Chapel Hill. We’ve got one of our guys who is there, (former Myers Park football and basketball star) Drake Maye.

“Listen, we want to be able to go see him.”

The Observer’s Preseason Sweet 16 Poll

PHOTOS: Myers Park boys basketball

Langston Wertz Jr.

The Charlotte Observer

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Langston Wertz Jr. is an award-winning sports journalist who has worked at the Observer since 1988. He’s covered everything from Final Fours and NFL to video games and Britney Spears. Wertz -- a West Charlotte High and UNC grad -- is the rare person who can answer “Charlotte,” when you ask, “What city are you from.” Support my work with a digital subscription