One of North Carolina’s top high school basketball players is leaving the state
Lake Norman High School basketball star Trent Steinour is transferring to Montverde Academy in Florida. He made the announcement on social media Monday.
Steinour is a 6-10 center committed to Clemson. He is ranked as the No. 8 recruit in North Carolina by 247 sports and is a top 25 recruit nationally at his position.
Last season, Steinour helped lead the Lake Norman team to a 28-3 record and an appearance in the N.C. 4A Western Regional championship game, or state semifinal, where the Wildcats lost to eventual state champion North Mecklenburg.
Steinour averaged 15.7 points and 10.5 rebounds last season. He was named to All-Charlotte Observer team as one of the top players in the region.
At Montverde, located in the greater Orlando area, Steinour could profit from his name, image and likeness, something that public school athletes in North Carolina currently cannot do. But the N.C. State Board of Education is set to vote on NIL at a meeting this week. So that rule could change.
While at Montverde, Steinour will practice daily with other top national recruits and play a national schedule.
Former NBA players like Ben Simmons, D’Angelo Russell and R.J. Barrett have played at the Florida school, which has won eight national high school championships, including in the 2023-24 season, when the Eagles defeated Paul VI (VA) 79-63 in the championship game of the 2024 Chipotle High School Nationals in Brownsburg, Indiana.
The Eagles went 33-0 last season.
Steinour is the second top area recruit in recent weeks to leave the state for his senior year.
Myers Park High’s Sadiq White recently announced a transfer to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.
This story was originally published September 2, 2024 at 1:56 PM.
