‘We’re not trying to go home early.’ Inside Chambers’ bumpy ride to NC boys’ Elite Eight
When the 2024-25 boys’ high school basketball season began, Chambers was considered a N.C. Class 4A state title contender. And why not?
The Cougars had a veteran in 11-year coach Brian Frasier and two of the nation’s top 100 junior players in Tarrie Bouie and Markus Kerr, a pair of 6-foot-6 wing players.
On Friday when Chambers visits Myers Park in the 2025 NCHSAA 4A state quarterfinals, it’ll mark the fourth straight year the Cougars have advanced this far. However, this year’s journey has seen its fair share of twists and turns.
Chambers has gotten to where it wanted to go. But the journey there hasn’t been what anyone expected.
“I think that my kids get excited about certain games,” said Frasier, whose team is 22-8. “And maybe not some others.”
That helps explain how Chambers’ season has gone.
The Cougars were 2-3 to start the season, then 3-4 and then 5-5, playing a challenging schedule. But after going through an 8-1 stretch, where Chambers only lost to reigning N.C. 4A state champion North Mecklenburg — a team that is also a state quarterfinalist Friday — the Cougars suffered a confounding loss a Harding team that finished with a 7-18 record.
The season has also seen the Cougars knock off eventual N.C. Independent Schools’ Athletic Association champion Christ School in late January. Christ School had won 18 straight games and was ranked as high as No. 11 nationally. Chambers has also avenged two regular season losses to North Meck with a victory in the Queen City 3A/4A Conference’s tournament title game two weeks ago.
“We were really up for that Christ School game,” Frasier said. “We’ve also been excited when we play teams like North Meck.
“Harding was a sleeper in a sense. They had a new coach, new team and they were up for us and we weren’t up for them.”
Yet, no matter how the Cougars have done it, they’re exactly where many expected them to be, which is one game away from the school’s first Western N.C. title game since the school played in three Western finals in six years from 2003-08 highlighted by a 2003 state championship.
Chambers’ junior stars, Bouie and Kerr, have led a balanced team that has lost in the Western N.C. 4A semifinals the previous three years. The Cougars’ star duo were on the previous two teams. It’s a trend they want to see end.
“Just going to the (quarterfinals) two years in a row, me and Markus came into this year wanting to go farther than that,” Bouie said after his 30 points led the Cougars past Independence 68-59 in Tuesday’s third round playoff game. “We’ve just got to stay consistent, keep that ‘dog’ in us and just keep winning and playing hard.”
Kerr (20.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists) and Bouie (20.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists) lead a Chambers roster that also gets contributions from a pair of starters who were key reserves last season in juniors Malik McCotter (11.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists) and Cameron Thompson (7.6 points, 6.7 rebounds). Sophomores Zyon White (5.3 points) and Lavonte Jackson (4.1 points) are the team’s next top scorers.
“I want to say that just playing over time builds morale and focus to get to this point,” Frasier said. “I think you have to be excited about getting this far. But until we get over the hump (of the semifinals), I won’t be satisfied.”
Bouie, a high-jumping 6-foot-6, 150-pounder who has already visited Alabama and Marquette, is more direct.
“We’re not going home early,” Bouie said. “We’re trying to win it all.”