A shot clock is coming to NC prep basketball? Other key questions as season begins.
Ready or not, N.C. high school basketball is here.
The football regular-season finales are Thursday and Friday and the playoffs begin in nine days, but on Wednesday, basketball practice can officially begin.
And in the Charlotte-area, at least on the boys’ side, things may look a little different.
Public school basketball had enjoyed a renaissance in recent years after private schools had dominated for more than a decade. But the departure of several potential returning players has robbed public schools of major star power.
“Still, I don’t think it’s a down year,” said North Mecklenburg coach Duane Lewis, whose team won the N.C. 4A state championship in March. “I think kids all across the city are going to step up, and by the middle of the year, people are going to be like, ‘I didn’t know this team would have that.”
So here’s 10 key questions to ponder as the season begins.
Q. Where did all the stars go?
After playing North Mecklenburg in the N.C. 4A Western Regional championship game, or state semifinal last season, Chambers lost two top 100 players.
First, Tarris Bouie announced a transfer to SPIRE Academy in Geneva, Ohio, where he will play for longtime Montverde (Fla.) Academy coach Kevin Boyle. Bouie recently committed to Alabama.
Shortly after Bouie’s announcement, the Cougars’ other top 100 recruit, point guard Markus Kerr, transferred to Brewster Academy (NH). Kerr also reclassified from the class of 2026 to the class of ‘27.
And after leading Corvian Community to the 1A state championship this season, RJ Moore transferred to private Ambassador Christian in the Lake Norman area.
Moore has grown two inches, to 6-foot-7, and is ranked No. 52 in America by 247 Sports in the class of 2027.
Q. What are the key dates for the season?
The first game, for most public school teams, is Nov. 14. Conference tournaments are Feb. 16-21 and the playoffs begin Feb. 24. The regionals will be March 4-7 and the state finals March 11-14.
Last season, the eastern and western regionals plus the state championships were held over one week in Winston-Salem. But with the NCHSAA adding doubling its classifications, going from four to eight, that schedule wouldn’t be possible this season.
Q. Are we any closer to getting a shot clock in North Carolina?
Right now, 32 states are using the shot clock, according to the National Federation of High Schools. North Carolina has not been one of them.
That will change soon.
Phenom Hoops plans to use a 30-second shot clock at three events this season — Nov. 7-8 at the Carmel Tipff at Carmel Christian, Nov. 14 and 15 at the Phenom National Tip-Off at Davidson Day and Nov. 21-22 at the George Lynch Invitational at Myers Park.
Q. When is the first game played around here?
The NCHSAA allows schools without football teams to start the season earlier, and Queen’s Grant will tip off its season Nov. 3 — yes next week — at Victory Christian.
Queen’s Grant’s boys, from Mint Hill, reached the N.C. 1A Western Regional championship game last season, before losing to eventual state champion Corvian Community Charter, which sits very close to Mallard Creek High School in northeast Charlotte.
Q. What are the best boys’ and girls’ teams this season?
We’ll give you a couple clues later on in this story, but The Observer’s annual high school basketball previews begin Monday and the preseason girls’ Sweet 16 releases, tentatively, Nov. 6 and the boys’ poll on Nov. 13.
Q. Who are the best boys’ players in the area this season?
Here’s our preseason All-Observer boys’ basketball team. The list includes players on NCHSAA or NCISAA teams.
Will Stevens, Davidson Day, 6-11, Sr., C
Kaharri Coleman, West Charlotte, 6-4, Soph, G
Chase Smith, Queen’s Grant, 6-8, Soph, F
Thomas Vickery, Myers Park, 6-4, Jr., W
Ashton Pierce, North Mecklenburg, 6-3, Sr, PG/SG
Q. What about the girls’ players?
Here’s our preseason All-Observer girls’ team, which includes players on NCHSAA or NCISAA teams.
Oshauna Holland, Stuart Cramer, 5-9, Sr., G
Kiara Anderson, Mallard Creek, 5-8, Sr., G
Camri Hobbs, Mallard Creek, 6-3, Sr., W
Lenise Joseph, North Mecklenburg, 6-0, Jr., C
Za’miya Bynum, Queen’s Grant, 5-9, Soph,
Q. What about new faces?
Miley Malcolm transferred from Charlotte Hornets’ star LaMelo Ball’s 1-of-1 Academy to Porter Ridge.
Malcolm, a 6-2 girls’ wing, has committed to Drexel.
At Victory Christian, 6-4 boys junior guard Ron Rank transferred from Spartanburg Day, a school that once produced Zion Williamson. Rank has an invitation to try out for the Estonia National Team.
Two more to watch out for are Davidson Day’s Cody Peck and Myers Park’s Thomas Vickery.
Peck is a 6-foot-10 top 100 national recruit in the class of 2026. Peck was at Carmel Christian two years ago and transferred to IMG (Fla) Academy last season.
Vickery, a 6-5 junior guard, is a top 125 national recruit who played at Christ School last season.
Q. Is that Charlotte-area Thanksgiving tournament coming back?
Yes, the Charlotte Hoops Challenge is Nov. 28-29 at Harding High School.
Tap here for the full schedule.
Q. Can any Charlotte teams win state championships this season?
There aren’t any public school heavyweights in Mecklenburg County like we’ve seen in recent years, but the same is true for the rest of the state. As North Meck’s Duane Lewis said when we started, new teams and new faces will step up and you might be surprised.
This story was originally published October 29, 2025 at 6:30 AM.
