Top-ranked basketball player in SC signs with Charlotte 49ers. What we know
The Charlotte 49ers have signed their first high school recruit for the upcoming season, and the Niners picked up the top boys’ basketball player in South Carolina.
Fort Mill native Lance Barnes will play for new Charlotte coach Wes Miller. Barnes, who began his high school career at Catawba Ridge, is a 6-foot-4, 190-pound combo guard.
Barnes initially signed with Division I Tennessee Tech in November. But in March, Tennessee Tech coach John Pelphrey left the school after eight seasons and a 79-138 record.
A three-star guard, Barnes, a current high school senior, played the past two seasons at Legacy Early College in Greenville, S.C.
Last season, he averaged 21.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.9 steals. He was named his team’s most valuable player and was named to the 2026 All-Greenville County first team.
As a junior, Barnes averaged 11.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 3.4 steals per game. 247 Sports ranks Barnes as a top 40 combo guard recruit in the nation. He also had an offer from Coastal Carolina.
