Okay, so these are the two conference I’m near and concerned with (apologies for leaving other ones out).
What are your predictions for final standings in these two conferences? Here’s mine with thoughts:
CC conference:
Salisbury
Lexington
North Rowan
Thomasvile
East or West Davidson
Logic: Salisbury is almost always going to be at the top. With Ferguson gone from Tville, there’s no one who can coach their team through Salisbury’s athleticism. Though, I think Lexington could hold up. they’ve been poorly coached for a few years now; but just learning there’s been a transition in coaching, so who knows? I think Tville takes a huge step back that is unnecessary. They lost their star player (McCoy? McBride? Can’t remember), but they have enormous size on the inside with a PG who was once their QB and is fast (though unskilled compared to their last PGs). They just need the ball in the paint to their monsters. I’m not buying the hire of the HC as being that great yet. I put no stock in being a legendary player and he comes from a private school with loads of talent. I see no reason to assume success like they’ve seen the last three years. But I’m open to being wrong. Salisbury is too athletic (I’m rooting for Lexington though!)
Mid-Piedmont (3A)
This one is difficult. Asheboro and Central loose talent and size in droves, Montgomery will be awful, and I just am not sold on Oak Grove being that well coached yet (not enough exposure to it to make the call honestly). I think the addition of Grier to Ledford disrupts this conference significantly. I speculate that teams try to pack in a zone so that there are as many bodies and hands between him and the basket as possible. I think this is what will determine the success of Ledford season: can they shoot and rebound? A zone is always going to lead to the defense getting fewer rebounds. It’s also going to lead to wide open threes. If Ledford rebounds well or shoots well, that’s gonna be a big problem m. If they do both well, they may go through this conference like a hot knife through butter.
I hate to say this. It makes me groan to say this, but I think Ledford may handle this conference and potentially runs through it. I think it’s an undeniable fact that, with a future hall of famer like Don Cory and someone as extraordinarily accomplished and skilled in game planning as Ferguson is (I’ve never seen a HS team more well prepared for the specific things another team does as Thomasville was. Their playoff prep was was another dimension), that they’re not going to be out coached (that’s very much what it felt like happened to Ledford every time I saw them last year).
I think it’s possible that learning system that doesn’t seem like it could be any different than the one they had before, and even with the previous head coach that had been there for a long time, and adjusting to what it looks like to have success, could be somewhat derailing. So here’s my prediction:
Central or Ledford
Asheboro
North
Oak grove
Montgomery central
Sorry to the Ledford fans, but I hate to make this prediction! Hahaha, I’d rather see the orange and black on top; but I don’t think we have the horses or the coaching chops to take out central and now Ledford.
Don’t shoot the messenger! My old skin is paper thin!
