One of the craziest memories I have is the 04 4A West final between RJ Reynolds and Charlotte Garinger. Terry and Bohlander and a big guy who went to ECU had graduated from the RJR team people talked about earlier on here. (Side note: maybe the craziest thing about that 03 Reynolds team that nobody's mentioned is that they weren't actually even one of the elite NC teams that year...lost 11 games, didn't win their conference, and went out in the second round of the playoffs. Again, public school ball was different back then). RJR was still loaded the next year and probably better as a team. Stars were a big guy named Giddens who went on to a pretty good career at Richmond and a wing named Fulp who played small school college ball but was a great high school player. But they also had Othello Hunter who went on to Ohio State and the NBA, and Mike Copeland who was on UNC's 09 championship team. Garinger was way smaller and scrappier but was hanging tight--down by like five with maybe a minute and a half left. Then the power goes out at Joel Coliseum and just doesn't come back. Garinger has to drive back to Charlotte that night, then come back the next day for the final 90 seconds or so. Which is basically just RJR icing the game at the free throw line. Probably one of the craziest things that will ever happen in NC high school basketball.
I also remember being at that West Regional at Joel Coliseum (this was the first year they moved it from high school gyms in Hickory) and thinking it was way too big for the crowds, even with some local teams and lots of D1 prospects playing. And then I remember being blown away when I went back the next year and saw Pisgah's crowd make it seem like an appropriate venue, even with their 3 hour drive. Canton is nuts for their sports teams, but that was also a once in a lifetime team at Pisgah. Bears had Jake Robinson, who was 6-8 and is still #2 in WCU history for 3's made. Plus had three guys who all had really good D2 careers. One as 4-year starting PG at Mars Hill, one as an all-conference wing at Lenoir Rhyne, and one as an all-conference forward at Brevard College back when they were still D2. I don't think we will ever see anything like that level of talent west of Asheville any more. For one, things are just different with plants closing, etc. But even if somehow 4 players at that level came through a school at the same time now, I would bet on one or two leaving for a private school, and maybe another deciding to focus on football/baseball/soccer year round...I would be shocked if a group like that made it to senior year playing together now.