Private-public matchups backed
By Rodd Baxley FAYETTEVILE OBSERVER
Staff writer
Karl Molnar has a dream for basketball in Fayetteville.
“I want (college) coaches to be able to come to Fayetteville for one day and see every bit of talent that’s in Fayetteville,” said Molnar, the boys’ basketball coach at Terry Sanford.
“That’s the whole goal. I think we’re one step closer to that happening.”
That step forward took place on Monday at Terry Sanford, where basketball programs from a mix of public and private schools in Cumberland County competed against one another in the inaugural MLK Dream Jam.
Rapper J. Cole, who graduated from Terry Sanford, and basketball star Dennis Smith Jr., who graduated from Trinity Christian, sent out a video message of support ahead of the event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Molnar, who spearheaded the 12-team showcase, has been on both sides as a former coach at Fayetteville Academy.
He’s aware of the friction between the public and private schools when it comes to basketball but he hopes Monday’s result will be the beginning of a better relationship.
“As far as the event goes, I couldn’t be more excited,” Molnar said.
“The crowd was electric. … It was a good mixture of good, talented basketball players with good college coaches in the gym.”
Molnar said “a lot of work” went into making it a reality as he brought together coaches from both groups to gauge interest.
There was plenty of it.
The private schools ended the day with a 4-2 record, but the night closed with a pair of thrillers as Trinity Christian held off Pine Forest and Village Christian responded to a late rally from Terry Sanford to earn a win in front of a standing-room-only crowd.
Whether they were on the winning side or the losing side, coaches and players that took part in those games wanted to be a part of this — and they want to be a part of it again.
Trinity Christian coach Heath Vandevender heaped praise on “everybody that allowed this to happen,” including Molnar and Cumberland County Schools Athletic Director Vernon Aldridge.
“I think it’s long overdue; I think it’s great for Cumberland County,” Vandevender said.
“For years, we’ve played people all over North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia — public and private — and maybe this will eliminate some of the politics. It could be a huge event in the future.
“We’re right down the street and this is for pride. This is what makes this event so good and what can make this event so good in the future.”
Fear of losing
There is no denying the fear that likely prevented some programs from taking part in Monday’s crossover.
Not the fear of losing a game, but the fear of losing a kid to another school.
“The fear is that they don’t want their kids getting recruited by private schools,” said Pine Forest coach Jimmy Peaden.
“That’s the elephant in the room. … The names are out there and the fear is always there whether you play private (schools) or not. They know who thesekidsarebecausethey’retoo good. That’s the fear but I think once the word gets out, I think you’ll see more public schools involved (next year).”
Peaden said the Trojans came into the event with a “show ‘em you can beat ‘em” mentality.
“That’s what we came out to do and, of course, we came up a little bit short,” he said. “But we can play with them.”
As someone who has coached in a public and private school, Molnar said “it’s tough” for both sides.
“Having been on the private school side, you need players,” Molnar said. “Then on the public school side, you’re limited because you’ve got your area.”
Peaden knows fans and players want to see the best matchups possible. Even the Fayetteville teams that weren’t participating in the event had players and coaches sprinkled throughout the gym on Monday.
“Everybody wants to see the private versus the public (schools),” he added. “As you can see, it was awesome. It was an awesome atmosphere and it felt like a playoff atmosphere. The kids love it.”
Pine Forest senior Marquis Eskew welcomed the challenge.
“Everybody expected us to lose, but I’m a competitor and I want to go against the best of the best,” said Eskew, who scored 18 points against Trinity.
“When I look at them, they lace their shoes up just like me. I was ready for the matchup. Go out and compete, there’s nothing to be scared of.”
Village Christian’s Zavian McLean could see the buildup on social media.
“Everybody’s arguing about who’s the best in the city,” McLean said.
“They want to see all types of matchups. … This can be something really, really special. Everybody in Fayetteville, public or private, just roots for each other. But at the same time, there’s that healthy competition that you want.”
Private programs have the benefit of fewer restrictions on travel andgamelimits,butthatdoesn’t mean there aren’t strong public school programs.
Fayetteville's private schools play a number of public schools during the year, but none locally — on a regular basis.
In 2006, Cumberland County established a rule that public and private schools are not permitted to face each other unless the event has a field of four or more teams and is played at an NCHSAA approved facility.
Fayetteville Christian’s boys’ team was the lone private program to take part in the 2019 Cumberland County Holiday Classic.
“I don’t see why we can’t do one or two of these (events) a year,” said Village coach Kurtis Darden.
“It’s what the people want to see. … At the end of the day, I think it’s all about the kids and the fans. It’s what people want to see and they’re going to play each other anyway — whether it’s in pickup or at the rec. You might as well do it with them in uniform.”
‘Loyalty and persistence’
Despite the concerns of losing a player to another school, there’s something to be said for sticking with one program as it relates to playing in college.
“Loyalty and persistence,” Molnar said, referring to a recent conversation he had with a college coach.
“Has he been with you all four years? That was the question and it made sense to me. The transfer portal is crazy right now (in college), so it’s important for them to ask.”
As Molnar shifts his focus to the second year of the MLK Dream Jam, the future hope is to get some guest speakers to educate kids on the benefits of being at a private or public school.
“There are some situations where switching from a public school to a private school, or a private school to a public school, is better for the player,” Molnar said.
“Sometimes coaches will sell that move as 100 percent the right move for 100 percent of the kids. That’snotalwaysthecase,sopart ofwhatwe’lldonexttimeisbring some guest speakers in here and try to help educate these kids and parents.”
‘Bigger and bigger’
Of course, Molnar hopes to see more county teams get involved next year to take another step toward fulfilling the dream of a one-day recruiting trip to Fayetteville for college coaches.
“It would be nice to see,” he said.
Vandevender added: “It should be about the kids and I think it’s a win-win for the community.”
And Peaden’s already thinking about the best-case scenario.
“I was telling Karl, you might mess around and see it at the (Crown) Coliseum one day,” he said. “This is the first year and there ain’t a seat in the house. It’s going to get bigger and bigger.
“There’s a buzz around public schools right now because there’s a lot of young talent in the public schools. If they stay where they’re at, this event is going to get bigger and bigger.”
As for the players, Eskew and Terry Sanford senior Yates Johnson are on the same page.
Even though they won’t be a part of it, they know the future of Fayetteville basketball is bright and players from both sides will enjoy battling each other on the court.
“Private schools usually are set to have the better teams,” Johnson said. “It might have shown this year, but we definitely have fight in the public schools and we can compete.”
Eskew said Fayetteville is a “slept on area as far as around the state,” pointing to the talent in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte.
“Players in the 910, we get after it,” he continued. “We want those matchups and we go at each other. We want to make each other better.” Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver. com or 910-486-3519.
By Rodd Baxley FAYETTEVILE OBSERVER
Staff writer
Karl Molnar has a dream for basketball in Fayetteville.
“I want (college) coaches to be able to come to Fayetteville for one day and see every bit of talent that’s in Fayetteville,” said Molnar, the boys’ basketball coach at Terry Sanford.
“That’s the whole goal. I think we’re one step closer to that happening.”
That step forward took place on Monday at Terry Sanford, where basketball programs from a mix of public and private schools in Cumberland County competed against one another in the inaugural MLK Dream Jam.
Rapper J. Cole, who graduated from Terry Sanford, and basketball star Dennis Smith Jr., who graduated from Trinity Christian, sent out a video message of support ahead of the event on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Molnar, who spearheaded the 12-team showcase, has been on both sides as a former coach at Fayetteville Academy.
He’s aware of the friction between the public and private schools when it comes to basketball but he hopes Monday’s result will be the beginning of a better relationship.
“As far as the event goes, I couldn’t be more excited,” Molnar said.
“The crowd was electric. … It was a good mixture of good, talented basketball players with good college coaches in the gym.”
Molnar said “a lot of work” went into making it a reality as he brought together coaches from both groups to gauge interest.
There was plenty of it.
The private schools ended the day with a 4-2 record, but the night closed with a pair of thrillers as Trinity Christian held off Pine Forest and Village Christian responded to a late rally from Terry Sanford to earn a win in front of a standing-room-only crowd.
Whether they were on the winning side or the losing side, coaches and players that took part in those games wanted to be a part of this — and they want to be a part of it again.
Trinity Christian coach Heath Vandevender heaped praise on “everybody that allowed this to happen,” including Molnar and Cumberland County Schools Athletic Director Vernon Aldridge.
“I think it’s long overdue; I think it’s great for Cumberland County,” Vandevender said.
“For years, we’ve played people all over North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia — public and private — and maybe this will eliminate some of the politics. It could be a huge event in the future.
“We’re right down the street and this is for pride. This is what makes this event so good and what can make this event so good in the future.”
Fear of losing
There is no denying the fear that likely prevented some programs from taking part in Monday’s crossover.
Not the fear of losing a game, but the fear of losing a kid to another school.
“The fear is that they don’t want their kids getting recruited by private schools,” said Pine Forest coach Jimmy Peaden.
“That’s the elephant in the room. … The names are out there and the fear is always there whether you play private (schools) or not. They know who thesekidsarebecausethey’retoo good. That’s the fear but I think once the word gets out, I think you’ll see more public schools involved (next year).”
Peaden said the Trojans came into the event with a “show ‘em you can beat ‘em” mentality.
“That’s what we came out to do and, of course, we came up a little bit short,” he said. “But we can play with them.”
As someone who has coached in a public and private school, Molnar said “it’s tough” for both sides.
“Having been on the private school side, you need players,” Molnar said. “Then on the public school side, you’re limited because you’ve got your area.”
Peaden knows fans and players want to see the best matchups possible. Even the Fayetteville teams that weren’t participating in the event had players and coaches sprinkled throughout the gym on Monday.
“Everybody wants to see the private versus the public (schools),” he added. “As you can see, it was awesome. It was an awesome atmosphere and it felt like a playoff atmosphere. The kids love it.”
Pine Forest senior Marquis Eskew welcomed the challenge.
“Everybody expected us to lose, but I’m a competitor and I want to go against the best of the best,” said Eskew, who scored 18 points against Trinity.
“When I look at them, they lace their shoes up just like me. I was ready for the matchup. Go out and compete, there’s nothing to be scared of.”
Village Christian’s Zavian McLean could see the buildup on social media.
“Everybody’s arguing about who’s the best in the city,” McLean said.
“They want to see all types of matchups. … This can be something really, really special. Everybody in Fayetteville, public or private, just roots for each other. But at the same time, there’s that healthy competition that you want.”
Private programs have the benefit of fewer restrictions on travel andgamelimits,butthatdoesn’t mean there aren’t strong public school programs.
Fayetteville's private schools play a number of public schools during the year, but none locally — on a regular basis.
In 2006, Cumberland County established a rule that public and private schools are not permitted to face each other unless the event has a field of four or more teams and is played at an NCHSAA approved facility.
Fayetteville Christian’s boys’ team was the lone private program to take part in the 2019 Cumberland County Holiday Classic.
“I don’t see why we can’t do one or two of these (events) a year,” said Village coach Kurtis Darden.
“It’s what the people want to see. … At the end of the day, I think it’s all about the kids and the fans. It’s what people want to see and they’re going to play each other anyway — whether it’s in pickup or at the rec. You might as well do it with them in uniform.”
‘Loyalty and persistence’
Despite the concerns of losing a player to another school, there’s something to be said for sticking with one program as it relates to playing in college.
“Loyalty and persistence,” Molnar said, referring to a recent conversation he had with a college coach.
“Has he been with you all four years? That was the question and it made sense to me. The transfer portal is crazy right now (in college), so it’s important for them to ask.”
As Molnar shifts his focus to the second year of the MLK Dream Jam, the future hope is to get some guest speakers to educate kids on the benefits of being at a private or public school.
“There are some situations where switching from a public school to a private school, or a private school to a public school, is better for the player,” Molnar said.
“Sometimes coaches will sell that move as 100 percent the right move for 100 percent of the kids. That’snotalwaysthecase,sopart ofwhatwe’lldonexttimeisbring some guest speakers in here and try to help educate these kids and parents.”
‘Bigger and bigger’
Of course, Molnar hopes to see more county teams get involved next year to take another step toward fulfilling the dream of a one-day recruiting trip to Fayetteville for college coaches.
“It would be nice to see,” he said.
Vandevender added: “It should be about the kids and I think it’s a win-win for the community.”
And Peaden’s already thinking about the best-case scenario.
“I was telling Karl, you might mess around and see it at the (Crown) Coliseum one day,” he said. “This is the first year and there ain’t a seat in the house. It’s going to get bigger and bigger.
“There’s a buzz around public schools right now because there’s a lot of young talent in the public schools. If they stay where they’re at, this event is going to get bigger and bigger.”
As for the players, Eskew and Terry Sanford senior Yates Johnson are on the same page.
Even though they won’t be a part of it, they know the future of Fayetteville basketball is bright and players from both sides will enjoy battling each other on the court.
“Private schools usually are set to have the better teams,” Johnson said. “It might have shown this year, but we definitely have fight in the public schools and we can compete.”
Eskew said Fayetteville is a “slept on area as far as around the state,” pointing to the talent in Raleigh, Greensboro and Charlotte.
“Players in the 910, we get after it,” he continued. “We want those matchups and we go at each other. We want to make each other better.” Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver. com or 910-486-3519.
