Knights to face top competition at John Wall Holiday Invite
By Andrew Schnittker aschnittker@wilsontimes.com
A jam-packed December for the Greenfield School boys basketball team won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
Fresh off capturing the championship in their own Christmas tournament last Friday, the Knights are set to participate in the John Wall Holiday Invitational in Raleigh for the third straight year. Greenfield will play in the TJ Warren bracket, and start with a matchup against Combine Academy on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in the Broughton High gym. It’s the eighth year Greenfield head coach Rob Salter has taken his team to what he called the best tournament in the country.
“It’s first class,” Salter said of the John Wall. “The level of competition, the layout, the crowd, the atmosphere is amazing. We’ve been blessed to be here a few times, and it never gets old. We just love it. I love coming. We’ve had a lot of success here. We’ve played some of the top teams in the country. You just get to play against teams and put your guys against situations they normally don’t see. A lot of these guys have been going to this tournament as little kids watching, and I was one of those kids. Now to be able to coach in it as many times as I have, to participate in it, it’s just awesome.”
This year is the 50th anniversary of the John Wall.
After being played at Wake Tech due to COVID concerns last year, the tournament is returning to its traditional home of Broughton for the first time since 2019.
“Fifty years of this tournament, just to be invited to play in it is an honor,” Salter said. “You’ve had so many wonderful teams and players come through there. I told our guys, it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be an honor to be a part of it.”
The Knights have plenty to feel good about coming into the John Wall. With an 88-65 win over Trinity Academy last Friday night, Greenfield captured its Christmas tournament championship for the first time since 2019.
The Knights are 14-3 overall and have won seven in a row, with their only three losses coming by a combined seven points, two of which were against top teams from Virginia in the Good Guys vs. Cancer Showcase in Kill Devil Hills. All of these tournaments continue to aid Salter’s goal of playing a top-tier nonconference schedule to get his team ready for NCISAA 2-A/3-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference play, and, down the line, the state 2-A tournament.
“We’re playing well,” Salter said. “That’s what you want going into this. You’ve got to play well to compete in this tournament, especially when you’re in the bracket we’re in. So that’s all you can ask. You’ve got to go there, step up to the occasion and see what happens. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re very confident in what we’re doing and how we’re playing. We’ve played a fantastic schedule up to this point. We’ve played nationally ranked teams, so we’re excited to be a part of this.”
Depth has been the name of the game all year for the Knights. The likes of Hampton Evans, Matt Kirby and Kyshon Atkinson have continued to lead the way, but Greenfield has gotten contributions from a plethora of other players, including Kobe Edwards, Nik Edwards, Micah Sherod, Cole Evans, Jack Adair and Bryson Wall.
The Knights hope that depth will serve them well in Raleigh this week.
“It’s got to,” Salter said. “Our problem is size. The team we’re playing, Combine, is just so talented and so big. Hopefully our depth and ability to shoot the ball will give us a chance. That’s all you ask for in this, to give yourself a chance and see what happens at the end. Our guys feel like we can play with anybody, so we’re going to go there and see what happens.”
The Knights know they’ll have their work cut out for them. Combine Academy is the overall top-ranked team in North Carolina, and 16th ranked team in the country, in ESPN’s rankings. The Goats come into the Holiday Invitational 17-1, and are brimming with future college talent. Trentyn Flowers leads Combine with 15.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game, and has a plethora of college offers. Point guard Silas Demary Jr. (13.8 points, 6 rebounds, 5.8 assists per game) is committed to USC. Rakease Passmore (13.5 points per game) and Collin Tanner (12.6) also have numerous college offers.
“Everywhere you look, they’re talented,” Salter said. “They’ve got size. So it’s going to be a big challenge for us, but our guys feel like we’re up to it and if we can rebound and take care of the ball, we feel like we can make it competitive.”
The winner of Greenfield and Combine Academy will face the winner of Prolific Prep and Cannon School Thursday at 5 p.m., while the losers will play Thursday. The seventh-place, fifth-place, third-place and championship games of the TJ Warren bracket are all set for Friday.
By Andrew Schnittker aschnittker@wilsontimes.com
A jam-packed December for the Greenfield School boys basketball team won’t be slowing down anytime soon.
Fresh off capturing the championship in their own Christmas tournament last Friday, the Knights are set to participate in the John Wall Holiday Invitational in Raleigh for the third straight year. Greenfield will play in the TJ Warren bracket, and start with a matchup against Combine Academy on Wednesday at 2 p.m. in the Broughton High gym. It’s the eighth year Greenfield head coach Rob Salter has taken his team to what he called the best tournament in the country.
“It’s first class,” Salter said of the John Wall. “The level of competition, the layout, the crowd, the atmosphere is amazing. We’ve been blessed to be here a few times, and it never gets old. We just love it. I love coming. We’ve had a lot of success here. We’ve played some of the top teams in the country. You just get to play against teams and put your guys against situations they normally don’t see. A lot of these guys have been going to this tournament as little kids watching, and I was one of those kids. Now to be able to coach in it as many times as I have, to participate in it, it’s just awesome.”
This year is the 50th anniversary of the John Wall.
After being played at Wake Tech due to COVID concerns last year, the tournament is returning to its traditional home of Broughton for the first time since 2019.
“Fifty years of this tournament, just to be invited to play in it is an honor,” Salter said. “You’ve had so many wonderful teams and players come through there. I told our guys, it’s going to be a lot of fun. It’s going to be an honor to be a part of it.”
The Knights have plenty to feel good about coming into the John Wall. With an 88-65 win over Trinity Academy last Friday night, Greenfield captured its Christmas tournament championship for the first time since 2019.
The Knights are 14-3 overall and have won seven in a row, with their only three losses coming by a combined seven points, two of which were against top teams from Virginia in the Good Guys vs. Cancer Showcase in Kill Devil Hills. All of these tournaments continue to aid Salter’s goal of playing a top-tier nonconference schedule to get his team ready for NCISAA 2-A/3-A Coastal Plain Independents Conference play, and, down the line, the state 2-A tournament.
“We’re playing well,” Salter said. “That’s what you want going into this. You’ve got to play well to compete in this tournament, especially when you’re in the bracket we’re in. So that’s all you can ask. You’ve got to go there, step up to the occasion and see what happens. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re very confident in what we’re doing and how we’re playing. We’ve played a fantastic schedule up to this point. We’ve played nationally ranked teams, so we’re excited to be a part of this.”
Depth has been the name of the game all year for the Knights. The likes of Hampton Evans, Matt Kirby and Kyshon Atkinson have continued to lead the way, but Greenfield has gotten contributions from a plethora of other players, including Kobe Edwards, Nik Edwards, Micah Sherod, Cole Evans, Jack Adair and Bryson Wall.
The Knights hope that depth will serve them well in Raleigh this week.
“It’s got to,” Salter said. “Our problem is size. The team we’re playing, Combine, is just so talented and so big. Hopefully our depth and ability to shoot the ball will give us a chance. That’s all you ask for in this, to give yourself a chance and see what happens at the end. Our guys feel like we can play with anybody, so we’re going to go there and see what happens.”
The Knights know they’ll have their work cut out for them. Combine Academy is the overall top-ranked team in North Carolina, and 16th ranked team in the country, in ESPN’s rankings. The Goats come into the Holiday Invitational 17-1, and are brimming with future college talent. Trentyn Flowers leads Combine with 15.3 points per game and 6.7 rebounds per game, and has a plethora of college offers. Point guard Silas Demary Jr. (13.8 points, 6 rebounds, 5.8 assists per game) is committed to USC. Rakease Passmore (13.5 points per game) and Collin Tanner (12.6) also have numerous college offers.
“Everywhere you look, they’re talented,” Salter said. “They’ve got size. So it’s going to be a big challenge for us, but our guys feel like we’re up to it and if we can rebound and take care of the ball, we feel like we can make it competitive.”
The winner of Greenfield and Combine Academy will face the winner of Prolific Prep and Cannon School Thursday at 5 p.m., while the losers will play Thursday. The seventh-place, fifth-place, third-place and championship games of the TJ Warren bracket are all set for Friday.
