Knights face loaded Millbrook team in John Wall opener
y Paul Durham paul@wilsontimes.com | 265-7808
The last time Greenfield School played in the John Wall Family Foundation Holiday Invitational in 2017, it turned into the Coby White show as the Knights senior broke the tournament’s then 27-year-old scoring record with 119 points in three games.
White carried the Knights to the championship game of the David West Bracket where they lost to Garner Magnet.
As Greenfield prepares for its fifth appearance in the 48th Holiday Invitational, which starts Thursday at Broughton High in Raleigh, the Knights don’t have a single player who will threaten White’s scoring record. Instead, the Knights, who won the program’s fifth North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A championship last February, boast a deep lineup in which the scoring is evenly distributed.
All five senior starters scored in double figures over the final two games of the Greenfield Christmas Tournament last week as the Knights breezed to the title.
“I love my team,” Knights head coach Rob Salter said. “We’re 15-2 and played a terrific schedule. We’re getting better every day. We’ve got some kids who have been there before.”
Indeed, several Greenfield seniors were members of the 2017-18 edition when the Knights and White were tournament darlings. Guard Dji Bailey, who has signed with Wake Forest University, is joined by classmates Creighton Lebo, Trey Pittman, Jordan Lynch and Collin Guilford, the MVP of the Greenfield Christmas Tournament.
While this Knights team has put together some impressive wins, they will likely face their toughest competition of this season, starting with Raleigh Millbrook. The Wildcats of head coach Chris Davis are 11-0 and ranked No. 1 among North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A teams.
“Our bracket’s brutal but that’s fine,” Salter said. “You get to play probably the best in the state of North Carolina in Millbrook but it’ll make us better. We’re excited. It’s a challenge.”
The Wildcats, who are averaging 82 points per game, are led by 6-foot-8 junior Will Felton, one of the top players in the class of 2021 who is averaging 20.6 points and 11.5 rebounds.
If Greenfield gets past Millbrook, the Knights will face either Durham Academy (15-2), ranked No. 9 in North Carolina in all associations and No. 3 among NCISAA 4-A teams, or Montverde (Florida) Academy, currently No. 1 in the Maxpreps.com Xcellent 25 Writers Poll. Montverde features former South Central star DayRon Sharpe, who has signed with North Carolina.
Lurking at the bottom of the David West Bracket is Farmville Central, the 2018-19 NCHSAA 2-A champion that already owns a 96-83 win over Greenfield on Nov. 30. The other teams in the West Bracket are Apex Friendship, The Patrick School (New Jersey) and host Broughton.
For Salter, there’s no point in trying to determine who his Knights will face in the second round Saturday or the final round Monday.
“All eight teams are very, very, very good, so it doesn’t matter who we play,” he said flatly.
The main reason for playing in the John Wall, Salter said, is to get better by going against some of the best teams in the state and nation.
“Our guys are getting terrific exposure at these events,” he said. “We feel like we’re one of the best teams in the state on the east side and we want to play against the best.”
y Paul Durham paul@wilsontimes.com | 265-7808
The last time Greenfield School played in the John Wall Family Foundation Holiday Invitational in 2017, it turned into the Coby White show as the Knights senior broke the tournament’s then 27-year-old scoring record with 119 points in three games.
White carried the Knights to the championship game of the David West Bracket where they lost to Garner Magnet.
As Greenfield prepares for its fifth appearance in the 48th Holiday Invitational, which starts Thursday at Broughton High in Raleigh, the Knights don’t have a single player who will threaten White’s scoring record. Instead, the Knights, who won the program’s fifth North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association 1-A championship last February, boast a deep lineup in which the scoring is evenly distributed.
All five senior starters scored in double figures over the final two games of the Greenfield Christmas Tournament last week as the Knights breezed to the title.
“I love my team,” Knights head coach Rob Salter said. “We’re 15-2 and played a terrific schedule. We’re getting better every day. We’ve got some kids who have been there before.”
Indeed, several Greenfield seniors were members of the 2017-18 edition when the Knights and White were tournament darlings. Guard Dji Bailey, who has signed with Wake Forest University, is joined by classmates Creighton Lebo, Trey Pittman, Jordan Lynch and Collin Guilford, the MVP of the Greenfield Christmas Tournament.
While this Knights team has put together some impressive wins, they will likely face their toughest competition of this season, starting with Raleigh Millbrook. The Wildcats of head coach Chris Davis are 11-0 and ranked No. 1 among North Carolina High School Athletic Association 4-A teams.
“Our bracket’s brutal but that’s fine,” Salter said. “You get to play probably the best in the state of North Carolina in Millbrook but it’ll make us better. We’re excited. It’s a challenge.”
The Wildcats, who are averaging 82 points per game, are led by 6-foot-8 junior Will Felton, one of the top players in the class of 2021 who is averaging 20.6 points and 11.5 rebounds.
If Greenfield gets past Millbrook, the Knights will face either Durham Academy (15-2), ranked No. 9 in North Carolina in all associations and No. 3 among NCISAA 4-A teams, or Montverde (Florida) Academy, currently No. 1 in the Maxpreps.com Xcellent 25 Writers Poll. Montverde features former South Central star DayRon Sharpe, who has signed with North Carolina.
Lurking at the bottom of the David West Bracket is Farmville Central, the 2018-19 NCHSAA 2-A champion that already owns a 96-83 win over Greenfield on Nov. 30. The other teams in the West Bracket are Apex Friendship, The Patrick School (New Jersey) and host Broughton.
For Salter, there’s no point in trying to determine who his Knights will face in the second round Saturday or the final round Monday.
“All eight teams are very, very, very good, so it doesn’t matter who we play,” he said flatly.
The main reason for playing in the John Wall, Salter said, is to get better by going against some of the best teams in the state and nation.
“Our guys are getting terrific exposure at these events,” he said. “We feel like we’re one of the best teams in the state on the east side and we want to play against the best.”
