3 things to know as Northwood Temple takes aim at back-to-back NCISAA basketball titles
Rodd Baxley
The Fayetteville Observer
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0:53
It’s been almost nine months since the Northwood Temple Academy boys’ basketball team claimed its first state championship in program history.
“A long time, man,” said third-year coach James Strong, whose team earned a 47-44 win against the Burlington School in the NCISAA 1-A state title game on Feb. 22 in Charlotte.
“It feels good for the kids that have been here for a while and have had a really good high school career. They can walk away and say they’ve done something that not a lot of folks have done at Northwood. There’s been a lot of good players come through here. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be the head coach.”
That celebration, led by departed star Reggie Raynor, featured photographs and medals without a mask in sight.
With Raynor beginning his first year at UNC Greensboro and the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to cause problems across the nation, junior Jaquantae Harris and senior Manny Sepulveda will be tasked with helping the Eagles navigate an unusual season that they hope to end with a second consecutive crown.
Being a senior in 2020, Sepulveda said, has come with additional stress.
“Even though this virus is trying to stop everything, we just try to keep pushing,” he added. “You can see now, we barely have any fans. We just have to keep going. … We make sure that we have our masks on in and out of the building.
"This COVID season is really crazy. We’ve never experienced anything like this before, so we just have to prepare for it.”
Here are three things to know about the Eagles as they begin their quest for back-to-back state championships:
Jaquantae Harris is the real deal
After a spectacular season that saw him earn player of the year honors in the NCISAA Sandhills Conference, Reggie Raynor handed the keys to junior guard Jaquantae Harris.
Harris — who averaged 14.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.4 steals as a sophomore — currently has offers from seven Division I programs. East Carolina, LSU and Tulsa are among the teams courting Harris, a heady 6-foot-1 guard with the ability to facilitate and score in bunches.
Fully recovered from a meniscus injury in his right knee, Harris said “it’s been a grueling process” to get back on the court.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “It’s a mind thing. I’m just building the confidence back.”
As the scholarship offers continue to pile up, Harris has tried to keep his eyes in front with a focus on the day-to-day grind.
“I just stay humble and act like I don’t have any (offers),” he said. “I act like I’m working hard just to get to my first one, working as hard as I did to get that first one.”
After all, his main goal is to end this season like the Eagles did in February.
“Just having a big chip on our shoulder this upcoming season,” he added. “We worked hard all of last year for it. This year, we’re coming back for another one.”
‘Best team I’ve had’
Six of the 11 players on Northwood Temple’s current roster are listed on the state championship banner hanging inside the Eagles’ gym.
Harris and Sepulveda are the headliners among those returners for the Eagles, who earned a 77-51 win against New Life Christian Academy on Tuesday night.
All 11 players ended the game with at least three points for a team stocked with talent.
“Realistically, this team may be the best team I’ve had,” Strong said. “I’ve got some young guys, we have a lot of depth, and I’ve got nine guys that I can play on any given night.”
Seniors Yohann Axel-Sam and Angel Dean, who play significant minutes as returners, will be joined in the frontcourt by Village Christian transfer Julian Williams and Wilmington’s Bradlee Wolf.
In the backcourt, Harris and Sepulveda will team up with Hoggard transfer Brady Rankin, one of the top shooters in southeastern North Carolina.
“Manny has been a super player for us so far for us this year and Jaquantae’s just getting his legs back under him,” Strong said.
“We’ll see how things play out, but I’m excited about the season. I think we have some good pieces and it’s all about the chemistry. It’s going to take a while with that.”
Rankin goes from public to private
Northwood Temple Academy is roughly two hours from Hoggard High School.
But the chance to play made that trip from Wilmington a lot smoother for senior Brady Rankin, who chose to take the private route because of the unknown surrounding a season for public schools due to the pandemic.
“I think just being skeptical about if there was going to be a season at public schools,” Rankin said, “we decided to come up here and play because it’s a great program and Coach Strong is a great coach.”
Rankin suited up for his first game with the Eagles on Tuesday.
“It’s been a really short time, but they’re really competitive and they play really hard on defense,” Rankin said of his new squad. “It’s great to be around them.”
Known as a sharpshooter, Rankin did most of his damage in transition Tuesday against the Monarchs.
Strong, who said Rankin is just “trying to get the dust off,” is confident the shooting stroke won’t be a problem as the season progresses.
As a junior, Rankin averaged 16.3 points per game and shot 39 percent from behind the arc for Hoggard en route to earning all-conference honors.
“I think with finding my groove — I’ve only got to practice one time with the team — I started out really slow but I just need to see one basket go in,” Rankin said.
“I think the future is going to be really good with this team.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
Rodd Baxley
The Fayetteville Observer
0:00
0:53
It’s been almost nine months since the Northwood Temple Academy boys’ basketball team claimed its first state championship in program history.
“A long time, man,” said third-year coach James Strong, whose team earned a 47-44 win against the Burlington School in the NCISAA 1-A state title game on Feb. 22 in Charlotte.
“It feels good for the kids that have been here for a while and have had a really good high school career. They can walk away and say they’ve done something that not a lot of folks have done at Northwood. There’s been a lot of good players come through here. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be the head coach.”
That celebration, led by departed star Reggie Raynor, featured photographs and medals without a mask in sight.
With Raynor beginning his first year at UNC Greensboro and the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to cause problems across the nation, junior Jaquantae Harris and senior Manny Sepulveda will be tasked with helping the Eagles navigate an unusual season that they hope to end with a second consecutive crown.
Being a senior in 2020, Sepulveda said, has come with additional stress.
“Even though this virus is trying to stop everything, we just try to keep pushing,” he added. “You can see now, we barely have any fans. We just have to keep going. … We make sure that we have our masks on in and out of the building.
"This COVID season is really crazy. We’ve never experienced anything like this before, so we just have to prepare for it.”
Here are three things to know about the Eagles as they begin their quest for back-to-back state championships:
Jaquantae Harris is the real deal
After a spectacular season that saw him earn player of the year honors in the NCISAA Sandhills Conference, Reggie Raynor handed the keys to junior guard Jaquantae Harris.
Harris — who averaged 14.5 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 2.4 steals as a sophomore — currently has offers from seven Division I programs. East Carolina, LSU and Tulsa are among the teams courting Harris, a heady 6-foot-1 guard with the ability to facilitate and score in bunches.
Fully recovered from a meniscus injury in his right knee, Harris said “it’s been a grueling process” to get back on the court.
“I’m feeling good,” he said. “It’s a mind thing. I’m just building the confidence back.”
As the scholarship offers continue to pile up, Harris has tried to keep his eyes in front with a focus on the day-to-day grind.
“I just stay humble and act like I don’t have any (offers),” he said. “I act like I’m working hard just to get to my first one, working as hard as I did to get that first one.”
After all, his main goal is to end this season like the Eagles did in February.
“Just having a big chip on our shoulder this upcoming season,” he added. “We worked hard all of last year for it. This year, we’re coming back for another one.”
‘Best team I’ve had’
Six of the 11 players on Northwood Temple’s current roster are listed on the state championship banner hanging inside the Eagles’ gym.
Harris and Sepulveda are the headliners among those returners for the Eagles, who earned a 77-51 win against New Life Christian Academy on Tuesday night.
All 11 players ended the game with at least three points for a team stocked with talent.
“Realistically, this team may be the best team I’ve had,” Strong said. “I’ve got some young guys, we have a lot of depth, and I’ve got nine guys that I can play on any given night.”
Seniors Yohann Axel-Sam and Angel Dean, who play significant minutes as returners, will be joined in the frontcourt by Village Christian transfer Julian Williams and Wilmington’s Bradlee Wolf.
In the backcourt, Harris and Sepulveda will team up with Hoggard transfer Brady Rankin, one of the top shooters in southeastern North Carolina.
“Manny has been a super player for us so far for us this year and Jaquantae’s just getting his legs back under him,” Strong said.
“We’ll see how things play out, but I’m excited about the season. I think we have some good pieces and it’s all about the chemistry. It’s going to take a while with that.”
Rankin goes from public to private
Northwood Temple Academy is roughly two hours from Hoggard High School.
But the chance to play made that trip from Wilmington a lot smoother for senior Brady Rankin, who chose to take the private route because of the unknown surrounding a season for public schools due to the pandemic.
“I think just being skeptical about if there was going to be a season at public schools,” Rankin said, “we decided to come up here and play because it’s a great program and Coach Strong is a great coach.”
Rankin suited up for his first game with the Eagles on Tuesday.
“It’s been a really short time, but they’re really competitive and they play really hard on defense,” Rankin said of his new squad. “It’s great to be around them.”
Known as a sharpshooter, Rankin did most of his damage in transition Tuesday against the Monarchs.
Strong, who said Rankin is just “trying to get the dust off,” is confident the shooting stroke won’t be a problem as the season progresses.
As a junior, Rankin averaged 16.3 points per game and shot 39 percent from behind the arc for Hoggard en route to earning all-conference honors.
“I think with finding my groove — I’ve only got to practice one time with the team — I started out really slow but I just need to see one basket go in,” Rankin said.
“I think the future is going to be really good with this team.”
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com.
