A new era begins for Henderson Collegiate
Jun. 17—HENDERSON — For the past couple of seasons, Henderson Collegiate's men's basketball program has thrived off a selfless, up-tempo basketball scheme led by proficient shooters like Javonte Waverly and Akhiris Holden.
Although those two graduated from the school during the summer along with six other seniors, head coach George Marshall says the players on the current roster are taking the necessary steps towards filling the holes left behind by last year's leaders.
"I really like the way they look," Marshall said. "These guys have done the best job of any team in recent memory of accepting feedback. We're really stern with them when they don't meet expectations and the standards they should have for themselves, but they've bounced back from that and are committed every single day."
Marshall added that the current offseason will give the rising seniors a perfect opportunity to make strong early impressions in practices and other events since the COVID-19 pandemic prevented a normal offseason program last summer.
Expectations are high for Marshall when it comes to the performances of his returning players after they withstood the adversity brought on by the pandemic and carved out significant roles on offense and defense alongside Waverly, Holden and the rest of the seniors.
Marshall believes that some of the offensive production can come from 6-5 senior Jarrod Small, who averaged 3.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game last year but was a standout in two games last weekend.
Small "attacked the rim really well," Marshall said. "He also didn't settle for nonsense, which I thought was really good. Jarrod wasn't floating around the perimeter and was playing good, competitive basketball by getting those rebounds."
Small said consistency was a major issue for himself and his teammates as they dealt with COVID-19 restrictions, but getting back into a traditional practice schedule has given him confidence in the the program's ability to make another deep playoff run.
"I want to keep growing from last year," Small said. "We need to continue winning games that we should and shouldn't. Hopefully, we can shock a few people by letting them know that we're still here."
Outside of Small, Marshall said senior T.J. Ragland has the potential to become an efficient point guard for Henderson Collegiate after serving as the program's third-leading scorer last season while showcasing his ability to drive to the rim and hit mid-range shots.
Ragland felt comfortable embracing a leadership role with Henderson Collegiate during his junior campaign and is ready to take on more responsibilities while expanding his versatility on the court.
"I want to lead this team as the senior point guard," Ragland said. "Last year, I learned that I could really be a vocal leader and talk to my teammates to make sure that they do what they're supposed to do. I could also be loud on the court since there weren't any fans last year."
Marshall also singled out improvements from junior Ellis Williams so far during the summer and anticipates that Williams, Small and Ragland will have productive minutes throughout the offseason and on into the regular season alongside seniors Markel Lloyd, Jaedon Whitaker and Presley Hunter.
To get his players to function as one cohesive unit, Marshall has been busy scheduling tough opponents over the summer, including Wayne Country Day, which finished with a 23-3 record last season after losing to The Burlington School in the NCISAA 2A Final Four.
Marshall said challenging his players by scheduling games against top teams helped his past squads reach the NCHSAA 1A championship. He is confident a similar result can result from the strategy in the upcoming season now that COVID-19 is less of a concern.
"The only way these guys are going to grow up is if they play elite competition day in and day out," he said. "I don't care one bit about our win-loss record. What I care about is how we compete as a team. They've really produced at a high level and I've been pleasantly surprised with what I've seen so far."
The rigorous summer for Henderson Collegiate continues this weekend when the team heads to Advance, North Carolina, to take part in the N.C. Basketball Coaches Association D1 Team Camp. They will play teams that include Southern Durham, Forest Hills and West Cabarrus.
With how competitive practices have been so far, Marshall has no doubt that the energy will continue into the Team Camp starting on Friday and carry over into preparing for what he hopes will be the program's second NCHSAA 1A championship.
"We're going to do a lot of skill development and physical conditioning in the fall," Marshall said. "The more we can do that and change our bodies into being physically ready to play a 30-game season, the better off we're going to be. We're not playing for June 18, we're playing for the state title on March 12."
