By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

Eleventh in a series of reports on local basketball teams …

SALISBURY — Wake Forest recruit Juke Harris scores 30 on his bad nights and 40 on his good ones, so new Salisbury boys basketball coach Albert Perkins is guaranteed an exciting first season.

How well Perkins can fit the pieces around the talented Harris will determine whether the Hornets can move past good and be great. Harris will be the centerpiece, but Harris can’t do it alone.

Salisbury flirted with great in 2022-23 under former coach Bryan Withers. There was a 22-6 record, a Central Carolina Conference co-championship, a CCC tourney championship, a 13-game winning streak and three playoff victories.

The Hornets accomplished all that basically with a stout junior class. Now those players are seniors.

“My job is figuring out our best rotation, figuring out how to best distribute the minutes,” Perkins said. “We’ve got a lot of talented players. It’s a shame games are only 32 minutes because it’s going to be tough finding playing time for everyone.”

Perkins has a 16-man varsity roster, and all 16 bring something to the table. That’s a dilemma, but it’s the kind of problem every high school coach would like to have. Coaches at some of the rural CCC outposts in Davidson County would love to have some of Salisbury’s third-stringers.

The Hornets had their usual solid football run — making the third round — and most of the school’s basketball players also are football players, so Perkins, who was hired in August, is getting a pretty late start. As of Monday morning, the Hornets (1-1) had played two games in a Thanksgiving tournament, but had been through only one official practice.

The 6-foot-6 Harris, who scored 29.2 points per game last season, pretty much stays in the gym, so he was ready to go when the Hornets took the court for the first time on Friday.

“Juke is stronger than I thought,” Perkins said. “He’s added weight and is close to 200 pounds now. He’ll make some 3-pointers, but what he does best is getting downhill to the rim, getting to the foul line, creating offense for his teammates.”

Braylon Taylor, a sophomore, has been the No. 2 scorer for the Hornets in the early going. He’s the younger brother of JT Taylor, who played baseball for Rowan County American Legion last summer with great distinction and is now a freshman at North Carolina A&T.

“Braylon is a combo guard who is usually playing the opposite wing from Juke,” Perkins said. “He’s a good ball-handler, a solid defender and a strong scoring threat.”

Taylor may be a more prolific second scorer than anyone the Hornets had on the roster last season. Harris was the only Hornet who averaged double figures.

Deuce Walker, the Shrine Bowl defensive back, returns as an undersized but physical forward. He’ll have a lot of 8-and-8 type of games.

“Strong and quick and an outstanding rebounder for his size,” Perkins said. “He’s not going to take a lot of jump shots, but he’s a tough driver and he’s going to get fouled a lot, so we need him to make a solid percentage from the foul line.”

Bryce Dalton, a pass-first point guard, is back. The Hornets lost Dalton halfway through last season.That hurt them some. He’s not a huge scorer, but he’s an exceptional ball-handler, passer and defender.

“He’s tenacious on the defensive end,” Perkins said.

Mike Geter is missing from the mix temporarily, but the reigning Rowan County Athlete of the Year’s absence is expected to be short-term. The quarterback got banged up quite a bit in the final football game of the season against Shelby and is still resting and healing.

“Mike came to some workouts, but we really want him to get back to being completely healthy before he starts playing,” Perkins said. “We’re anxiously awaiting his return. Everyone has raved about him as a player and a leader.”

Geter has scored 532 points for the Hornets, with a lot of double-figure outings. He also served as the main point guard after the Hornets lost Dalton last season.

Dashawn Brown, a 6-foot-3 senior defensive end who has committed to Livingstone, will bring rebounding strength and determination to the Hornets. He’s a rugged, stick-back warrior. He’s working his way back into basketball shape. Early in the season, Perkins plans on using him in bursts of two or three minutes.

Hank Webb, a 6-foot-3 junior who averaged 6.5 points in 2022-23, is a rangy shooter who can make some 3-pointers, but it’s his hustle and energy that has endeared him to Perkins in the early going.

“We had guys in position to take charges in our scrimmages, but we didn’t take any charges,” Perkins said. “As soon as we got Webb, we started taking those charges. And he’s a guy that will get on the floor for every loose ball.”

Sophomore Jon Ross is another 3-point threat. He made two in a 59-58 loss on Saturday. Ross got hot against Lexington last season and scored 21.

“Ross can shoot the ball and he’s also a really good communicator on the floor,” Perkins said.

Junior Tre Davis is another returner who contributed off the bench last season.

Juniors Keial Matthews, JD Davidson and Torian Brown are exceptional athletes who are trying to work their way into the rotation.

The Hornets also have juniors Macari House, Bo Brincefield, Tre Goodlett and Jashaun Epps. They’re all good players, but minutes might be scarce. Perkins hopes they’ll get opportunities to shine when the Hornets blow teams out.

“We’ve got a lot of good juniors, but we’re going to rely heavily on a senior class that has been around the block a few times,” Perkins said. “We’re going to be prepared to play every night. We’re facing a challenging schedule, but with a little good fortune, we’ll be all that we’ve got a chance to be.”

 

Salisbury boys

Coach: Albert Perkins (1st year)

2022-23: 22-6 overall, 11-1 1A/2A Central Carolina Conference (tied, 1st)

Playoffs: Lost to Reidsville 59-50 in fourth round of 2A playoffs

Top returners: Juke Harris, Mike Geter, Deuce Walker, Hank Webb, Bryce Dalton, Jon Ross, Dashawn Brown

Key addition: Sophomore Braylon Taylor

League: 1A/2A CCC (North Rowan, East Davidson, South Davidson, West Davidson, Lexington, Thomasville)

 

 

 

 

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