By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

10th in a series of reports on local basketball teams …

MOUNT ULLA — By West Rowan’s lofty standards, the 12-13 record compiled during the 2023-24 season was disappointing, but the silver lining was that the Falcons still went 8-1 in county games and could claim to be the county’s second-best team.

The task this season for Dadrian Cuthbertson’s crew will be to win more of their South Piedmont Conference games. The Falcons were 1-10 against the Cabarrus schools last season, with the lone victory coming in a non-conference outing against A.L. Brown.

West has subtracted quite a bit from last year’s team. Sharpshooter Will Givens  Jr. was good for 20 points a night, Kayvone Norman provided physical leadership, and Elijah Holmes offered 10 points a game and good defense. West also lost a number of reserves who got substantial minutes, including Romir Hairston, who transferred to Salisbury.

The top returners based on stats are senior Evan Kennedy (7.4 points per game) and junior Brant Graham (6.3). Kennedy is a strong athlete, while Graham is a shooter with some size.

“Evan can really defend,” Cuthbertson said. “Brant is working hard on scoring in more ways than 3-pointers. He’s talented enough to create his own shot.”

While the Falcons will need points and rebounds from Kennedy and Graham, the fate of this team may rest with the point guard-big man combination of juniors Ja’mih Tucker and Josiah Young.

“Tucker is a lot more experienced and mature now, and he’s gotten stronger and more confident since last season,” Cuthbertson said. “Young is really talented. There’s nothing he can’t do. He should have some big-time games for us.”

Tucker is a pass-first true point guard who had eight assists in West’s opener. He’ll be looking for Young, a 6-foot-7 junior who is long and can finish inside with authority. Young averaged only about 4 points per game as a sophomore, but he had 18 points and seven rebounds in West’s opening loss at Community School of Davidson.

Young isn’t the only size on the roster, but 6-foot-5 sophomore Haley McCullough is expected to miss  at least the first few weeks with injury.

West has a lot of potential help at guard.

Israel Ford is a  physical guard at 6-foot-2 and has a reputation as a tenacious defender. Jaylen “Batman” Donaldson doesn’t lack confidence and could provide scoring help. Jasiel Oglesby got some experience off the bench last season.

West also has added a number of football players recently. They provide depth and muscle.

That group includes Brennon Stevenson, Jalen Moten, Jaylen Neely, Tallon Blackwell and Addison Hunt.

Cuthbertson rates Moten as a very good shooter and all of them could make an impact.

“We’ve got a strong, physical group of guys who should be able to defend and rebound,” Cuthbertson said, “I think we can surprise some people.”