By Mike London
mike.london@salisburypost.com

Third in a series of reports on local basketball teams …

CHINA GROVE — This is Carson’s 18th boys basketball season, which means it’s also head coach Brian Perry’s 18th.

Perry is one of the veterans and one of the good guys. Carson’s second win this season will be the 200th of his head-coaching career.

He’s been patient with bad teams. He’s over-achieved with decent teams. He’s pushed the occasional great teams that he’s coached as far as they could go.

This looks like one of Perry’s better teams, definitely one of the deeper ones, but in the South Piedmont Conference you can be good and still finish seventh.

Central Cabarrus proved last March that it wasn’t just one of the best teams in the state, it was one of the best in the country. Robinson, 2A state champ in 2022 and a 22-7 team last season, joins the SPC and elevates it some more. Concord always brings athletes and intensity to the court. West Rowan, Northwest Cabarrus and Lake Norman Charter are solid year in and year out.

“Anytime you go down Interstate 85, it’s tough,” Perry said. “That was the case when we had Cox Mill and Hickory Ridge in the SPC, and it’s still the case now. Central Cabarrus graduated good players, but they’ve still got the (Daniel) twins, they still have the MVP of the state championship game (DJ Kent), and they’ve added a 6-foot-9 kid. They’re the favorite, but all the Cabarrus schools are good. Lake Norman Charter is good. West, East and South are county rivals. We know there won’t be any easy games.”

Carson came close to making the playoffs last season, even with an 11-14 record, because the Cougars’ strength of schedule was solid. The Cougars won only three conference games in the regular season, and they have to do better there. After losing to West Rowan three times during the regular season, the Cougars finally did beat the Falcons in last season’s SPC tournament.That was their best victory of the season.

“I think we were the first team out, as far as making the 3A playoffs,” Perry said. “So making the playoffs. that’s where it has to start for us. That’s a realistic goal for this season.”

Perry, who was quite a player in the early 1990s at East Rowan and Catawba College, has lasted long enough to coach his own son. Freshman CP Perry, a guard with a versatile game, is going to be a player.

CP’s talented classmates include Drew Neves, a skilled and still growing 6-foot-4 post player, and Jacob Mills, a crafty scorer and deadly 3-point marksman. They played varsity ball together last season as eighth-graders at Rockwell Christian. Rockwell Christian had a sensational season, but it’s not like the RC Chargers were playing Central Cabarrus and Concord.

“They’ve played a lot of basketball, but they’re freshmen,” Perry said. “There are going to be some tough nights for them in the SPC, but when they do have a rough night, we’ll sit down, we’ll talk about it, figure it out and try to get better. Those three kids are going to be very good players, but this is a growing year for them.”

The freshmen will have a chance to learn. Carson graduated four good seniors, but there is a solid nucleus returning. The trio of Jonah Drye, Colin Ball and Jay McGruder will be counted on to provide a lot of the scoring punch. They are returning starters.

“We’re going to lean on those three,” Perry said.

Drye averaged 12.2 points as a sophomore. He’s a point guard who can shoot. His two biggest scoring games were against county opponents last season. He had 27 against East Rowan and 25 against South Rowan.

“He can score and handle the ball and he’s more vocal this year, a really good leader,” Perry said. “He’s really helped out the young guys.”

Colin Ball is only a junior, although he’s been around for a while. He was a key player for the Cougars as a varsity freshman. He can play the small forward or off guard. He can score in bunches and he can rebound.

Ball had an awesome stretch last year in which he scored 74 points in a three-game explosion against West Rowan, Lake Norman Charter and North Rowan, but he cooled off after that. He averaged 9.3 points per game for the season.

“He had that hot stretch, and then he started drawing a lot more defensive attention,” Perry said. “But I think we’ll have more scoring options this season. Hopefully, we can take some of the pressure off him.”

McGruder isn’t a guy the Cougars run plays for, but he gets points as a strong-willed offensive rebounder and as a rugged finisher in the paint. He’s undersized for a power forward, but he’s tough enough to succeed against taller players. He averaged 8.3 points and was dynamic in the Christmas tournament. He scored 34 in Carson’s two games.

“Jay can run like crazy and he’ll get his offensive rebounds and he’ll guard a 6-foot-7 guy when we need him to,” Perry said.

Transfers are expected to help and will make Carson much deeper than usual.

Junior Nick Williams, a transfer from West Charlotte, is 6-foot-6 and will give the Cougars some size. He’s long and is a potential shot-blocker.

Senior Chasen Hall is another former Rockwell Christian player and scored 1,000 points there. Like Perry and Mills, he made the All-Carolina Christian Conference team.

Maverick Walters is a name sports fans already know because he pitched for the Rowan County American Legion team before he was in high school. The sophomore is a transfer from Gray Stone and is a smooth left-handed shooter.

Also back for the Cougars are many of last season’s reserves. They’ll provide valuable experience.

DJ Williams is a non-stop energy guy, an athlete who is expected to play an important role off the bench.

Tristen McBride is still going to be involved with football some since he’s playing in the December East-West All-Star Game.  But when he’s available he’s going to provide a large, physical body. and he’s willing to bang in the post. He’s a potential D-I signee in football.

Corbin Hales is known more for baseball, but he’s a heady point guard who can direct the team. He’ll get some minutes.

“We’re excited about this group,” Perry said. “There are going to be good nights and bad nights. We’ve just got to remember it’s a growth process.”

 

CARSON BOYS

Coach: Brian Perry (18th season, 198-227)

2022-23: 11-14 overall, 3-11 3A South Piedmont Conference (tied, 6th)

Playoffs: Did not make playoffs

Top returners: Jonah Drye, Colin Ball, Jay McGruder

Key additions: strong freshmen class

League: 3A SPC (Robinson, South Rowan, East Rowan, West Rowan, Lake Norman Charter, NW Cabarrus, Central Cabarrus, Concord)