Lincoln Vinson is starting as a freshman, and he’s Cannon’s ‘most competitive’ player

After two practices this summer, Cannon’s coaching staff knew it might have found its point guard of the future.

Lincoln Vinson, a 6-foot-1 freshman, enrolled at the Concord-based school after a standout season in middle school at Lake Norman Christian. Always a strong shooter, his ability to pass the ball and be aggressive on defense stood out just as much.

So Vinson quickly started sharing the court with the likes of University of Miami commit Austin Swartz and Jaylen Clagett. He was inserted into the Cougars’ starting rotation early on and frequently scores in double figures for the perennial contender that won 28 games and a conference title last year.

“You can see all these other people — I mean, go to Jalen Brunson, he’s dropping 50,” Vinson said about the New York Knicks’ sharpshooter who is about his height. “Use that size against you. You want to be bigger, stronger, faster? I can do this better than you, I can do that better than you. Use every little advantage you have to have the biggest effect on your team.”

Vinson, who was recognized as The Charlotte Observer’s boys’ athlete of the week as an eighth-grader at Lake Norman Christian, played both basketball and baseball throughout his life. He started to focus more on the former as he appreciated its fast-paced aspects, and has solely played on the hardwood for the last two years.

He helped give Cannon (13-6) a chance in Friday’s 73-71 overtime loss in the John Wall Invitational. The Cougars, who ranked No. 6 in The Charlotte Observer’s latest Sweet 16 poll, trailed Reidsville by as many as 22 points early.

Despite not producing the gaudiest stat line — just six points on a pair of 3-pointers along with an assist — his presence was evident on both sides of the ball, and it helped fuel Cannon’s comeback.

“[Vinson‘s] our most competitive kid,” Cannon head coach Che Roth said Friday. “As a freshman, he’s far exceeded his age. ... He knows the game from an IQ standpoint extremely well. He’s really, really poised — and the good part is he’s extremely coachable. He’s got an uber-high ceiling.

”His best basketball is the next two months. But he’s literally gone from playing the No. 1 team in the country and having to battle against high-major after high-major to rolling teams by 40 and everything in between. He’ll be battle-tested by the time we start conference play.”

The Cougars chipped away throughout the second half and kept it around a two-score game for most of the fourth quarter. They kept hoisting 3-pointers as time wound down. Most weren’t falling, but Cannon kept getting its chances.

With just over two minutes left, Vinson pulled up for an open jumper from behind the arc and knocked it down, trimming the deficit to 67-64.

Cannon hit a pair of free throws with roughly a minute left to make it a one-point game. Vinson continued guarding Reidsville’s point guard closely and poked the ball away from him, but the referees called a foul on Vinson, to the dismay of the Cougars’ bench.

“The dude’s not hurt for confidence, which you can’t coach,” Roth said. “He’s an incredible kid. He’s really smart, he’s a great locker room guy, he’s really good on campus. So he’s the total package.”

The shortest player in the Cougars’ starting five, Vinson is known as an unselfish player who gets the ball into his teammates’ hands — and can attack the rim himself if need be.

That was evident Friday.

Early in the game, Vinson made an impressive defensive steal in the backcourt. He maneuvered through traffic as he charged forward, splitting a pair of Reidsville defenders to create more open space, then lobbed the ball down low.

The pass, which led to a basket, looked like it could have been a failed buzzer-beater attempt. But Vinson quickly noticed a teammate open near the rim and got the ball into his hands.

“Passing’s always been a great thing of mine,” Vinson told The Observer. “I’m a very unselfish player. I don’t want to be cocky, but that’s a thing I’ve always been good at. Just finding the open guy; Finding the best shot.”

Gracing the Broughton High court before a packed crowd in the same white jerseys as Swartz and Clagett, Vinson simply tries to play his own game and not take over what his teammates are trying to do. He knows his teammates trust him, and he feeds off their energy.

And as a guard for Cannon, he has big shoes to fill. Previous Observer Players of the Year Jairus Hamilton and Jaden Bradley were bringing the ball up the floor for the Cougars before Swartz, and soon, Vinson.

Said Roth: “[Vinson] will be the next elite guard in North Carolina. He’s just got that ‘it’ factor.”