Who’s No. 1? Top teams, players? SC basketball coaches’ first rankings for new season

Lou Bezjak
·3 min read
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The South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association released its top 10 polls and players to watch for the 2023-24 basketball season.

Here are the top teams and players to keep an eye on this season:

Class 5A Boys

1. Lexington; 2. Summerville; 3. Byrnes; 4. Dorman; 5. Goose Creek; 6. TL Hanna; 7. Sumter; 8. Clover; 9. Cane Bay; 10. Blythewood

Class 5A Girls

1. Mauldin; 2. Sumter; 3. Rock Hill; 4. Summerville; 5. Spring Valley; 6. Dorman; 7. Carolina Forest; 8. Ashley Ridge; 9. Dutch Fork; 10 . Byrnes

Class 4A Boys

1. Ridge View. 2. Greer; 3. Wilson; 4. Catawba Ridge; 5. Lancaster; 6. Westside; 7. North Augusta; 8. James Island; 9. South Florence; 10. Riverside

Class 4A Girls

1. North Augusta; 2. Westwood; 3. Wade Hampton; 4. AC Flora; 5. South Pointe; 6. James Island; 7. Pickens; 8. Bluffton; 9. Hartsville; 10. Lancaster

Class 3A Boys

1. Powdersville; 2. Crestwood; 3. Wren; 4. Orangeburg-Wilkinson; 5. Travelers Rest; 6. Daniel; 7. Lower Richland; 8. Clinton; 9. North Charleston; 10. Dillon

Class 3A Girls

1. Camden; 2. Wren; 3. Lower Richland; 4. Blue Ridge; 5. Loris; 6. Walhalla; 7. Orangeburg-Wilkinson; 8. Fountain Inn; 9. Dillon; 10. Clinton

Class 2A Boys

1. Gray Collegiate; 2. Oceanside Collegiate; 3. Keenan; 4. Andrew Jackson; 5. Hampton County; 6. Woodland; 7. Landrum; 8. Marion; 9. Newberry; 10. Strom Thurmond

Gray Collegiate War Eagles Trey Maddox (3) shoots against Oceanside Collegiate Academy during the Class 2A title game at the USC Aiken Convocation Center in Aiken, SC, on March 3, 2023.
Gray Collegiate War Eagles Trey Maddox (3) shoots against Oceanside Collegiate Academy during the Class 2A title game at the USC Aiken Convocation Center in Aiken, SC, on March 3, 2023.

Class 2A Girls

1. Gray Collegiate; 2. Silver Bluff; 3. Andrew Jackson; 4. Bishop England; 5. Blacksburg; 6. Keenan; 7. Chesterfield; 8. Fairfield Central ; 9. Lee Central; 10. Oceanside Collegiate

Class A Boys

1. Christ Church; 2. Great Falls; 3. Whale Branch; 4. Denmark-Olar; 5. High Point; 6. Calhoun Falls; 7. Baptist Hill; 8. Carvers Bay; 9. Hannah-Pamplico; 10. Bethune-Bowman

Class A Girls

1. Military Magnet; 2. Denmark-Olar; 3. Carvers Bay; 4. Lake View; 5. McBee; 6. High Point; 7. Christ Church; 8. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler; 9. St Joseph’s; 10. Allendale Fairfax

Players to Watch

Elite Boys

Cam Scott, Lexington; Tre Maddox, Gray Collegiate; Josh Leonard, Wilson; Hayden Assemian, Powdersville; Jordan Watford, Lancaster; Julen Iturbe, Riverside; Braylhan Thomas, Gray Collegiate; Tristan Thompson, Wilson

Lexington High School student/athlete Cam Scott dons Texas Longhorn gear, indicating where he will player college basketball, during his commitment announcement at his high school in Lexington, SC, Friday, August 11, 2023. With him also donning Texas gear are his grandmother Eleanor Greene; mother Alisha Coles; father Armet Coles; along with younger brother Armet Coles III.

Elite Girls

Joyce Edwards, Camden; Kiara Croskey, Sumter; Raina McGowens, Wren; Delilah Solty, Mauldin; Aubrey Stevenson, Rock Hill; Quinasia Abercrombie, Wade Hampton; Terriana Gray, AC Flora

Top 5 Class 5A Senior Boys

Jaxson Prunty, Lexington; Yannick Smith, Summerville; Christian Andrews, Dorman; Jaquarious Patterson, TL Hanna; Will Fowler, Byrnes

Top Class 5A Senior Girls

De’Ashaj Crawford, Rock Hill; Dianna Blake, Ashley Ridge; Rickel Brown, Sumter; Nakiyah Kelly, Dorman; Genesis Young, Spartanburg

Top 5 Class 4A Senior Boys

Justin Ray, Eastside; Zyan Hager, Catawba Ridge; Jayden Pretty, Ridge View; Jamari Brown, South Florence; Joshua Smith, Ridge View

Top Class 4A Senior Girls

Victoria Star Morris, South Pointe; Tacoya Heyward, Bluffton; Andrea Duncan, James Island; Ahri Scott, Westside; Jasmine Frierson, Hartsville

Top 5 Class 3A Senior Boys

Alex Atkinson, Lower Richland; Keishawn Gibson, Union County; Isahiel Mackling, Camden; Drew McKibben, Travelers Rest; Lucas Towe, West Oak

Top Class 3A Senior Girls

Zikira Henderson, Blue Ridge; Ahleria Leaphart, Gilbert; Jenia Haigler, Orangeburg Wilkinson; Zamara Wilson, Loris; Marnie Baxter, Walhalla

Top 5 Class 2A Senior Boys

Ghaleb Wilson, Andrew Jackson; Travis Stickney, Oceanside Collegiate; Connor Cannon, Fox Creek; Franklin Davis, Landrum; Ellis Graham, Gray Collegiate

Top Class 2A Senior Girls

Shyrique Parker, Blacksburg; Ahmiah Taylor, Silver Bluff; Katlyn Chinn, Strom Thurmond; Kierra Diggs, Chesterfield; Izzy Woods, Bishop England

Top 5 Class A Senior Boys

DJ Harvey, Christ Church; Daquean Lewis, Calhoun Falls; Deathony Ross, High Point; Aaden Fair, Great Falls; Anthony Williams, Bamberg-Ehrhadrt

Top Class 5 Class A Senior Girls

Diana Williams, McBee; Trinity Mickell, Allendale-Fairfax; Jerchel Geathers-Washington, Carvers Bay; Alexandria Bennon, Christ Church; Gwendasia Page, Lake View