What I learned from the Charlotte leg of my Open Gym Tour

Coming off a weekend where I was in the DMV and Richmond, Virginia, I spent yesterday in Charlotte, North Carolina. In fact, yesterday, I was with Virginia Tech’s Mike Young and Kevin Giltner and Wake Forest’s Steve Forbes and BJ McKie for a majority of the day.

Our ‘group’ made three stops in the Charlotte area. This was not planned, but the way the times of the practices fell, it made sense to get the most bang for your buck. I talk with both of these staffs regularly, but it was interesting to sit back and watch them in action. How they talked with the coaches, the players, and the parents. That might be another piece for another time.

But for today, here is a recap of what I saw.

Lincolnton (NC) Combine Academy

This was the day’s first stop as they started at 12:30. Combine Academy has three teams that all practiced together. Their national team, coached by Mike Wright, will start the season ranked among the top 25 in the country. VCU, College of Charleston, and Western Carolina joined Wake Forest and Virginia Tech at the open gym.

They are led by four-star point guard Silas Demary, Jr. On3’s No. 61 ranked player in the 2023 class was the best player on the floor. In fact, Demary’s performance might have been the best I have seen since travel ball ended in July.

The 6-foot-5 lead guard was fresh off a visit to NC State, his second senior year official visit. Steve Forbes and BJ McKie were joined by VCU assistant coach Jamal Brunt to watch the show Demary put on. The pace was unmatched, never rushed. The shot-making was high-level; from all three levels on the floor, Demary confidently stepped into his shots. In fact, as I was walking out, the coaches brought over the shot chart from practice to show us that Demary only missed one shot in an hour and a half of scrimmages.

Demary is one of the premier perimeter defenders in the country. His play on the day had Steve Forbes on the sideline yelling, “winner!”

While Demary is the heart and soul of this team, their top prospect is the 2024 five-star Trentyn Flowers. Despite Flowers being sidelined with an injury for another couple of weeks, coaches are still coming by to see him. Mike Young was in for Flowers and Forbes as well. Louisville, Georgetown, Georgia Tech, Tennessee, and Oklahoma have all been in to see him as well.

The breakout player of the season, not only for Combine Academy but for the state of North Carolina, might be 2024 Rakease Passmore. The 6-foot-5 wing’s explosion has always been highlight reel worthy, but he is turning into a basketball player. Passmore shot the ball at a high clip and showed ability off one and two dribbles to get to his spots on the floor.

While On3 does not currently have Passmore in our 2024 class rankings, his development through the summer has put him squarely in the conversation to enter for the next update. Young offered Passmore after this practice. Wake Forest was Passmore’s first high major offer back in September of 2021. Tennessee, Oklahoma, and Georgia Tech have also been in to watch.

An x-factor to watch for Combine this season is 6-foot-6 Richmond commit Collin Tanner. The wing has a smooth shooting stroke with range, size, and toughness on the boards.

Charlotte (NC) Myers Park High

Myers Park is just over an hour away from Combine Academy. So the 4:00 PM start time allowed me just enough time to spot by Chick-Fil-A. The spicy chicken sandwich meal was my first time eating during the day and did just the trick. Western Carolina, Ole Miss, and Winthrop joined Wake Forest and Virginia Tech in the gym.

The Myers Park roster is loaded with talent. To no one watching’s surprise, on this day, top-50 ranked 2024 Bishop Boswell was the most impressive in the gym. The 6-foot-4, long-armed Boswell is a tough and gritty point guard. Boswell played the scrimmage sessions with great pace, touching the paint often but always making the right read. He went through the drill session of the open gym as a vocal leader, helping the younger or new players along.

Boswell is a big-time point-of-attack defender. His quickness hurds the ball handler where he wants him to go, and his toughness blows up screens and keeps the ball in front. Boswell also made shots throughout the practice. At each level, he was effective and confident, and in the drills, his misses were few and far between. Steve Forbes talked with Boswell for a good 20 minutes after practice.

Mike Young, Forbes, and Ole Miss were all there to see 2024, Sir Mohammed. The 6-foot-6 wing is the son of former NBA’er Nazr Mohammed, and a unique talent. Mohammed played primarily point guard through this practice, which makes sense as his best skill is probably his passing. With his dad standing 6-foot-10, there is a curiosity about how tall Sir will get to; even at if he reaches 6-foot-8, it probably changes the trajectory of his future.

The most intriguing long-term prospect on the floor was 6-foot-6/6-foot-7 sophomore, Sadiq White. The long-armed, high-flying forward always seemed to be around the ball. Some of the coaches were suggesting he reminded them of Stacy Augman. One coach even noted that if White continues to grow, he could be like a Josh Smith. Now, both of those players played in the league for numerous years, and White is just starting his recruitment process, but watch and see how he develops. Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Georgia, Texas A&M, and others have already offered.

With all the aforementioned talent, the 2023 Wofford commitment Elijah Strong might lead this team in both scoring and rebounding. The 6-foot-6, thick-bodied forward has a high basketball IQ and simply knows how to get things done on the floor. Myers Park will play in the City of Palms this year.

Matthews (NC) Carmel Christian

Carmel Christian started at 6:15 and was about a 20-minute drive from Myers Park. Just enough time to catch up on a couple of phone calls and grab some gas. Just a side note, Carmel Christian has one of the aesthetic gyms in North Carolina; some of the coaches on the sidelines were saying how it reminded them of an NBA practice facility. Wake Forest and Virginia Tech were joined by Vanderbilt, Cornell, and the Citadel.

2024 No. 43 Jaeden Mustaf was the one the high majors and I were in to see. The 6-foot-5 guard transferred in this summer from Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha Catholic. Playing up in age, Mustaf was named the MVP of the Adidas 3SSB Circuit championship game in July. He now carries around 20 offers with Florida State and Indiana coming in prior to the three schools on this night.

Mustaf is a strong-framed guard. He is aggressive when attacking the paint, but he shows balance and vision, even with a head of steam. Toughness is what talking about when walking away from watching him play. He has an innate toughness to him that acts as a competitive will to win. He also comes by his basketball talent honestly; his father, Jerrod Mustaf, was a first-round pick in 1990.

Mustaf brought the coaches, and we know be will bring the production, but the reason this team could go back-to-back is because of 6-foot-5 forward Bryce Cash. The cross town transfer who brought Cornell and Citadel this open gym, is as good a defender as you will find in the region. Switchable from the one through the four, Cash is a true difference maker on that end.

Cash also has some offensive versatility, whether he’s attacking the rim in straight lines or initiating offense as a secondary wing initiator. The common thing said among coaches on the sidelines, ”He helps you win championships at the next level.”

This open gym had players for coaches at every level. Other D-I players on this roster include 2023 point guard Khamani Wertz (younger brother of Trey Wertz), 6-10 2023 C Kaleb Siler, 6-8 2024 PF Michael Marcus, and 6-1 2023 G Boston Smith (son of former Carolina Panther Steve Smith). Carmel Christian is the defending North Carolina Independent Schools Athletic Association AAAA state champion.