Every year we try to predict who will be great in the area in all sports but this year has gotten a lot of sports fans in the area excited. This year, like last year, will lead us to a ton of talent across the area. You will be able to watch quality basketball day in and day out regardless of which team you follow.
Today’s post has local flavor. July 1, marks the beginning of the Pro/Am Basketball League sponsored by Jerry Stackhouse. The league should be action packed as always and word on the street is that Austin Rivers is on a roster and we get to witness the top talent in the country put his arsenal on display.
This year there is a new twist as the games will still be played at North Carolina Central University, but because they are now a fully accredited division one university, no high school males will be allowed to participate. The major twist this year is that a women’s league has been added as well.
My first look at a couple of the rosters has me excited to see if many of these athletes are going to show up and participate. With the impending NBA lockout and lack of a summer league, this sanctioned league may be the only avenue for a lot of stars to keep their games in good shape. I saw a roster that had John Wall and Javale McGee on it. Other big names on rosters included Kevin Durant, Raymond Felton, Danny Green, Kyle Singler, Chris Duhon, C.J. Leslie, Harrison Barnes, Kendall Marshall, and Reggie Bullock.
As North Carolina Central University is encountering its final year of transition to NCAA Division 1 athletics, a dynamic duo has emerged, lifting their basketball team from the abyss to relevant and a few seconds away from some really big upsets to major division 1 programs. Very rarely in a small college situation do you get a pair of teammates so different in their approach but so similar in their results.
North Carolina Central boasts a dynamic backcourt of C.J. Wilkerson and Landon Clement. C.J. is a slasher. The senior captain has emerged as one of the better players in the country this season. He has been on a terror the past month as he has been almost un-checkable. Earlier in the season Coach LeVelle Moton approached C.J. and told him it was time to be a leader. Coach Moton, who by the way is mostly responsible for the resurgence of NCCU Basketball, told C.J. it is time for him take the role as Batman. C.J. has embraced that role as leader of the team.