The Greater N.C. Pro-Am, a summer basketball league featuring NBA players, top high schoolers and current and incoming college players, officially starts tonight on the campus of North Carolina Central.
A few players from our area will be making an impact including high schoolers Cameron Walton of Cary Academy and Middle Creek teammates Jon Moore and Quinton Ray.
Marques Oliver, senior, Panther Creek basketball; Brandon Oliver, senior, Panther Creek basketball
Panther Creek twins Marques and Brandon Oliver have officially signed with Delaware State.
The twins are fraternal, and their games and positions differ greatly. Marques is a 6-6 power forward who was the Catamounts' second scoring option behind Auburn signee Earnest Ross.
Brandon is a 6-foot point guard who averaged a modest four points per game, but like his brother, received first-team All-Tri-Eight Conference honors after the season.
It was widely known that the twins wanted to attend the same university and play ball together. Now they can do so in Division I in the MEAC (which is the same conference as North Carolina A&T).
The Catamounts, who finished the year 28-3, now have three players in Division I ball. The Tri-Eight Conference, which also boasted Garrius Adams (Miami/Middle Creek High), Josh Davis (N.C. State/Athens Drive High), Tom Tankelewicz (Charleston Southern/Middle Creek High) and Ross, now had six Division I players in the league last year.
Add that to former players Yorel Hawkins (Fairfield/Apex High), Marcus Kitts (William & Mary/Middle Creek High), Evan Neisler (Drexel/Cary High) and there will be NINE players in Division I ball next year who hail from the Tri-Eight Conference.
Lewis McAlister, senior, Apex football
Head coach Bob Wolfe confirmed this week that the Tri-Eight Defensive Player of the Year, defensive tackle Lewis McAlister, will continue playing football at Davidson College next season.
McAlister makes it six Apex players from last year's 10-4 team that will be playing in college next year, joining defensive teammates Joshua Cunningham (DL, Johnson C. Smith), Josh Powell (DB, Campbell), Joey Powell (DB, Campbell) as well as Kevin Fogg (RB, Liberty) and Houston Hawley (QB, Cornell).
A seventh player, wide receiver/tight end Rob Fronk, will be attending Hargrave Military Academy next year before choosing a college the following season.
In this edition of "On the Recruiting Front," see what D-I college is ready to scout Panther Creek basketball player Marques Oliver, what Big Ten team is checking in on Cary wrestling's Eloheim Palma, and what Ivy League school Gabe Brotzman, also of Cary wrestling, will be going to next year.
CARY — It was your typical Panther Creek-Middle Creek affair.
Which is the Tri-Eight Conference's equivalent of the UNC-Duke rivalry.
A packed gym with both schools well represented and both sides fired up. Two of the top teams in the state. Panther Creek even wheeled out its marching band for the first time.
The host Catamounts shut down Garrius Adams and Tom Tankelewicz and grabbed control of the conference with a 60-48 win Friday.
