Trio of prep basketball all-star contests highlight weekend
Kinston’s Judah McBynum will participate in the Craven County Classic and 252 Classic this weekend. Photo by Linda Whittington / Neuse News
Kinston’s Samantha Lee is playing in the Craven County Classic Saturday at West Craven High School. Photo by William ‘Bud’ Hardy / Neuse News
For a handful of local stalwarts, this will be their last weekend for high school basketball.
There are three showcases set, with Saturday’s Fab 40 being one of them. The event will be held at Grace Christian in Sanford, with 40 players — among them Greene Central’s Jekael Gay and Donte Johnson — all playing with college coaches and representatives in attendance. The event is free to the public, but donations are appreciated.
On the same day, the 23rd annual Craven County Classic will commence at West Craven High School. The girls’ game starts at 1 p.m. and the boys will follow around 2:45. Kinston’s Samantha Lee and South Lenoir’s Taniejah Mitchell will play in the girls’ contest, with Ayden-Grifton’s Jordan Atkinson and James Richardson, along with Kinston’s Judah McBynum, playing in the boys’ game.
“It’s really a great opportunity to have one more high school game and honor these great kids,” West Craven coach and athletic director David Fernandez said. “We’re glad to do this with Carolina Orthopedics and it’ll be a great day of basketball.
“We’re fortunate we haven’t needed to reach out too far and can give senior stars of Lenoir, Greene, Craven, Onslow and Beaufort County one more stage locally.”
Greene Central’s Imajae Dodd is playing in Sunday’s 252 Classic and participating in the slam dunk contest. Photo by William ‘Bud’ Hardy / Neuse News
Admission is $8 for the Classic and pits Craven County schools against the rest of the area.
“It just worked out this year because the senior numbers were solid enough for us to put a team together,” Fernandez said. “It adds a little flavor for Craven County and brings a little bit more pride here.”
On Sunday, the 252 Classic High School Senior All-Star Game is set for 6 p.m. at Wilson Fike High School. Richardson will play for Team Gold, along with Greene Central’s Imajae Dodd, and Team Black has Johnson, McBynum and North Lenoir’s De’shaun Kee.
Dodd will also participate in the slam dunk contest.
Admission is $10 and children from elementary school and under are $5. Advanced tickets can be found at teampowerfoundation.com.