The upcoming high school basketball season in North Carolina, from 2023 to 2024, will officially begin on Friday evening.

Private schools in the N.C. Independent Schools Athletic Association and non-football schools in the N.C. High School Athletic Association have already begun participating in official competitions. However, the football-playing schools in the NCHSAA will commence their season on the same night as the third round of the football playoffs.

Before the season begins, here is a brief overview of important information to keep in mind. Included are links to more detailed discussions on each topic.

A Recap of the Previous Year

These are the schools that emerged as state champions in the previous season.

NCHSAA Boys

NCHSAA Girls

View the NCHSAA brackets from last year.

NCISAA Boys

• Christ School defeated Carmel Christian by a score of 53-48.

• Greensboro Day defeated Concord Academy with a score of 58-56.

• The Burlington School defeated Greenfield School with a score of 78-65.

• Northside Christian defeated United Faith Christian by a score of 64-57.

NCISAA Girls

• 4A: Rabun Gap (GA) def. Cannon School 53-43

• Concord Academy defeated High Point Christian 64-43.

• Grace Christian (Sanford) beat Wayne Country Day 88-63 in a match with 2A classification.

• Northside Christian defeated Crossroads Christian 57-37.

The Final HSOT Top 25 Rankings from Last Season

Central Cabarrus was the highest ranked team in the boys’ statewide Top 25, while Panther Creek dominated the statewide girls rankings.

The 2022-2023 HSOT All-State Teams for basketball

A number of these athletes will return to the playing field during the upcoming winter season.

Major Changes to Regulations in 2023-2024

The practice of shooting one-and-one free throws following common fouls has been eliminated. Instead, teams will now have the opportunity to take two foul shots when they enter the “bonus” situation. The bonus counter will also reset at the end of each quarter, with teams entering the bonus after their opponents have committed five fouls in a single quarter.

Previously, teams were allowed to take one free throw for every seven fouls committed by their opponents in a half. If ten fouls were committed in a half, two free throws were awarded. However, the current rule only allows for two free throw scenarios, which occur after five fouls have been committed in any quarter.

The alterations to the regulations were given the green light by the Basketball Rules Committee of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) during their yearly gathering on April 24-26 in Indianapolis.

These are the additional alterations to the regulations of basketball:

• According to Rule 2-1-3, in states that use a shot clock, the shot clock operator must be positioned at the scorer’s table.

• Rule 3-4-5 states that teammate can wear different types of uniform bottoms, as long as they are all the same color and follow the uniform regulations described in Rule 3-6-2 for logos and trademarks.

• Rule 3-5-6 addresses undershirts and allows teams to wear a single solid color or solid black for visiting teams with dark jerseys. This provides an opportunity for schools with hard-to-find colors to have all players wear a black undershirt.

• Rule 9-3-3 has been modified to permit a player to exit the playing area and re-enter without gaining any advantage. A player will only receive a penalty if they are the first to touch the ball or avoid a violation upon returning to the court.

Please refer to the following link for further information:

The Best High School Basketball Players in North Carolina

Several top high school basketball players in the country are from North Carolina. This includes the number one ranked girls prospect, Sarah Strong, as well as several 5-star prospects on the boys team. Learn more about them in the following article:

Top Boys Recruits:

Top Girls Recruits:

HSOT’s Preseason Statewide Top 25 & Area Code Rankings

According to HighSchoolOT’s preseason polls, Grace Chrsitian of Sanford holds the highest ranking among girls teams in the state, while Myers Park holds the top spot for boys teams.

In the preliminary rankings for girls’ teams divided by area codes, South Central holds the top spot in the 252 area, Bishop McGuinness leads in the 336 area, Lake Norman is ranked first in the 704 area, Watauga claims the first position in the 828 area, Cape Fear ranks first in the 910 area, and Grace Christian holds the top spot in the 919 area.

According to the latest rankings, Farmville Central is the top-ranked boys team in the 252 area code, Reidsville in the 336, Myers Park in the 704, Christ School in the 828, Richmond in the 910, and Northwood in the 919.

State

NC State has hired new head coaches.

There are more than 100 newly appointed head basketball coaches at high schools in North Carolina when the boys and girls sides are combined. You can find a comprehensive list of them at the provided link.

DC

NCDC’s Influence on Transfers

As is typical for high school basketball seasons, player transfers will greatly impact the two main athletic associations this year. There have been transfers from public to public schools, private to public schools, and public to private schools. Additionally, both traditional public and private schools have sent players to basketball-focused academies.

Here is our compilation of the largest actions:

The Player Watch Lists of HSOT.

HighSchoolOT has published player watch lists for the various area codes in the state. These lists serve as a useful reference for high school basketball enthusiasts in deciding which teams to watch during the winter season.

252 Area Code

336 Area Code

704 Area Code

828 Area Code

910 Area Code

919 Area Code

Important members coming back from the 8 teams that reached the NCHSAA Boys Final.

Players who are coming back from winning the state championship:

Players who are coming back from being state runners-up.

Source: highschoolot.com