Who's next up in N.C. high school basketball? Five-star recruit Mikey Williams leads the way
Chapel Fowler
The Mikey Williams spotlight just keeps getting bigger.
Williams, the 17-year-old basketball phenom and five-star 2023 recruit, already holds historic NIL deals with Excel Sports Management and Puma as he starts his junior season at Charlotte’s Vertical Academy.
Now, with the majority of North Carolina’s 2022 basketball recruits signing letters of intent this week and point guard Robert Dillingham moving to California, Williams is on an even higher pedestal. He’s the only five-star in the state, and he’s now officially on the clock for a decision about his basketball future.
Williams, the No. 2 combo guard and No. 13 overall recruit in the class of 2023 per 247Sports composite rankings, has considered a standard college route, particularly at an HBCU. He’s also a natural candidate for a non-traditional route to the NBA, such as playing for Overtime Elite or the G League Ignite team.
Read more:National Signing Day: Which UNC, Duke, NC State basketball recruits will sign this week?
Read more:How NC State, UNC and Duke made the Triangle a women's basketball recruiting hotbed
Regardless, Williams’ tangible star power and can’t-miss play will only draw more attention as he enters the back half of his career at Vertical Academy, a non-association school that plays a national schedule.
Here’s eight more junior recruits across North Carolina to keep an eye on as the basketball recruiting world, starting this week, shifts more and more towards the 2023 cycle.
PF Brandon Gardner
School: Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh)
Rankings: No. 3 in state, No. 7 at position, No. 45 overall
Prominent offers: Alabama, Memphis, Kansas, LSU, N.C. State
The skinny: A high-flying 6-7 big man who transferred into Word of God from South Carolina over the summer, Gardner should turns head this season – and his decorated offer list should only grow.
PG Jaylen Curry
School: Chambers (Charlotte)
Rankings: No. 4 in state, No. 11 at position, No. 65 overall
Prominent offers: Alabama, Florida State, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech
The skinny: Curry is a smooth 6-0 lefty point guard with USA Basketball experience whose recruiting heated up this summer. He missed most of his sophomore year with injury, so expect a big junior jump.
PG Silas Demary Jr.
School: Liberty Heights Athletic Institute (Charlotte)
Rankings: No. 4 in state, No. 24 at position, No. 105 overall (Top247)
Prominent offers: Providence, Texas A&M, VCU, Wichita State
The skinny: Demary, a rangy 6-4 guard who won Millbrook a state championship this spring, has already improved his college scholarship opportunities after transferring and reclassifying from 2022 to 2023.
SF Comeh Emuobor
School: Ravenscroft School (Raleigh)
Rankings: No. 5 in state, No. 28 at position, No. 120 overall
Prominent offers: Illinois, South Carolina, South Florida, Virginia Tech
The skinny: Emuobor, a 6-5 wing and all-state junior at Ravenscroft, worked his way onto college radars this summer as a top contributor for Team CP3’s 16-and-under AAU squad in events such as Peach Jam.
C Michael Nwoko
School: The Burlington School
Rankings: No. 6 in state, No. 16 at position, No. 135 overall
Prominent offers: ECU, Houston, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
The skinny: Nwoko, a 6-10 TBS transfer, is already drawing rave reviews for his aggressive dunks and defense. He debuted as a three-star recruit last month after picking up Division I offers all summer.
SF Jakwon Moore
School: Word of God Christian Academy (Raleigh)
Rankings: No. 7 in state, No. 25 at position, No. 116 overall (Top247)
Prominent offers: LSU, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest
The skinny: Combined with Gardner, the 6-5 Moore should give Word of God a potent duo. His “college-ready frame” and improved jump shot have already made him a frequent SEC and ACC target as of late.
SG Jaydon Young
School: Greensboro Day School
Rankings: No. 7 in state, No. 32 at position, No. 152 overall
Prominent offers: Charlotte, Elon, Texas A&M, Virginia Tech
The skinny: Young averaged an efficient 11.8 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a sophomore in Greensboro Day’s stalwart basketball program – and he now has growing ACC interest to show for it.
SG Treymane Parker
School: Vertical Academy (Charlotte)
Rankings: No. 9 in state, No. 36 at position, No. 175 overall
Prominent offers: N.C. A&T, Kentucky Christian
The skinny: Parker, a former Cape Fear High standout, doesn’t have many offers. But he’s certainly putting himself in position for more by starring alongside Williams in the Vertical Academy backcourt.
Worth noting
6-5 Word of God SF Truman Claytor (FIU, Eastern Kentucky, Radford)
6-5 Word of God SG Freddie Dilione (LSU, VCU, Wake Forest)
6-9 Combine Academy C Mekhi Grant (Cincinnati, N.C. State, Wichita State)
6-7 Burlington School SF Avion Pinner (Coastal Carolina, LSU, Texas A&M)
6-5 Christ School SF Emmanuel Richards (Ohio, Presbyterian, Western Carolina)
6-7 Northside Christian SF Wesley Tubbs III (Cincinnati, N.C. State, Virginia Tech)
Chapel Fowler is a recruiting reporter for The Fayetteville Observer and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him by email at cfowler@gannett.com or on Twitter at @chapelfowler.