It’s November. Almost time to tip off, and the Pickin’ Splinters series featuring the incoming classes of the A-10 will get you ready.
Next in line is the Charlotte 49ers. Charlotte’s 2010-11 campaign ended with a loss to St. Joe’s 71-70 in regular season finale. Alan Major and his staff have welcomed four freshmen to campus: Pierria Henry, Victor Nickerson, Mike Thorne and Terrence Williams.
Pierria Henry 6’3″ 185lbs. G South Charleston W.VA – South Charleston
2011 W. Va. H.S. Class AAA Player of the Year runner-up. Two-time all-state performer. Scored over 1300 career points (top five all-time for Black Eagles). 2011 First Team all-State. 2011 Kanawha Valley Player of the Year; Charleston Daily Mail Player of Year. Averaged 20 pts; 12 rebs; six assists; five steals and two blocks as a senior. 2010 all-State. Averaged 16.2 points; 8.0 rebounds; 6.0 assists; 5.0 steals. Named first team all-state in football. Led Black Eagles to two state football titles; Championship game MVP as a junior. Broke Randy Moss’s record for longest TD reception in title game. Played AAU ball with West Virginia Wildcats.
What they’re saying about Henry – Bob Gibbons All Star Sports: “He’s an athletic kid. A good get for Charlotte. He will be very productive. Needs to get stronger.”
Victor Nickerson 6’7″ 200lbs. G/F Atlanta, GA. – Norcross
Keyed 2011 5A Georgia State Championship team. Honorable Mention all-state; 1st team all-Metro; 1st team all-Gwinnett County averaged 11.0 points; 7.0 rebounds; 2.2 assists and 1.4 steals. Scored team-high 15 points in title game victory over USA Today #3 Milton. Norcross rallied from 10 points down in 4th quarter. Nickerson hit game-tying three at 1:31. Four double-doubles in state tourney. Averaged 10 points; 5 rebounds as a junior (27-3; Elite 8 state tourney). Blue Devils won state title in 2008; reached Elite 8 in 2009, 2010. Played Club ball with Georgia Stars. Appeared in ESPN’s Top 100; rivals.com ranked him #133 in top 150. ESPN.com ranked him as 17th-best small forward in nation.
What they’re saying about Nickerson – Bob Gibbons/All Star Sports: “He will fit in well. He’s a talented scorer especially from the wing. I had him ranked in the Top 200 nationally. He can perform as a big guard or a small forward.”
Mike Thorne 6’10” 244lbs. C Fayetteville, N.C. – Trinity Christian
Averaged 10.8 points and 6.8 rebounds as a senior (2.0 blocks). Averaged 5.0 points and 6.2 rebounds as a junior (1.3 blocks). Stock rose playing for North Carolina Force at AAU National, summer 2010. Strong performance at Carolina Challenge, March, 2010. Ranked 24th-best center prospect by ESPN’s College Basketball Recruiting. Owns a 7-2 wing span; size 18 shoes.
What they’re saying about Thorne – Bob Gibbons/All Star Sports: “From talking with other scouts they say he has a lot potential. It is all in front of him. They need size, and it’s like the old saying ‘you can’t teach size.'”
Terrence Williams 6’4″ 188lbs. G Charlotte, N.C. – West Mecklenburg
Scored 1127 career points in high school. 2010-11: team-high 15.8 points; 3.2 steals and 2.8 assists; added 8.0 rebounds. 2011 Mountain Island Regional Player of the Year. East-West All-Star Game participant. All-State 4A by NC Prep Stars. 3rd team all-Mecklenburg County. All-MEGA 7 Conference. Other notables: McDonald’s Shoot-Out All-Tournament team, Prep All-Stars All-Tournament team, Big Shots Tournament MVP, team MVP; Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game participant.
2009-10: 24.5 points; 10.0 rebounds; 3.0 assists; 2.0 steals; 1.4 blocks. 2010 Mountain Island Regional Player of the Year. All-MEGA 7 Conference; all-Mecklenburg County. First Team Charlotte Weekly Super Team.
2008-09: 16.0 points; team’s Defensive Player of the Year. Carolina Elite AAU.
Also played football at West Meck.
What they’re saying about Williams – Brandon Jolly/Head Coach Lake Norman H.S.: “We played them in the second round of the state tournament. He has great range. He can get to the rim and also has a mid-range game. He is a difficult match-up. If he has a bigger player on him, he goes out on the perimeter. Put a smaller player on him, and he goes into the post. He scored 41 on us. Twenty of those came in the fourth when he started hitting 3s from all over the court. Defensively, he will need to work on keeping the man in front of him.”
Bob Gibbons/All Star Sports: “He will constitute the future. He has been all-state player for a couple of years. He’s got upside. It may take him a year or two, but he will help.”
Biographical information and videos courtesy of Charlotte49ers.com.
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