Prep notebook: NCCA all-star games start Monday

Though two months have passed since the graduating classes of 2015 walked across stages and turned their tassels, some players’ high school careers won’t come to an end until this week’s N.C. Coaches Association East-West All-Star Games.

The yearly event takes some of the best coaches and graduated players from around the state and holds five all-star games in conjunction with various N.C. High School Athletic Association coaching clinics in Greensboro.

Four N&O players of the year will be playing in the games: Athens Drive’s Grace Hunter, Garner’s Julius Barnes, Cardinal Gibbons’ Cooper Duplantis and Wakefield’s Kat McDonald.

NCCA basketball: On Monday night, the all-star basketball teams will play in Greensboro Coliseum.

Hunter, who ended her career as Athens Drive’s all-time leading scorer (2,112 points), is one of eight Triangle players on the team. The others are Bunn’s Tainasha Vines, East Wake’s Kianna Wynn, Chapel Hill’s Raziyah Farrington, Jordan’s Salita Greene, Hillside’s Justine Lyon and two N.C. State recruits – Broughton’s Kaila Ealey and Southeast Raleigh’s Amber Richardson.

Clayton’s Marlon Lee and Hillside’s Ovester Grays are coaching the team, which tips off at 6:30 p.m. against the West.

Barnes, who led Garner to its first state championship, will play alongside Millbrook duo Robert Brown and Chris Clemons and Northern Durham’s Kentrell Barkley, an East Carolina recruit, at 8 p.m.

Soccer all-stars: These games have moved locations this year to MacPhearson Stadium in the Bryan Park Soccer Complex while UNC Greensboro has work done on its field.

Durham School of the Arts’ Amy Green will coach the East girls at 6:30 p.m.

McDonald, Millbrook’s Alexa Asher, Northern Durham’s Nicole Crutchfield, Broughton’s Allie Cutler, Panther Creek’s Rachael Everhart, Corinth Holders’ Bella Iorio and DSA’s Kendall Conder are on the East team.

Duplantis, Broughton’s Matt Brickhouse and Jack Krueger, Carrboro’s Richard Cato, Heritage’s Hunter Weiland and Corinth Holders’ Chason Karst and Aaron Lopez are on boys’ team that plays at 8:30 p.m..

Football finale: Twelve players from the greater Triangle area will play in Wednesday’s football game at Grimsley High School’s Jamieson Stadium. The game will have fireworks at halftime.

West Johnston coach Jimmy Williams said he put together the team with versatility in mind.

Garner’s Raekwon Britton and Christian Anumihe, Hillside’s Jalon Bethea and Markus Crutchfield, West Johnston’s Sam Campbell and Cameron Williams, Knightdale’s Justin Blango, Orange’s Garrett Cloer, Heritage’s Matthew Donovan, Southern Lee’s Sergio Gardner, Clayton’s Eric Hoy, Lee County’s Quinn Setzer, Northern Durham’s Trayon Smith, Millbrook’s Julian Williams, and Louisburg’s John Walker are on the East team.

Millbrook’s Clarence Inscore, South Granville’s Mike Hobgood and Louisburg’s Chris Lee are East assistant coaches.

This story was originally published July 19, 2015 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Prep notebook: NCCA all-star games start Monday."