The phrase “some records aren’t meant to be broken” is strange. While often coined as a term of respect for the past generations and historical context, all records are meant to be broken. That being said, the difficulty required can certainly vary from one historical feat to the next. Most people have accepted that Rasheed Wallace’s 41 technical fouls (in a single season) won’t be broken, but it’s not due to a lack of ability. Many people feel the same about JamesOn Curry’s NCHSAA scoring record (even though Coby White surpassed that mark in the NCISAA). However, it appears LJ Smith will have the opportunity to challenge several records—both this season and during the foreseeable future.
Anyone plugged into North Carolina basketball should already be well-informed of everything Smith has done since entering the high school scene. If not for an untimely injury last year (missing 12 of 28 games), Smith would’ve absolutely shattered the NCHSAA freshman points record set by Lamont Robinson (685 points in 2010-11). He sat at 515 points with 12 games sidelined. Quick math states even if he were under his scoring average of 32, he would’ve outpaced the previous record by nearly 200 points. This season, he’s sitting at 396 points (36 PPG) through 11 games. Again, even if he lessens his scoring average to 30 PPG and only plays 15 more games, Smith will be within 50 points of Curry’s sophomore record (892). Based on his current trajectory, there’s virtually no scenario where Smith doesn’t amass over 2000 points and rank within the top 50 NCHSAA scorers of all time.
While the individual production is incredible, Smith’s leadership has propelled this team to its best back-to-back seasons since 2016-2018. In addition to Smith, the Wolves have found consistent production from Ty McClain, Tucker Robinette, Cam Smith, and Charlie Foster. This group only seems to get better with each new viewing and has the pieces to make a meaningful playoff run this season.