With programs like Combine Academy, Moravian Prep, and Winston-Salem Christian (among others) undergoing drastic changes over the last few years, it seems like folks have begun to forget about Trinity Christian and their prolonged success under Coach Keith Vandevender. Although their last state championship came in 2017-18, it's not like they've been struggling to maintain relevance. In the three seasons since, the Crusaders have gone 58-21 against a fairly brutal schedule (especially for a 1A program) and made runs to the second (once) and third rounds (twice). After the departure of Freddie Dilione, it allowed guys like Xavier Tubbs to assume more responsibility and continue to quietly make his case as a top prospect in North Carolina's Class of 2023.'
There are a ton of notable guard prospects within the aforementioned class, and Tubbs should be highly regarded. He's interesting, because his reputation genuinely matches that of the Trinity Christian program'meaning folks have seemed to forget how dynamic and productive he's been throughout the years. At our Queen City Middle School Showcase nearly two years ago, Tubbs' name was regularly being mentioned amongst guys like Trey Green, Bryce Cash, Aden Holloway, and countless others in attendance. However, the buzz later halted through no fault of his own. With production being valued at such a young age, it's genuinely confusing as to why college coaches aren't prioritizing Tubbs as much as other prospects within his class. As a freshman, he proved to be a steady, efficient scoring option off the bench (7 PPG). Following the graduation of Todd Burt and Marcus Boykin, there was considerably more room for Tubbs to get involved'even behind a college-level frontcourt pairing of Cam Oates and Jamori McDougald. Last season, his numbers increased across the board for nightly averages of 13.0 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 3.7 APG, and 1.0 SPG with 47% FG and 40% from beyond the arc.
The scoring numbers alone put Tubbs towards the top sophomore scorers in the state. However, accounting for his role and strength of schedule should make his numbers far more valuable and impressive than (at least) ten to twenty of those directly in front of him. Given his ability and complete body of work, it's definitely confusing as to why more folks aren't circulating his name. Tubbs played with Team CP3 as a rising freshman, showed flashes of dominance in for Team North Carolina last summer, and has produced at a consistent for a top-tier program across the state. Like various under-appreciated players before him, he decided to bless Georgia with his talents. Suiting up for the Atlanta Celtics this summer should only help resolidify Tubbs as a premier prospect within North Carolina's Class of 2023. While Bryant has already offered, one should expect his list of scholarships to grow exponentially over the coming years.