Wakefield went 17-10 last season, but Coach Garrett Stevens returns two of the leading scorers off a senior laden team and is expected big things out of 6'6 rising senior Harper Strickland and 6'2 rising junior Jaxon Brown. Strickland will provide valuable senior leadership and should assume the role of the team's 'go to' scorer.
6'6 2021 Harper Strickland
Strickland started all 26 games for head coach Garrett Stevens. He averaged 13.9 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and event dished out 1.4 APG. In addition, Strickland collected 29 steals and had 19 blocks. More importantly, Strickland was a model of consistency for Wakefield as he scored in double figures in 23 of their 26 games and was named All-Conference. More importantly, Strickland had four 'double double' and seven more games with at least eight plus rebounds. In speaking with Coach Stevens, he stated the following. 'Harper is a high energy, tough kid. He competes on a nightly basis and can do a little bit of everything on the court. He’s explosive around the rim, runs the floor extremely well, and can score at all 3 levels. He’s at his best in the mid-range area where he can face up and use 1-2 dribbles to attack. He’s worked hard to improve his ball handling in the open court and extend his range to the 3- point line. He’s a kid we’re very excited about heading into his senior year. He should have a huge season for us as one of our focal points offensively. He’s also a high academic student with a weighted GPA above 4.0.' At our NC Phenom 150 camp last fall, we stated the following. 'Strickland plays extremely hard, which allows him to consistently outwork bigger/stronger opponents on the glass. He finishes well with either hand and plays above the rim at a quality rate. He causes matchup problems for opponents, given his nice amount of skill and two-way versatility.'
6'1 2022 Jaxon Brown
Brown started 24-27 games as a sophomore. He averaged 8.7 PPG, 2.7 RGP, and 2.6 APG. In addition, he shot 43% from the floor, and 31% from the 3-point line. In speaking with Coach Stevens, he stated the following. 'Jaxon is a competitor on both ends of the floor. As a sophomore last season he probably had the most responsibilities on the court for us – he was asked to defend the other team’s best guard, score the ball, attack and create for his teammates, and took over at the PG spot for us throughout the season as our senior PG was only healthy for about 1/2 our games. We really saw his confidence take off about halfway through the season once he got adjusted to Varsity level 4A basketball. He’s a strong bodied guard, very quick off the bounce and fast with the ball in his hands. We expect him to have a big junior season and will continue to put a lot on him because his potential is extremely high.'