Three area teams and two local players earned preseason recognition from the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association on Wednesday.
The Ridgeland-Hardeeville boys begin the season ranked second in the state in Class 3A after finishing 18-7 and reaching the third round of the Class 3A playoffs last season. Also in Region 8-3A, Bluffton’s Jermaine Patterson was listed among the top five senior boys in Class 3A.
On the girls side, Region 8-3A is well-represented with the Jaguars ranked third and Battery Creek ranked 10th. Ridgeland-Hardeeville, led by top-five senior pick Quanaija Drayton, was 21-6 last season and reached the Lower State final before being ousted by eventual state champion Bishop England. Battery Creek was 15-7 a year ago and reached the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.
SCBCA PRESEASON RANKINGS
BOYS
CLASS 5A
1. Dorman; 2. Blythewood; 3. Gaffney; 4. Conway; 5. Sumter; 6. Wade Hampton; 7. Nation Ford; 8. West Ashley; 9. T.L. Hanna; 10. Irmo.
CLASS 4A
1. Wilson; 2. Lower Richland; 3. Aiken; 4. Lakewood; 5. Ridge View; 6. Greenville; 7. Berkeley; 8. North Augusta; 9. Travelers Rest; 10. Westwood.
CLASS 3A
1. Southside; 2. Ridgeland-Hardeeville; 3. Seneca; 4. Newberry; 5. Brookland-Cayce; 6. Berea; 7. Wade Hampton; 8. Dillon; 9. Bishop England; 10. Lake City.
CLASS 2A
1. Keenan; 2. Calhoun County; 3. Gray Collegiate; 4. Carvers Bay; 5. Lee Central; 6. Greenville Tech; 7. Kingstree; 8. Landrum; 9. Marion; 10. Central.
CLASS 1A
1. Hemingway; 2. Lewisville; 3. Bethune-Bowman; 4. Williston-Elko; 5. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler; 6. Ridge Spring-Monetta; 7. Great Falls; 8. McCormick; 9. Baptist Hill; 10. McBee.
ELITE PLAYERS
Christian Brown, Lower Richland; Alex Caldwell, Wilson; C.J. Felder, Sumter; Juwan Gary, Gray Collegiate; Jimmy Nichols, Conway.
TOP 5 SENIORS
CLASS 5A
Robert Braswell, Blythewood; Bradly Childers, Gaffney; Gabe Bryant, Dorman; Winston Hill, Irmo; Isiah Moore, Sumter.
CLASS 4A
Grant Singleton, Lakewood; Kevin Williamson, Aiken; Wells Hoag, Greenville; Diamonte Brown, A.C. Flora; Malcolm Kennedy, York.
CLASS 3A
Effix Miller, Swansea; Mon Quayveous McBride, Fairfield Central; Zay Hurley, Clinton; Jermaine Patterson, Bluffton; Dominique Perry, Brookland-Cayce.
CLASS 2A
Foster Bridges, Landrum; Quinten Alston, Kingstree; Zach Johnson, Saluda; Kevon Wall, Central; Dijon Goss, Carvers Bay.
CLASS 1A
Mikial Fourney, Lewisville; Corey Fields, Baptist Hill; Tyrike Lewis, Hemingway; Mateao Durant, McCormick; Jeblonski Green, Lamar.
GIRLS
CLASS 5A
1. Goose Creek; 2. Wade Hampton; 3. Rock Hill; 4. Woodmont; 5. Spring Valley; 6. Dorman; 7. Carolina Forest; 8. Irmo; 9. Clover; 10. Conway.
CLASS 4A
1. North Augusta; 2. Ridge View; 3. Westwood; 4. Richland Northeast; 5. Crestwood; 6. Orangeburg-Wilkinson; 7. Wilson; 8. Myrtle Beach; 9. Greenville; 10. Greer.
CLASS 3A
1. Bishop England; 2. Newberry; 3. Ridgeland-Hardeeville; 4. Seneca; 5. Emerald; 6. Dillon; 7. Manning; 8. Fairfield Central; 9. Swansea; 10. Battery Creek.
CLASS 2A
1. Mullins; 2. Christ Church; 3. Batesburg-Leesville; 4. Keenan; 5. Marion; 6. Saluda; 7. Burke; 8. Lee Central; 9. Latta; 10. Landrum.
CLASS 1A
1. Green Sea Floyds; 2. Lamar; 3. Ridge Spring-Monetta; 4. Denmark-Olar; 5. East Clarendon; 6. Lewisville; 7. Timmonsville; 8. Blackville-Hilda; 9. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler; 10. Baptist Hill.
ELITE PLAYERS
Unique Drake, Westwood; Danae McNeal, Swansea; Quadijah Moore, Emerald; Madisen Smith, Greenville; Amari Young, North Augusta.
TOP 5 SENIORS
CLASS 5A
RiKoya Anderson, Rock Hill; Skylar Blackstock, Wando; Quin Byrd, Hillcrest; Madison Golden, Dutch Fork; Alexis Tomlin, Carolina Forest.
CLASS 4A
D’Asia Gregg, Wilson; Jordan Strange, A.C. Flora; Sharita Godfey, Richland Northeast; Jah’Che Whitfield, Crestwood; Casey Newton, Daniel.
CLASS 3A
Mahogany Green, Manning; Tamia Grate, Pendleton; Quanaija Drayton, Ridgeland-Hardeeville; Kelsey Felks, Newberry; Jashiya Henderson, Berea.
CLASS 2A
Star Ergle, Saluda; Malaysia Gates, Batesburg-Leesville; Lawren Cook, Christ Church; Logan Taylor-McDaniel, Keenan; Zakiya Williams, Mullins.
CLASS 1A
Crystal Preston, Ridge Spring-Monetta; Tamara Jackson, Green Seas Floyds; Simone Durant, Lamar; Faith Vice, Denmark-Olar; Caitlin Timmons, East Clarendon.