College basketball season is back. Here's where Fayetteville area stars are playing now
It's almost North Carolina's favorite season.
No, not late fall or early winter — basketball season. Hundreds of North Carolina high school athletes hope to continue their careers in college, but few get the opportunity and even fewer get to play at the Division I level.
As we enter basketball season and near the end of the college football regular season, here's a look at where athletes who played for Cumberland County high schools are currently playing.
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John-Michael Wright - Oklahoma State basketball
Former Fayetteville Academy student-athlete John-Michael Wright has worked his way to one of the premier schools in the Big 12. Wright's collegiate career began when he enrolled at High Point University in 2019. In his freshman season, he played all 32 games, averaging 32.5 minutes per game. Throughout his three-year journey at High Point, he averaged 17.8 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, while shooting 34.6% from distance. In 2022, Wright transferred to Oklahoma State University in hopes to test his skills against the best in the country. In his first season with the Cowboys, Wright won the starting job and averaged nearly 10 points per game.
D'Marco Dunn - Penn State basketball
D'Marco Dunn got a lot of attention in high school, being a four-star recruit out of Westover High School. The 6'5 guard attracted offers from many of the best schools in the nation including, Xavier, Houston, Arizona, Louisville and Texas. Dunn decided to stay close to home and committed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2021. In two years with the Tar Heels, Dunn played in a majority of games, but couldn't break into the starting lineup. In May 2023, Dunn entered the transfer portal and committed to Penn State in June.
Greg Gantt Jr. - UNC Asheville basketball
Greg Gantt Jr., who graduated from Trinity Christian, is currently a redshirt senior for the Bulldogs. Standing 6'8 and 210 pounds, Gantt's size and collegiate experience could be vital in bringing UNC Asheville back to the NCAA tournament in 2023. Gantt became a part of the Bulldogs roster for this upcoming season after spending his first two seasons with Providence and his last season with North Carolina State University.
Josh Nickelberry - Florida State basketball
Josh Nickelberry, who played at both Trinity Christian School and Northwood Temple Academy, is a versatile guard entering his senior year and first season with the Seminoles. Previously he played with Louisville during his freshman and sophomore seasons before transferring to La Salle, averaging over 10 points per game in his two seasons with the Explorers.
Elijah Morris - East Carolina football
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Elijah Morris, who played for Terry Sanford High School, is in his fourth year with the Eastern Carolina Pirates, who are having a rough 2023 season with zero conference wins as of week 8. Morris has been a starting defensive lineman since his freshman year. Morris has tallied 76 total tackles in his collegiate career and could bolster those his stats in the last month of the season.
Jerry Garcia Jr. - Richmond University football
Jerry Garcia Jr. played both offense and defense during his years at Gray's Creek High School. He committed to Richmond University in 2021 and took on an unfamiliar role with the team as a receiver. Now in his junior year with the Spiders, Garcia scored a touchdown in Richmond's most recent game (Oct. 28 against Campbell).
Did we miss someone? Reporter Joseph Pierre can be reached at JPierre@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: College basketball, football players from Fayetteville, Cumberland Co.
