Asheville – Two local basketball stars will represent the state on March 25, a week after several locals play in a WNC all-star contest.
Enka’s Jacob “Air” Adair and Evangelia “Sleek Greek” Paulk are chosen to play for North Carolina versus South Carolina stars in the Carolinas Classic on Saturday, March 25 in Wilmington. Both are seniors.
The agile, six-foot Paulk averaged 18 points for the MAC co-champion Asheville Cougars (24-3; 11-1 MAC). She is the sole WNC player in the girls’ game. Area coaches in the N.C. Coaches Association chose her as the best female player in all of western North Carolina. Paulk is also the MAC player of the year. She transferred back to AHS from Asheville Christian Academy, after winning a state 2A private school title in 2022.
Adair averaged 20.2 points and five assists per game for MAC runner-up Enka Jets (22-7; 9-3 MAC). He is 6-foot-3.
WNC All-Stars
Closer to home, WNC all-stars will compete against each other on Saturday, March 18 at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa. The girls’ game starts at 6 p.m., followed by the boys’ contest at about 8 p.m.
Scouting organization RankingsReports.com sponsors the games, chose an initial all-star list, and cut it in half to select who actually gets to play. Players are mostly seniors who have not yet signed a college basketball scholarship. Most are seniors.
Two of the four coaches in the game are from A.C. Reynolds. Both repeated with at least a share of MAC crowns. They are Amanda Whitaker and Rocket Boys’ head coach, Ryan Stevens. Stevens coaches against Josh Coley, who just led Christ School to the private school 4A state title.
The roster has many players from Buncombe and Henderson counties’ public and private schools. Christ School’s all-state pair of 6–10 Anthony Robinson and 6-4 wing Emanuel Richards get to play. Hendersonville (HHS) has the Simpson brothers — sophomore Malachi, a first-team district star who averaged 20 points, and his senior brother Jacobi Simpson.
Others include Reynolds point guard Jayden Harper, North Buncombe sharpshooter Chad Clark (22.1 PPG), Enka prolific scorers Adair, Logan Crook (23 PPG), and Jacob Tiller, who averaged 26 points in a half-season; NHHS Knight center Josh Heiny, West Henderson center Lawson Sullivan, and Owen’s Hunter Inabinett.
Female all-star players include Hendersonville playmaker Mia Hansen (16.3 PPG), Reynolds’ Landyn Stewart, T.C. Roberson’s Tymber Thompson and E.P. Sluder, Asheville Lady Cougars Kirsten Watt (15.4 PPG) and point guard Aleysha Hill, North Buncombe’s Devon Davis, Asheville Christian’s Macy Wike and Katie Alexander, and North Henderson Lady Knight Lexi Gunter.
Lexi Gunter said she is honored to be chosen to play. “I know that my hard work has paid off in a different sport than (softball, at North Greenville University) I’m going to college for. It feels good!” Gunter averaged 19.3 points per game as a junior, and 19.6 as a senior.
Desta Trammell (23.4 PPG) of Robbinsville is among other stars from other counties.