Local all-stars help ACC basketball stars put on a show
GASTONIA — Without hesitation, Gaston Christian senior Zack Hayes rushed toward the basket and threw down a 360-degree slam.
It was Hayes’ first attempt in Tuesday’s ACC Barnstorming dunk contest, and even the ACC All-Stars were impressed.
“I can’t do that,” Wake Forest’s L.D. Williams said, awaiting his turn.
Moments later, the 6-foot-1 Hayes soared over local all-stars teammate Pet Sumner of Gaston Day for a one-handed dunk that ultimately won the contest over Williams and N.C. State’s Farnold Degand.
“Whoever that was, that little kid’s got bounce,” Williams said.
Hayes isn’t a Division I basketball player and might never be.
But for one night, he got a chance to play against the big boys and gain a shot of confidence that perhaps he might fulfill his dream of playing collegiate basketball.
After the dunk contest, Hayes was gutsy enough to drive the lane for a dunk attempt in the second half of the exhibition game against the ACC All-Stars, a collection of seniors from Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State and Wake Forest.
“I got a little worried. I thought (North Carolina’s) Marcus Ginyard might try to block that one,” Hayes said.
Ginyard didn’t contest the shot and Hayes missed, but it hardly mattered in this relaxed game where the primary objective was to have fun and entertain the fans. The ACC All-Stars stormed to a huge lead, then held on for a 110-107 win against a roster of 12 local high school seniors.
More than 900 fans packed the Gaston Day School bleachers, most of them reserving their loudest cheers for the Duke players who won the NCAA championship a week ago.
Afterward, Duke’s Brian Zoubek and North Carolina’s Deon Thompson said Hayes might have the most potential of all the local all-stars. Hayes, though, is unsure of his plans for next year.
“I’m thinking about a junior college for my first year and then I’m pretty sure I’ll be playing Division I basketball the second year or the next year,” said Hayes, who averaged 19 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.0 assists this past season.
The game was full of thunderous dunks on the ACC side and 3-pointers on both sides. The high schoolers simply got out of the way as the 7-foot-1 Zoubek and 6-foot-9 Thompson rattled the rim. The scrappy youngsters, though, stayed competitive behind 3s by several players.
Defense and whistles were absent. The three-man officiating crew let almost anything fly, except one Zoubek walk.
The most blatant no-call was a goaltending by Wake Forest’s Chas McFarland at the buzzer. With the ACC All-Stars ahead by 3 with seconds remaining, Duke’s Lance Thomas literally gave away a fastbreak opportunity and handed the ball to Hayes. Hayes crossed halfcourt, neared the 3-point line and heaved a last-second shot that appeared to be on line. But McFarland swiped it just above the rim, and that’s how the game ended.
Like Hayes, Forestview’s DeJuan Means showed no fear, going for a dunk against Ginyard in the first half. Means nearly got the dunk to go down, but the ball hit the back of the rim.
“I saw him under the goal, and I was like, ‘It’s an all-star game, so I might as well go for it,’” said Means, who has offers from Pfeiffer and Limestone and recently entered talks with Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Sumner was another local standout, winning the 3-point contest against Thomas and North Carolina’s Marc Campbell.
Duke’s Jon Scheyer, Wake Forest’s Ishmael Smith and N.C. State’s Dennis Horner were scheduled to attend but were no-shows.
You can reach Phillip Gardner at 704-869-1843.
