2021-22: 12-12 (4-6), 5th in CAP 6, 1st Round of Playoffs (L to Pine Forest 51-63)
Key Losses
Matthew Field - 12ppg, 7rpg - Graduated - Playing at The Hill School
Patrick Downes - 6ppg, 3rpg - Graduated - Playing at Perkiomen School
Nathan Remmy - 4ppg, 2rpg - Graduated
Key Returners
Xavier DeBerry - Senior - 12ppg, 7rpg, 2apg, 2spg
Connor Higginbotham - Senior - 10ppg, 3rpg, 2apg, 38 3pm
Landen Lawrence - Senior - 7ppg, 5rpg, 5apg
Elijah Omar - Senior - 5ppg, 1spg
Alex Fanney - Senior - 4ppg, 32 3pm
Cash McSweeney - Sophomore - 3ppg, 3rpg
Key Newcomers
Aiden Smalls - Freshman
Projected Rotation
Storylines
The Crusaders finished last season with 2.93 Wins Over Average (WOA) which was good for 6th in Wake County, 13th in 4A East, and 31st in 4A overall. They return 65% of their FGAs and 10 players with varsity experience.
Cardinal Gibbons’ main calling card this season will be their depth. In the projected rotation above, 6-7 players can start and another 1-2 that I left completely off might have impactful roles this year. Their top 7 are as talented as anyone in the county and maybe anyone in the east.
The Crusaders are led by two dynamic and creative combo guards, Connor Higginbotham and Xavier DeBerry. They were ranked a couple of spots apart in my 2023 rankings, with Connor at 9 and Xavier at 13, but those could be flipped depending on who you ask. They are very similar in talent level but do slightly different things. Connor is more technical and likes to score from the outside, whether it be off the bounce or the catch. He is more likely to use floaters and mid-range pull-ups to score over taller defenders. Don’t be fooled as Connor will still go through someone’s chest to score, he just tends to prefer the outside game more. Xavier is different in that he is much more of a bruiser than his backcourt mate is. He has a strong and mobile frame that allows him to get into defenders and get into the paint at will, where he will often play off of two feet and find himself or someone else an open shot. He averaged almost 7 rpg last season which is absurd for a guard. He isn’t as effective as a shooter as Connor but is still a threat and seems to thrive off of the contact he creates inside. This duo was lethal last season and will only be stronger this time.
The biggest breakout candidate on this team will be Cash McSweeney. The 6’8” sophomore averaged 3 points and 3 rebounds a game as a freshman. I project Cash to be a wing/forward hybrid that can play with the ball inside and out by the time he leaves Gibbons, but for now, he is more of a stretch big that gets the majority of his points off of rolls to the rim, put-backs, and spot up threes. Cash has limitless potential due to his unique size and skill combination and I look at him as a future top 3 player in his class in Wake County. Cash’s game will improve throughout the season and we will see some serious flashes at times which I am excited about, but expect his raw production to improve more than anything else during his sophomore campaign.
This team is loaded with shooting, perhaps more so than any other school that I cover. They return 4 different players that shot at least 60 threes last season, and that doesn’t even include Cash McSweeney or Aiden Smalls. They have 6-8 legit shooting threats, which will allow them to stretch defenses out more. They will create real matchup problems if guys like Alex Fanney and Elijah Omar can space the floor for their creators.
Finally, the Crusaders are loaded with options at the lead guard spot. Landen Lawrence is the returning starter at the spot, and Connor and Xavier can also run it. Landen had the most volume last season as he averaged 4.6 assists and 4.3 turnovers per game, both team highs. I like Landen’s playmaking ability and am confident that his turnover numbers will decrease by a good amount in his senior season. Landen made just 2 threes last season but his lack of outside shooting won’t be an issue given the amount of shooting surrounding him. He will need to focus on being the best floor general he can be and maximize his decision-making to give his team the best chance to win. Behind Landen, freshman Aiden Smalls and senior Elijah Omar are both valuable options for the lead guard position. I am excited about Aiden and I think that his size and athleticism combination at a young age are good signs of what is to come in the future I hope we get to see him make an impact early on for this team.
Expectations
Last year the Crusaders made a late-season push and won the CAP 6 conference tournament. They were the 18th seed in the east and lost to the eventual east champions, Panther Creek. I am high on what this team has and what they could be and I think they should be gunning for another conference title and a deep playoff run to go with it.