By Mike Lond.. SALISBURY Head coach Albert Perkins’ first two seasons at Salisbury have been about as good as it gets, short of playing for a state title. Both of those teams rolled until the ran into Reidsville deep in the playoffs. The Hornets have been 53-8 for Perkins and his staff, with two Christmas tournament titles, 24 straight Central Carolina Conference victories and seven playoff wins. There was a 25-game winning streak in 2024-25 during which the Hornets roared from 1-3 to 26-3. “Both were very good teams, but two very different teams,” Perkins said. “That first year we still had Juke Harris, so the task was to maximize Juke’s talents while finding the best combination to play around him. Last season we had Myles Smith, an outstanding player, who had a tremendous season for us. The points came in different ways for those two teams, but the constant was our effort on the defensive end.” Perkins isn’t saying that the 2025-26 Hornets will be as good as his first two teams, but he isn’t ruling it out either. There’s no Juke and no Myles and the Hornets probably won’t be as deep as they’ve been, but they’ll still be good. It’s going to be fun, home and home with Carson, home and home with Robinson, home and home with West Rowan, and so on. “We will look different without Myles,” Perkins said. “We may have some rough nights against the schedule we’re taking on, as we’re playing people like Dudley and Ben Smith in addition to the SPC teams, but I’m confident we’ll be able to compete.” No one knows for sure yet what will happen. While East Rowan and South Rowan already have played four times, the Hornets haven’t played yet. They’ll finally jump into the fire in a major way in the upcoming “Feast of Hoops” at Lake Norman. They’ll take on North Lincoln on Friday and Pine Lake Prep on Saturday. Both games are scheduled to tip at 4: 30 p. m. The marquee returner for the Hornets is Braylon Taylor, a senior combo guard. Taylor is coming off a terrific junior season in which he scored 521 points and averaged 17. 4 points per game. He topped 20 points 12 times. He scored 27 against Reidsville, He enters his senior season with 841 career points. “He’s always been a really good scorer, and he continues to grow as a leader and as an athlete,” Perkins said. “He’s gotten a lot more athletic. He’s finishing plays at the rim now instead of below the rim. You’ll see him dunk on fast breaks. His shot selection continues to get better. He may score a little more than last season, but he may not because I think we’ll have more balance.” The dynamic duo of Taylor and Myles Smith scored more than half of the Hornets’ points last season. While Myles Smith is playing at Belmont Abbey College now, his younger brother. 6-foot-5 Blake Smith, is entering his junior season for the Hornets. Blake is a returning starter and averaged 5. 7 points with a couple of 16s. He was cast in a rebounding/defense role last season. That will still be his priority. “We think he’ll be able to continue doing what he does for us on the boards and on defense, while taking on a bigger role on offense,” Perkins said. “We’re hoping he can give us double-doubles.” Freshman Royce Perkins, a 6-foot-1 guard who is the head coach’s son, is a good bet to shine right away. A lot of people believe he was the best middle school player in Cabarrus County last season. The Perkins family lives within walking distance of West Cabarrus. “I’ve talked to a lot of coaching friends who have coached their sons,” Perkins said. “I’m aware Royce is going to have some of those freshmen moments when things don’t go well, buthe’s ready for the varsity. Everyone who watches him tells me he doesn’t play like a freshman. Braylon Taylor has been a really good mentor for Royce. We believe they can be a very strong combination.” The really good news for Salisbury fans is that doctors project young Perkins to grow a lot more. He could end up in the 6-foot-6 to 6-foot-8 range. Jon Ross’ return could be huge for the Hornets. Ross has not played for the Hornets since early in the 2023-24 season, but he was good enough to get a lot of minutes as a freshman back in 2022-23. He had a 21-point game as a freshman. He’s a strong athlete who just turned in an All-SPC football season for the Hornets as a receiver. Perkins said the Hornet who is certain to take the biggest leap forward this season is Darius Greene, “He played so well this summer that we are confident he can make that jump from jayvee player to varsity starter, and that doesn’t happen all that often,” Coach Perkins said. “He’s an excellent 3-point shooter, and he’s rebounding and defending well.” Reserves certain to be in the rotation as the Hornets get their season started are senior guard Nacirema Shipp, junior guard Jourdin White and junior wing Jayden Jones. The roster also includes senior guard Jay’lin Johnson, 6-foot-6 football lineman Tony Pagan, junior forward Mont Green, junior guard Quincy Woods and junior forward Marquese Segrede. “We know how good the SPC is and we’re going to be playing in new environments and in front of loud crowds,” Perkins said. “But all of our guys a pretty high level of travel ball in the summer months. I think we’ll handle it. I think we’ll be very competitive.”.
https://www.salisburypost.com/2025/11/26/high-school-boys-basketball-hornets-in-reload-mode/
High school boys basketball: Hornets in reload mode
