'Way more tested': How good is this year's undefeated New Hanover boys basketball team?

It doesn't look like any Wilmington-area basketball team will catch the New Hanover boys this winter.

After beating North Brunswick Tuesday night, New Hanover (21-0, 11-0 Mideastern Conference) is on a path to its second undefeated regular season in school history.

The Wildcats are currently ranked as the No. 1 team in the 4A East classification and the No. 6 team in North Carolina by MaxPreps. While conference play has fared well for New Hanover, nonconference matchups have proven even more successful. The team has topped six of the top 12 teams in the 4A East classification, including wins over Millbrook, Panther Creek, and Clayton.

With the experienced play of juniors Rodmik Allen, Zeus Batts, and Nolan Billings bolstering New Hanover to a 23-point average victory margin this season, is this the year that the Wildcats make their first state title appearance since winning the championship in 2012?

12 years since a New Hanover basketball state title appearance

New Hanover has won two state championships since 1968, one in 2007 and another under current coach Kirk Angel in 2012.

Both teams featured a much different look in terms of size, but each rattled off 30 wins.

"We never went undefeated, so they've definitely one-upped us on that," said Linc Lyles, who coached the team from 2001-07. "Coach Angel has done an awesome job, and I'm very proud of what he's carried on because they seem to be in the mix every year."

Since 2012, Angel's teams have won more than 70% of their games, going 226-63 overall. However, in those 11 years, the Wildcats have never advanced past the state playoff quarterfinals, a spot they've reached thrice.

New Hanover recorded its first undefeated regular season in program history in 2021-22 but was knocked out of the state playoffs in the second round.

"I think (this group) is way more tested than the (2021-22 team)," Angel said, later adding that, "This group is more grounded. I tell them all the time, 'You're not like that.' Maybe you will be like that at some point, but we just try to stay humble and grounded."

Staying humble is paying off. Allen leads the Mideastern Conference with 17.2 points per game, while Batts, Billings, and Parker Crittenden have also played vital roles, contributing 40% of the team's total points this winter.

How good are the Cats?

New Hanover's margin of victory has been 10 points or less in only three games, all during a nonconference stretch to close 2023.

"I love their guards' physicality and energy, and they seem to play with joy," said Holly Springs coach LJ Hepp, whose team fell 53-42 to New Hanover on Dec. 30.

On Jan. 24, the Wildcats outpaced Laney, the No. 5 team in the 4A East according to MaxPreps, in a definitive 82-52 rout.

Allen and Batts make up the heart of the Wildcats, and they've had unprecedented success: In three years of high school basketball, the duo has helped their team to a 74-4 record.

"As a team, I feel like we're in a pretty good spot right now," Batts said. "Last year, we weren't expected to go far in the playoffs, but with this year, we have all these expectations, and right now, we're just looking forward to meeting those."

"It's a different feel (this season) because we got the two transfers, so expectations are supposed to be very high, so just going out there every night and doing what we can do to win is important," Allen said.

Angel says this season's squad reminds him of past teams.

"Every team is different," Angel said. "This group does remind me a lot of 2012. I remember vividly, I was taking care of something before practice, and I heard them in there and they had taken it upon themselves to look at the practice plan, and they were going through it. This group's a lot like that. They have a good time, they're a loose bunch, but when it's time to go to work, it's time to go to work."

New Hanover suffered its most significant blow of the season recently against longtime rival Hoggard, as forward CJ Kornegay sustained a torn meniscus and will miss the rest of 2024.

"I told the team when CJ went down, it's next man up. Nobody's going to feel sorry for us, we've just got to keep grinding," Angel said.

Despite the loss of Kornegay, all signs point to an undefeated regular season and the third consecutive Mideastern Conference title for New Hanover this winter, a feat rarely accomplished.

"Last year, we widely exceeded anybody's expectations running the league and then getting to a regional semi," Angel said. "This year, they're fun, they're great kids, they get along great. But when it's time to grind and go to work, they definitely do that."

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Undefeated New Hanover basketball dominates through regular season