ROCKINGHAM — A combination of proven returning experience and promising rising talent is what the Richmond Senior High School boys’ basketball team is relying on this season.
Just days away from opening the 2025-26 campaign, the Raiders and ninth-year head coach Donald Pettigrew have stayed busy in the gym over the holiday break to prepare.
Starting the season in early December, instead of late November, for the first time in Pettigrew’s tenure, the Raiders are looking to make some noise this winter in a new conference and a new classification.
As the team continues its transition away from the Paul McNeil Jr. (North Carolina State University) era two seasons ago, Richmond is coming off another successful season.
Using that as a starting point going into the new campaign, the Raiders went 17-10 overall last winter and earned a share of the conference title. Richmond also advanced to at least the third round of the NCHSAA state playoffs for the fourth straight year.
The team hasn’t had a lot of time together as a complete unit, as several players recently joined the team last week following a deep playoff run to end football season. Four of those seven recent additions were starters last year and are expected to carry that role again.
Despite the later-than-normal gathering of the team, Pettigrew said he isn’t deterred about what the Raiders should be able to accomplish this season.
Of the 14 players on this season’s roster, four of them are returning starters, three of whom return as All-Conference selections last year.
That trio of players includes senior shooting guards Jayden Hamilton and Amer Morrison, along with junior point guard Chance Crowder. The other starting returner is big man Domonic Tillman in the middle.
Hamilton is back as the team’s leading returning scorer, having averaged 12.8 points per game last season, as well as a team-high 48% from the field. Morrison nearly averaged double digits last season, scoring 9.8 points per game to go with a .430 shooting percentage.
Both Hamilton and Morrison have proven to be high-energy players capable of scoring and leading the charge defensively.
Returning to run the point for his second season at the varsity level, Crowder will be the impetus of the team’s ball movement. His scoring was also impressive last year, averaging 8.3 points per game. Crowder’s .660 shooting percentage from the free throw line was a team-high.
A physical presence in the paint, Tillman will look to do that again this season with rebounds and setting up plays around the perimeter. He scored 4.5 points per game as a junior.
Senior veterans Yusaun Harrison and Zamarion Robinson, who both saw some minutes last season, will look to add depth and experience to the team.
Making the full time transition from junior varsity to varsity this season are juniors Amare Bell, Josiah Brewington, BJ Hinson, Jacques Jackson and Eric Legrand, as well as sophomore Donovan Jones.
Early in the season last year, Brewington, Hinson and Jones contributed at the varsity level while the football playoffs concluded.
Two additional newcomers this winter are freshmen Cam’ron Coley and Jimmy Tillman, a pair of players Pettigrew has expressed a lot of confidence in during the early going.
The Raiders will be without former players Ahaiver McDonald, Keyonta Davis and Tyshawn Harris. McDonald led the team in scoring last season (13.5 PPG), while Davis and Harris were named to the All-Conference team.
As with all of Richmond’s athletic programs this year, the Raiders will compete in the newly formed Mid-South Conference.
The Fayetteville-based conference adds former familiar foe Jack Britt High School, as well as Overhills High School, which Richmond defeated in the second round of the 4A East playoffs in 2024-25.
Pine Forest High School, which Richmond lost to by two points in a non-conference meeting last season, is the third Fayetteville team. The Raiders and all three Fayetteville programs are in the 7A classification.
Richmond will continue to face longtime conference opponents Hoke County and Pinecrest high schools, which are in 8A. Last year, the Raiders swept Hoke County and split the regular-season series with Pinecrest before beating the Patriots to win the conference tournament title.
Pettigrew expects the MSC to be a bit more competitive than the Sandhills Athletic Conference the past four seasons, but is optimistic that the Raiders can handle their business and remain atop the conference standings.
In a wild finish last season, Richmond got some help in the regular-season finale to share the title with Southern Lee High School. That marked the fifth consecutive season Richmond earned either a share of or the outright conference title.
Additional talented non-conference opponents this season the Raiders hope will prepare them for a return to the playoffs include Southern Lee, Westover, Grace Christian and South Mecklenburg high schools. Neighboring rival Scotland High School is also on the schedule.
Tuesday will mark the start of the Raiders’ season at Southern Lee (3-0). Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.
Richmond’s junior varsity boys’ basketball team, coached by Travis Byers, will also make its season debut at Southern Lee. That game will begin at 6 p.m.
The Richmond Observer will continue its award-winning coverage of the varsity and junior varsity boys’ basketball teams this winter
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