Christ School
ARDEN – Giir Ring doesn’t need much help to raise his profile as a college basketball recruit.
Down Under, the buzz is already substantial.
Ring is a 6-foot-8 forward/guard from Sydney, Australia whose list of scholarship offers includes Florida State, Ohio State, Texas, Kansas State and Texas A&M.
Ring has decided to transfer to Christ School along with Orlando Christian Prep teammate Damon Harge Jr. Both boys are enrolled for the 2016-17 school year as juniors for the defending Carolinas Athletic Association champion Greenies.
“Going to Christ School means a lot to me,” Ring said Tuesday.
“It gives me an opportunity to chase my dreams and to aspire for goals in my life.”
Scott Willard coached his first Christ School basketball team to a 23-9 record last season.
Harge is a 5-foot-9 point guard with offers from DePaul, Memphis, Texas Tech, Pacific, Central Florida and North Carolina Central. As soon as he steps onto campus, there will be a curiosity factor — YouTube highlights of Harge have amassed more than 15 million views.
“I feel pretty good about this move for me,” Harge said Tuesday.
“I think this is a very good program and they are very proactive about basketball. They are willing to help us get where we want to get. They want to be the best at Christ School.”
Along with the tandem of Ring and Harge, Charlotte’s Access2Success foundation has assisted in placing a couple tall underclassmen at Christ School. Freshman Wisdom Asaboro (who is 6-10) and sophomore Justice Ajogbor (6-8) hail from Nigeria and worked out for the first time in front of Greenies coach Scott Willard on Monday.
“(Giir) is a modern-day wing who can shoot the 3 and guard all five positions,” Willard said.
“Damon was going to play for me as an eighth grader. I changed schools, but he and I have been in touch throughout the years and I love his game. Under our system and with his pace of play, I really feel good about giving him the keys to the car. Both of these guys are high-major (college) kids and I think that (Asaboro and Ajogbor) are going to be, too. It’s a special group.”
Christ School went 23-9 in Willard’s first season as coach last winter.
The Greenies open their season Nov. 8 at Legacy Charter (S.C.) and host national juggernaut Oak Hill Academy (Va.) on Jan. 27. Christ School is planning to add hundreds of temporary seats to its gym for the Oak Hill game. It will be the Warriors’ first game in Western North Carolina since 2012.
“If our schedule isn’t the hardest in the history of this school, it’s got to be up there,” Willard said.
“We’re going to play five to six of the top-20 teams in the country. We are certainly going to be tested.”
Along with the influx of new talent, seniors Matt Halvorsen and William Fleming were All-CAA players last season.
It’s been an eventful summer for both current and former Greenies.
Christ School has three alums active in the NBA — Indiana brothers Miles (Milwaukee Bucks), Mason (Portland Trailblazers) and Marshall Plumlee (New York Knicks). Miles signed a four-year, $52 million contract last month, shortly after Marshall agreed to a three-year, guaranteed free-agent deal. Marshall is guaranteed to make $565,000 in his first year of professional basketball.
Follow the HS Huddle on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hshuddle, Twitter at www.twitter.com/acthshuddle or Instagram at www.instagram.com/high_school_huddle