ROCKINGHAM – A former eminent basketball player from Richmond Senior High School is set to compete in the annual East-West All-Star Game next week.
Nygie Stroman, who graduated from Richmond in June, was recently named to replace the East team.
The latest edition of the East-West All-Star Game will be played on Monday, July 19 at Greensboro Coliseum.
The East-West All-Star Game was started in 1949 by Bob Jamieson, the football coach at Grimsley High School in Greensboro, to fund the North Carolina Coaches Association’s coaching clinic.
Since then, it has grown into an annual event attended by some of the top athletes from across the state who recently graduated from high school. There are competitions for boys ‘and girls’ basketball, soccer and boys ‘and girls’ soccer.
Stroman, a three-year-old varsity runner with the Raiders and head coach Donald Pettigrew, received a call last week that he would be joining the 10-player East team.
He is supported by fellow Sandhills Athletic Conference colleagues Matthew Locklear and Charlie Miller (Lumberton) and Bradlee Haskell (Pinecrest), and the team is coached by Eric Davis (Laney) and Bobby Williams (Riverside-Martin).
Stroman said a variety of familiar faces on the team will give the Eastern team a good chance of victory. He’s been on travel teams with many players like Locklear and Miller, and Stroman believes that this chemistry will help the team as a whole.
“I felt overlooked the first time, but to be considered at all is still an honor,” said Stroman. “God had a plan for me to play in this game, and while I am considered a substitute, I don’t see it that way. I am happy to have the opportunity to play in it. “
Stroman, a three-time All-Sandhills Athletic Conference selection, averaged 13.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game during the Raiders’ shortened season last winter.
He led the Raiders with 2.2 blocks per game and scored a season high of 25 points in both Richmond playoff games against Heritage and Apex Friendship.
“This is a great opportunity for him and he deserves it,” said Pettigrew. “Nygie has been one of our leaders for the past four years and he’s always been a great act and a team guy.
“The more he plays, the better he gets,” he added. “It’s been a crazy year with COVID, but he held his head up and never stopped grinding. I am very happy that he can play in front of many coaches in the East-West All-Star game. “
Since graduating from Richmond, Stroman has joined the Flight 22 post-graduate program in Wilmington, which gives former high school players an extra year to try and recruit.
He recently competed in a tournament in Georgia with Flight 22 and will return with the team after the East-West All-Star Game for a tournament in Indiana. Since he started playing Flight 22, Stroman has received offers from Pfeiffer University and North Carolina Wesleyan College.
“I felt like if I worked hard there would be more offers than a member of the Class of 2022,” explained Stroman. “I was excited about these two offers to get the ball rolling and I know that Pfeiffer has good connections with the pros and the overseas route, so I hope to be able to continue my goal of playing professionally.”
Stroman never gave up on his dream of playing basketball at a four-year university, continued to train in the weight room and spent hours in the gym this summer trying to improve his game.
He said he focused on getting faster and stronger on the court while adding some explosiveness to his game. Stroman noted that he has been working on his ball handling and guarding skills and is hoping to transition to the 2 or 3 position rather than being a post player.
The East-West All-Star Game gives Stroman another opportunity to play in front of college coaches and recruiters he hopes to capitalize on.
“I’m excited to show my talent against some of the best players in North Carolina, and I hope I can prove my skills against other Division I recruits,” said Stroman. “I expect to have some college coaches in North Carolina, and I want them to see that I can keep up at a high level.
“Hopefully this will speed up my recruiting process,” he added. “I look forward to competing and making my name known. I also want to learn from the coaches and players and incorporate that into my game so that I can get better. “
Richmond Senior High School also has two football players, Kaleel Brown (DL) and Tremel Jones (WR), who will be playing in the East-West All-Star game later this month. Greg Williams will also help train the East Football team.
The girls ‘all-star game starts at 6:30 p.m., followed by the boys’ game at 8:30 p.m.