The Chatham County boys basketball team with the most room for improvement this 2022-23 season just might be Seaforth.
The Hawks are entering their second season as a varsity program this winter. Last year, Seaforth amassed an overall record of 12-10, though it was 9-3 in Mid-Carolina Conference play and 4-2 against teams from Chatham County.
This year’s Hawks will once again lean on junior forward Jarin Stevenson to carry the load on both ends of the court. As a sophomore last winter, Stevenson — ranked as the No. 1 player from North Carolina in the Class of 2024 by 247Sports’ composite rankings — averaged a county high 20.6 points and 3.5 blocks per game while also leading his team in rebounds (11.3).
Seaforth is coached by Jarin’s dad, Jarod Stevenson. The elder Stevenson played college basketball at the University of Richmond, where he averaged 13.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game over four seasons.
Jarod Stevenson spoke with the N+R earlier this week about his team’s mindset heading into the 2022-23 season, Jarin’s recruitment and his recent induction into the Richmond Athletics Hall of Fame.
Last year you guys had some up-and-downs, but it was a solid season overall. What is the mindset of the team heading into this season?
JAROD STEVENSON: We’re just trying to get better. I feel like a lot of the guys worked hard in the offseason, got stronger, got a little bit faster. We did a lot of things that helped them with that part of their game, and it’s starting to show a little bit. I think the guys are starting to get a little more confidence. We had a solid season last year. Hopefully we can do even better this year.
You’re in a unique position in that your entire roster from last season is back with the team. How nice is it to have a group of guys back that all have experience playing together?
Last year, we were basically a JV team. A bunch of the guys had never experienced playing basketball at the varsity level, so I think it was something that was great for them to go through. Hopefully this year they can use that experience from last year, seeing what it was like, playing against older kids. They should be better prepared for it this year, and they know what to expect. I think that will help us a lot this year.
Jarin is going to be a key to what you guys do both offensively and defensively. What parts of his game do you want to see him improve this season?
Honestly, we’re expecting him to get better at everything. He’s not even close to being a finished product. He’s trying to get better at all parts of his game. Dribbling, shooting. But probably one of the biggest things for him is becoming a more vocal leader. He is one of the best players on the team. He needs to be a little bit more vocal and a leader on the team, especially we have no seniors. He’s actually one of the older kids on the team, even though he’s just a junior. So leadership is the area I would like him to grow in most this year.
Obviously Jarin is receiving a lot of attention from college coaches. How do you feel like he’s handled the recruiting process, and is there any timeline for when he would like to announce his commitment?
I think he’s handled it well. It’s sort of bringing him out of his shell, talking to all these coaches. I think that’s good for him. It’s good to help with his maturity. As far as a decision, I don’t think he’s ready to make a decision until maybe after the season, or more towards the summer. Right now he’s trying to take it all in and get all the information he can to make a good decision. But yeah, it will probably be more towards the summer.
You and your brother were recently inducted into the University of Richmond’s Athletics Hall of Fame. What did it mean to you to receive that honor, and what did it mean to receive it alongside your brother?
It was great. We both graduated from there a long time ago, so it was great to be recognized for things we did at the university. It was a special moment because we were both inducted together. They told us that we were the first brothers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. That was pretty cool. It was also nice to get back to the university. I hadn’t been back in a long time. It was nice to reconnect with some of the guys from the team and seeing the coaches there and seeing how much it has changed the past couple years.
Sports Editor Jeremy Vernon can be reached at jeremy@chathamnr.com or on Twitter at @jbo_vernon.