What could’ve happened, or been known, earlier came right on time for boys’ basketball seniors Reid Albright of Chatham Central and Brennan LaVelle of Chatham Charter.
During Chatham Central’s third-round loss to Southern Wake Academy in the North Carolina High School Athletic Association state playoffs on March 4, Albright scored his 2,000th career point, ending the night with 22 points and a career total of 2,009.
He became the school’s second leading boys’ basketball scorer, finishing behind Jason Thompson’s 2,104 points.
“It means a lot,” Albright said. “I haven’t really processed it yet.”
Prior to this past playoff run, Albright wasn’t exactly sure how close he was to the 2,000 mark.
While recalculating Albright’s career points, Chatham Central coach Robert Burke realized he left out two games from his freshman year, putting him slightly over the mark in 105 career games.
“I was definitely surprised,” Albright said about when he found out. “I was definitely really happy about it, too.”
LaVelle knew his major accomplishment was on the way, though.
On a play called “Knights” during the fourth quarter of the Chatham Charter’s second-round loss to top-seeded Washington County in the NCHSAA state playoffs on Feb. 28, LaVelle caught a pass at the mid post from freshman Ryder Murphy and banked in a left hook for the last make of his high school career.
With his final bucket came his final milestone. After the make, LaVelle was subbed out of the game, ending his night with 26 points and his career with exactly 1,000.
“I don’t know why I was so emotional, but it was a very emotional moment for me,” LaVelle said.
For LaVelle, the count could’ve ended in his junior season at 576.
After not playing much on varsity as a freshman and sophomore, LaVelle had emerged as one of the Knights’ leading scorers as a junior, averaging 15 points per game and well in the range of becoming an 1,000-point scorer down the road.
But his playing days, let alone his scoring milestone, was all put in jeopardy on Feb. 9, 2024.
Early in a big home game against conference leader Southern Wake Academy that night, LaVelle went up for a layup on a fast break and suffered a broken tibia and fibula during the play. He missed out on two more regular season games, the conference tournament and a playoff run that could’ve added much more to his career point total.
After a successful surgery the next day, doctors told LaVelle that a return to action could take anywhere from three to 12 months.
Dedicated to his frequent physical therapy sessions and necessary stretches, LaVelle hoped to be back on the court with his team for the summer, but he still wasn’t ready by that time.
“The hardest part of it was mentally,” LaVelle said. “Having to think, ‘Oh, I’m going to be able to do this.’ It’s also just hard dealing with it because you used to be able to do this, and now you can’t walk.”
But even with the injury keeping him away from the hardwood, LaVelle didn’t let his situation keep him still.
About two months after his surgery, LaVelle started his own landscaping and pressure washing business (named LaVelle Landscaping and Washing).
“I was just tired of sitting around at the house, and I was starting to be able to move around better,” LaVelle said. “I had the materials, I had the equipment here because we live on a farm, and I just started reaching out to people.”
Said LaVelle, “I extended it to a pressure washing business, and I actually made really good.”
The labor also did good for his recovery. Not only did landscaping keep LaVelle in shape, he felt it sped up his return to the court.
“Especially in those early months, if I had worked all day, I would come home and be in a lot of pain with my leg,” LaVelle said. “But, my PT person told me to keep doing it and doing it because it was good for it.”
LaVelle ended up beating the 12-month recovery time by a long shot and returned to action during the fall just before the official start of this past season.
“I just trust God through it, and thankfully, He allowed me to play this season,” LaVelle said.
