Kinston JV Boys Capture Conference Championship, Capping Off Remarkable Turnaround

Feb 14

Feb 14 Kinston JV Boys Capture Conference Championship, Capping Off Remarkable Turnaround

Kinston JV Boys Capture Conference Championship, Capping Off Remarkable Turnaroun

INFO SUBMITTED BY: JV HC Jackson Fink
The Kinston JV boys basketball team completed an impressive season by claiming the conference championship Thursday night with a hard-fought 50-46 victory over North Lenoir. The win avenged an early-season loss to the Hawks and capped off a resilient campaign, as the Vikings finished with a 14-6 record after opening the season 0-3.

“We have a great group of young players in our program,” head coach Jackson Fink said. “Our JV team was mostly comprised of freshmen, with only two returners from last year’s squad. The kids got better and better as the season progressed.”

That growth was evident throughout the season, especially after a tough start. With Kinston’s varsity football team making a deep playoff run, the JV squad was shorthanded early, playing their first two games with only eight available players.

“Starting 0-3 was obviously tough because we had yet to have our full roster,” Fink said. “We just needed practice to figure out some chemistry and to get reps. Our first win against a really good Greene Central team was huge to build some momentum.”

From there, the Vikings steadily improved, fully embracing the program’s core principles of toughness, defense, and teamwork.

“JV is all about development—getting better at skills while learning how to play together as a team on both sides of the ball with our program’s terminology and expectations,” Fink said. “I am so proud of their growth and how there was never a doubt as to how hard they play. They embraced an identity that defense creates offense and loved winning toughness plays—diving for loose balls, having active hands for deflections, and getting charges.”

The Vikings had a clear goal from the start of the season and never shied away from it.

“We talked all year about how we wanted to win a conference championship. We didn’t hide from that,” Fink said. “It wasn’t easy, but it’s not supposed to be easy, and that’s what showed me how tough these young guys are. They showed up every single day ready to punch the clock and go to work.”

Fink pushed his team hard, but the results spoke for themselves.

“I coached them hard and was on their rear-end all the time, yet they got better every single day,” he said.

The championship-winning roster featured a talented freshman core, including Jayden Herring, DeJabriel Brown, Johnterion Cobb, Kaleb Price, Semaj Davis, I’King Cannon, and Marcus Smith-Baker.

“This freshman class has a chance to do some special things throughout their high school career because they play hard, tough, and with passion,” Fink said. “The future is very bright.”

With a conference title secured and a strong foundation of young talent in place, Kinston’s JV squad has set the stage for continued success—both for the program and the players moving up through the ranks.

Championship Roster

Final Record: 14-6

-Roster

#1 Jayden Herring (FR)

#2 DeJabriel Brown (FR)

#3 Johnterion Cobb (FR)

#5 I’King Cannon (FR)

#10 Matthew Green (SO)

#11 Jahmiere McKnight (FR)

#12 Kaleb Price (FR)

#15 Semaj Davis (FR)

#20 Jahmir Lloyd (SO)