Southeastern Prep’s CJ Rosser drives towards the lane against Davidson Day During the first half. The Davidson Day Patriots and the Southeastern Prep Academy National Falcons met in the John Wall Holiday Tournament in Raleigh, N.C. on December 27, 2025.
RALEIGH
Christmas at home with family as an elite athlete is always cherished time.
Being able to make that happen, and throw in a whole lot of “work” in the process? Icing on the cake.
CJ Rosser of Rocky Mount, the top-ranked junior nationally per On3 recruiting — and No. 2 according to 247Sports — made his way home for the holidays this week, and while he was at it, threw in an unofficial visit to UNC and, of course, some tournament ball.
Rosser, who now attends Southeastern Prep Academy in Orlando, made his presence known Saturday at the annual John Wall Holiday Invitational at Broughton High School in Raleigh, even without leading his team in scoring.
Rosser scored eight points on 4 of 18 shooting, but opened up opportunities for eight teammates to find the scoresheet as the Falcons upended Davidson Day of Charlotte, 56-40, in the teams’ first game of the tournament, on the event’s second day.
Rosser kicked off his weeklong homecoming with an unofficial visit to North Carolina on Monday as the Tar Heels hosted — and walloped — East Carolina at the Smith Center.
“It went really well,” Rosser said to 247Sports after his visit. “I enjoyed it a whole lot — the atmosphere and the crowd going and everything like that. I really like their playing style.”
Kentucky, Louisville and Kansas are among other schools who have shown great interest in the 6-foot, 10-inch forward.
Following his visit, and subsequent holiday celebrations, the rest of Rosser’s team joined him in North Carolina for the John Wall Invitational, and joined his family for another unique celebration — that of his 1,000th high school point.
Beckham Black was the primary beneficiary of the attention to Rosser, scoring 14 points in the win. Jaxon Richardson added 10 for the Falcons.
Cody Peck, an uncommitted senior at Davidson Day and the top-ranked North Carolina recruit per 247Sports and On3, had eight points for the Patriots. Peck’s teammate, Clemson commit Will Stevens, added six. Xavier Hall led all Davidson Day players with 14.
Reidsville 71, Southeast Raleigh 68
Another day, another amazing outing for UNC-Greensboro-bound Dionte Neal.
Neal hit for 42 points, equaling his total from Day 1, to lead Reidsville High School to a 71-68 win over Southeast Raleigh in the third-place game of the Rudy Watson bracket at the John Wall Holiday Invitational.
Paul Cauthen Jr. added 22 and Frankie Galloway completed the scoring for the Rams with seven points.
Travis Cooper led Southeast Raleigh with 21 points.
Southern Durham 64, Petersburg 61
AJ Morman drilled a game-winning 3-pointer to lift Southern Durham to a 64-61 win over Petersburg High School of Virginia on the second day of the John Wall Holiday Invitational in Raleigh. Morman finished with a game-high 22 points for the Spartans, who advance to face Broughton on Monday at 11 a.m. in the third-place game of the Day’Ron Sharpe bracket.
Jace Glaspie had 13 points and Aden Jeffries added 12 in the win.
Latrell Allmond led Petersburg with 19 points and Ladarius Givan chipped in 18 in the loss.
Broughton 61, Garner 54
Jordan Page was on fire Saturday, posting 27 points and 13 rebounds to lead host Broughton High School to a 61-54 win over Garner in a Day 2 matchup at the John Wall Holiday Invitational.
Hudson Fitzgerald added 11 points for the Capitals, who advance to the third-place game of the Day’Ron Sharpe bracket of the tournament, in which they’ll face Southern Durham on Monday at 11 a.m.
Garner’s Darius Whitner led his team with 15 points, while Don Jackson added 10.
Christ School 74, Washington 50
Trevor Manhertz, a top-five 2027 recruit in North Carolina, drained 20 points and pulled down seven rebounds, and teammate Kingston Whitty added 18 points and 10 boards to lead Christ School to a decisive 74-50 win over Washington High School in the championship game of the Rudy Watson bracket at the John Wall Holiday Invitational on Saturday.
The Greenies held a commanding lead at the half, only to watch the Pam Pack chip away a bit in the third quarter. But Christ School poured it back on in the fourth quarter to pull away and capture the title.
Shimere Garris led Washington with 19 points and Jarryn Payne added 14 in the loss.
IMG 62, Burlington School 44
Four players scored in double digits to lead IMG Academy to a convincing 62-44 win over The Burlington School in the teams’ first game of the John Wall Holiday Invitational on Saturday.
Trey Beamer, a Boston College commit, led the Ascenders with 14 points and eight assists. Pittsburgh commit Jermal Jones Jr. also poured in 14 points, while fellow future Panther Chase Foster added a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Aziz Olajuwon rounded out IMG’s double-digit scorers with 10.
Geren Holmes led all players with 19 points for The Burlington School. Junior Kamari Nicholson added 10 for the Spartans in the loss.
Greenfield 57, Highland 54
Kobe Edwards went 12-for-20 from the field, including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and poured in 28 points to lead Greenfield School to a 57-54 win over Highland School in the semifinals of the Day-Ron Sharpe bracket at the John Wall Holiday Invitational on Saturday.
Highland advances to the bracket final on Tuesday, and will face either Wilson High School of Florence, South Carolina, or Coronado High School of Nevada, which square off in the second semifinal Monday afternoon.
Johnny Winborne also hit double figures for Greenfield, draining 14 points in the win.
Brayden Ragland scored 13 and Isaiah Carter added 12 for Highland in the loss.
Spire vs Ambassador Christian
Darrell Davis drilled a game-high 19 points and Spire Academy ran out to a double-digit lead early and protected its advantage the rest of the way in a 54-45 win over Ambassador Christian in the nightcap of Day 2 at the John Wall Holiday Invitational in Raleigh on Saturday.
Aiden Derkack added 10 points for Spire.
RJ Moore led Ambassador Christian with 18 points on 6-fof-17 shooting, including 3-of-10 from beyond the arc. Nick Haney chipped in 11 in the loss.
Staff report
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