ALL-AREA: Goldsboro's Carmon cops player-of-the-year honors

By Brandon Davis
Published in Sports on April 15, 2016 1:48 PM

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Joining Carmon on the All-Area first team are Rosewood senior Zack Barnes, Wayne Christian senior Tyrique McClain, Charles B. Aycock senior Ian Best and Wayne Country Day senior Jamal Forde.

"Having a great team and having a great coach being on you all the time," said Carmon, who averaged 18 points a game and surpassed the 1,000-point career scoring mark this season.

"Heart, toughness, being mentally and physically strong and being able to handle tough things."

Carmon remembers the first time he put on a uniform -- the No. 3 that Cougar fans certainly won't forget. When he stood in front of Stephens, Carmon said he walked to the JV side of the gym where he thought he belonged at the time.

Stephens told Carmon to join the varsity players.

It paid off in a big way.

Through the wins and the losses -- more wins than the latter -- Carmon piloted the Cougars on every area of the court. Whether he fired a 3 from way behind the arc or passed the ball to teammates Nakia Atkins, Eric Bufkin, Kisheem Faison or Jaylin Thomas, Carmon found a way for the Cougars to win games by large margins.

And they did.

Goldsboro defeated its foes by an average of 25 points until it fell to Hillsborough Orange on Jan. 18. Carmon continued to lead his team past Eastern Carolina 2-A Conference rivals, including a heart-breaking home loss to archrival Kinston.

The loss crushed Carmon, but the thought of eventually beating the Vikings on their floor drove the tenacious point guard -- and the Cougars -- to the second round of the N.C. High School Athletic Association playoffs.

The back-and-forth game gave Kinston fans the hope of winning their fifth consecutive state title. But the Vikings had to get past the Cougars.

Carmon dropped in 20 points during the 63-59, second-round victory.

"It felt great being able to know that it's going to be another 2-A team to win state," Carmon said. "We had everybody cheering for us, so we had the whole city on our backs, and everybody looked up to us."

Though the Cougars fell to Fairmont in the eastern quarterfinals, Carmon devoted his time in the spring to the community of Goldsboro and to his future -- a future without wearing a Cougar uniform.

"Giving back to the community, showing that we care about others, and just giving back," said Carmon, who assists with the Special Olympics in Goldsboro.

Graduating in May, Carmon knows higher education awaits him. As he searches for a college to attend, he keeps Goldsboro High in his mind.

"(I will miss) everybody, everything, the team, Coach Russell, Ms. Kruger, the whole school," he said. "(I want to) choose a school that will graduate me, find a good education and major in sports medicine."

Stephens, meanwhile, learned more about Carmon the person than the player.

"I've learned that hard work pays off," Stephens said. "This is a kid (Carmon) that I've known since the fifth grade, coming to the rec centers, ball in his hands, just working on his game, working on his shot, asking questions about getting better.

"You have to have something special, and Myron's special stuff is, first of all, he's a great kid that loves the game. He will continue to get better because he enjoys playing. He is a better kid than he is a basketball player."