JUSTIN CHEEK STEPS OUT FROM THE SHADOW

With a father that appears on television every weekend as an NFL Field Judge and a sister that starts for the # 11 ranked Duke Blue Devils Basketball team, where does Ardrey Kell High School junior Justin Cheek find his place to shine in life?    The basketball court is the answer or to be more specific, The Knight’s Castle at Ardrey Kell High School.  Justin has chosen to follow his sister Joy’s career path and excel with the roundball.  The six foot three inch shooting guard is off to a fast start in his third varsity season for head coach Mike Craft.  Justin recently set his career high scoring output with 27 points versus Charlotte Catholic.  Now many of the same colleges that courted his sister Joy when she was earning McDonald’s All-American recognition at South Mecklenburg High School are paying attention to Justin and trying to gauge where his talents can take him.

Justin, the son of Boris and Michele Cheek, has developed into a bona fide star over the last few seasons.  His ball handling, shooting and defense have come a long way since first starting high school.  Coach Craft is very pleased with the way Justin has represented the school.

"Justin Cheek is one of the players we have built this program around,” said Craft.   “He has been on the varsity for three years, and that experience is really showing this year.  Justin has always had an uncanny ability to score the basketball.  In the offseason, we talked to Justin about improving his defense, rebounding, and ball handling. He bought into everything we said and has improved tremendously in all of these areas to become one of the most improved players in the league."
Justin is averaging 16.0 points per game and has scored in double figures in every game.   His 27 point output tied the school single game scoring record.   Justin is also pulling down nearly four  rebounds per game  and shooting  48% from the field,  71% from the charity stripe and 45% from three point land.

With those numbers and teammates like six foot eight inch Cameron McQueen and dynamic backcourt mate Alex Watkins, hopes are very high for Ardrey Kell this season.

Justin has worked very hard to get to this point.  Like many basketball players, he began to dribble around a basketball as a toddler and watching his sister Joy excel only served as motivation to become a good basketball player.  After living many of his childhood years in the Washington, DC area, the family moved to Charlotte and Justin continued to improve his  game.  Many of his current Ardrey Kell teammates played alongside Justin in middle school.  Ardrey Kell’s opening in 2006 provided a new and exciting opportunity to attend a new school and begin to build a basketball team from scratch with Coach Craft.
“It took all of us a little while to figure out the offense and defense, but Coach Craft has been great to play for and everyone enjoys playing here.  We want to keep working hard and contend for a state championship the next two seasons. Our team has a lot of talent and we all like being around each other.”

With another two months remaining in the high school season, Justin is looking forward to helping Ardrey Kell record their best season ever. Once the season ends, he will turn his attention to his Team Phoenix AAU Basketball Club.  The AAU season will be very important for Justin in the recruiting process.  With a successful spring and summer of basketball, Justin will have a chance to play for  a mid-high major university.  

“I am excited about the future, but I am in no rush to make a decision on college. I want to play hard and see what kind of opportunities come my way.  I know that my education is very important, so I don’t want to rush into anything.”
The next few years will be very exciting for Justin Cheek and his family.  After watching Joy receive so much attention while in high school, it’s now time for Justin to shine under the bright lights!  Maybe one day folks can turn their television on to see Boris officiating a Super Bowl, Joy playing in the WNBA and Justin scoring the winning basket for his college basketball team!   I am sure mom Michelle and oldest sister Jessica will be quite proud of everyone!