GREENSBORO — Former Chatham Charter basketball standout Jonah Ridgill wasn’t originally supposed to play in the North Carolina Coaches Association’s East-West All-Star Game on July 15, but after his performance, there was no question that he belonged.
In front of a packed Novant Health Fieldhouse in Greensboro, Ridgill, a member of the West All-Stars, recorded 14 points and three rebounds in 17 minutes as the West beat the East, 108-92.
“It felt really surreal just being on the court in front of all of those people,” Ridgill said. “It felt like a state championship type of environment…Playing with other top players in the state, they can just mix it up and play the highest level of basketball. It was super fun.”
The East-West All-Star Games feature players that just graduated from high school.
Ridgill found out he would be replacing Asheboro forward Jerquarious Stanback, who dropped out due to an injury, just two days before the all-star game.
“I was excited,” Ridgill said. “I was out with some friends. I immediately called my dad, and I was like ‘Cancel the weekend. I got stuff to do.’”
The all-star teams practiced multiple times in the two days leading up to the game, including twice on July 13, once on July 14 and a shootaround the morning of gameday. Competing against some of the other top graduating talent in the state, Ridgill said he felt he got better from the experience.
“First day, we bonded quickly,” Ridgill said. “I feel like that was a big advantage we had, because we really clicked on all cylinders fast. We got to know each other (quickly). We were cracking jokes. We were fooling around. But when we got on the court in between those four corners, it was all business.”
Playing in the format of 20-minute halves, the West found itself in a close battle with the East before Ridgill made his first appearance a little over five minutes into the game. Shortly after checking in, Ridgill scored his first basket with a layup, putting the West ahead, 16-11.
By the end of the first half, Ridgill had poured in six points while shooting 50% from the floor. Ridgill got most of his points from running the floor and getting open looks in transition, and his spark helped the West build a 49-39 lead by the break.
Ridgill worked some of the same magic in the second half and even got more active on the boards. His eight second half points were just a fraction of the West’s scoring explosion in which it took advantage of a tiring East squad that only had eight players in rotation.
The West built a lead as high as 27 points which was enough cushion to withstand a late-game burst from the East in which it cut the lead to as low as 13.
“We were very prepared,” Ridgill said. “We set a goal to beat them by 20. We fell a little bit short because we kind of fell asleep there at the end.”
Said Ridgill, “I think we played a great game as a team…you can’t really ask for more than that.”
Prior to Ridgill’s selection to the East-West All-Star Game, he had a stellar senior year to end his career at Chatham Charter. Ridgill’s 19.3 points per game in the 2023-24 season were good enough to lead the Knights, the Central Tar Heel 1A conference and land as the eighth-best scoring average in the 1A East classification, according to MaxPreps. He was named the Central Tar Heel 1A Conference Player of the Year and earned his second-straight basketball all-conference selection.
Ridgill also nearly averaged a double-double, grabbing 9.7 rebounds per game. He recorded 14 double-doubles last season, going on a stretch of six straight double-doubles from Feb. 6 to Feb. 21.
“I feel like I still have so much more to prove,” Ridgill said. “I feel like I was kind of overlooked by some, but I made it in this game. I feel like I made a little bit of noise and put Chatham County front and center again.”
Ridgill signed with the Guilford College basketball program in May. Originally from Greensboro, Ridgill said the program’s “winning culture” and feeling of home is what he liked most about the school. While playing basketball, Ridgill plans to major in business administration, but he also already has plans on what he wants to accomplish with the team in his first year.
“I feel like we should set a goal to win the ODAC and knock off Hampden-Sydney this year,” Ridgill said. “I feel like we can really go and get that done.”
