The Triangle. Duke. North Carolina. N.C. State. It may be the highest concentration of talent in college basketball in one area.

Not only is it one of the densest areas of talent in the country, the state of North Carolina as a whole is one of the most well-known, prolific producers of basketball players.

While Duke gets most of the spotlight when it comes to Durham basketball, the homegrown talents are quite impressive as well.

Here is a look at the the three best college basketball players to have played high school basketball in Durham over the past 20 years:

1) Ricky Council IV

This may be the obvious choice for the top spot. Council IV is one of two players on this list to make the NBA, and for good reason. In his time in college, specifically in 2022-23, he was one of the best scorers in college basketball.

Council IV played high school basketball for the Southern School of Energy and Sustainability Spartans in Durham. There, he averaged 19.9 points per game and 5.7 rebounds in his sophomore season in 2017-18.

Coming out of high school, Council IV was a three-star recruit, ranked as the 60th shooting guard in the country and 17th best player in the 2020 class from North Carolina, per 247Sports.

He committed to Wichita State, where he averaged 12 points per game in his sophomore season. Following that, Council IV transferred to Arkansas, where he made a name for himself, leading the Razorbacks with 16.1 points per game. Arkansas went on a run during March Madness as an 8-seed, earning a signature win over 1-seeded Kansas in the Round of 32.

The 6-foot-6 guard went undrafted but was signed by the Philadelphia 76ers in 2023-24, where he averaged 6.7 points per game in 105 games across two seasons.

2) Tracy Smith

Smith was a 6-foot-7 forward and attended Mount Zion Christian Academy in Durham. As a recruit, he was a four-star ranked as the 55th best player in the country in the 2007 class. That puts him among the top ranked recruits ever from Durham in the recruiting-site era.

Those efforts earned him offers from N.C. State, USC and Oklahoma State, with Smith ultimately choosing to commit to the Wolfpack. That decision paid off — Smith excelled in four seasons with N.C. State, putting up a well respected college career.

In his freshman season, he only played around nine minutes per game, but that figure ballooned heading into his sophomore year. Smith played over 18 minutes a game in his second season and his points per game average went from a little over three to 10.

Smith’s junior season was his breakout year though, with the forward leading the Wolfpack in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game during the 2009-10 season. Leading a Power Four team, especially one such as N.C. State is not something to scoff over. The Wolfpack went 20-16 during the season while led by Smith, and he was named to All-ACC Second team. In the same season, he led the conference in field goal percentage at 52.4%.

3) Jay Huff

While the second NBA player on this list, Huff wasn’t nearly the player Smith was in college. But that doesn’t mean the 7-foot-1 forward wasn’t a top player.

Huff played high school basketball for Voyager Academy in Durham. In his senior season there, he put up 16.3 points per game to go along with 10.1 rebounds. The team went 32-4, including 16-0 in conference play in 2015-16, winning the 2016 NCHSAA 1A Men’s Basketball State Championships.

That well-decorated senior season earned Huff a four-star ranking from 247Sports, ranking as the 65th best player in the country and the fourth best from North Carolina. Huff received interest from Duke, but decided to commit to the University of Virginia, another basketball powerhouse.

In his sophomore season, the Cavaliers won the national championship, with Huff playing around nine minutes per game and averaging 4.4 points. It wasn’t until his senior season in 2020-21 that Huff became an every-game starter, where he averaged 13 points per game and was named to All-ACC Second team.

Huff led the ACC in blocks with 66 and field goal percentage at 58.5%. Virginia went 18-7 that season and ranked 15th in the final AP Poll, earning a four-seed in the NCAA tournament. Despite the successful year, the Cavaliers were upset in the first round, where Huff scored nine points in 24 minutes.

Out of college, Huff went undrafted but immediately found a spot in the NBA as a journeyman. In his first three seasons he played with as many teams — the Los Angeles Lakers, Washington Wizards and Denver Nuggets — but didn’t play more than 20 games in a season.

The 2024-25 season was when Huff burst onto radars with the Memphis Grizzlies, playing in 64 games and averaging 6.9 points per game in a little under 12 minutes. He fully cemented himself as a capable backup center in the league.

This year has been Huff’s best year yet, averaging 7.3 points and 2.3 blocks per game with the Indiana Pacers in over 17 minutes per game. If he continues at this pace, Huff might be on pace to become the most successful basketball player from Durham.