GREENSBORO — Three basketball players and one football player from Robeson County have earned invitations to play in the North Carolina East-West All-Star Games, played in July in Greensboro.

Purnell Swett’s Kylie Chavis and Natalie Evington were selected in girls basketball, Lumberton’s J.B. Brockington in boys basketball and Purnell Swett’s Jacobi Chavis in football.

The basketball games will be played on Monday, July 17 at the Greensboro Coliseum; the football game will be played Wednesday, July 19 at Grimsley High School’s Jamieson Stadium.

Chavis and Evington will get the chance to play together one more time after each played four varsity seasons for the Rams.

“It means a lot to me, because I know a bunch of people don’t get the opportunity to play in it, so it really means the world,” Chavis said. “Me and her, we’ve been together for a while. So us getting to play this last go-round together before we part ways means a lot.”

“It’s going to be really special,” Evington said. “I’m going to miss playing high school ball and playing with my teammates, but I’ll get to play with one of my teammates one last time and represent the school, and I just think it’ll be a great opportunity.”

Chavis, a UNC Wilmington signee and the Robeson County Player of the Year in 2020 and 2022, averaged 21.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 6.2 assists and 4.5 steals per game in her senior season. Evington, a UNC Pembroke signee, averaged 19.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals per game as a senior. The pair helped lead Purnell Swett to consecutive Robeson County Shootout titles, a United-8 Conference championship in 2022 and a third-round state playoff appearance in 2023.

“They’re both amazing basketball players and it’s a pleasure to coach them. I’m glad they’re doing what they love to do,” Purnell Swett girls basketball coach Kalen Eddings said. “I think it’ll be a good opportunity for both of them and I’m super proud of them, and not just from a coach-player standpoint, but as a Native American it’s neat too, for us to get some girls to be able to do that.”

Chavis and Evington will play for the East team, coached by Southeast Raleigh’s Nicole Sampson. E.E. Smith’s Keashiana Murphy is also among the East selections.

Brockington becomes the third Lumberton player in the last three seasons to earn an East-West selection, after both Charlie Miller and Matt Locklear played in the game in 2021; in doing so, he accomplished a specific goal he set for himself.

“Going into high school that was my main goal, to play in that game, so just to know I’m one of the few players selected in North Carolina means a lot to me,” Brockington said. “I know that there’s only a few people from Lumberton that’s gotten to play in the game, so being part of the history and being another player from Lumberton playing the game, it shows that Lumberton’s got good athletes and we can do anything that we put our mind too.”

Brockington, a Mount Olive signee, averaged 18.0 points, 8.4 rebounds, 9.7 assists and 2.8 steals per game in his senior season, earning Robeson County Player of the Year honors for the second-straight season after helping lead the Pirates to a third-round state-playoff appearance and the Robeson County Shootout title.

“Anytime you can get recognized for a game like this, of such magnitude, especially out of Robeson County — it just shows we’ve got a lot of talent in Robeson County,” Lumberton boys basketball coach Bryant Edwards said. “For him to represent the guys side is awesome, and I’m just proud of him.”

Brockington’s East team will be coached by East Wake’s Gerald Melton; the roster also includes Scotland’s Lamonte Cousar and Seventy-First’s Jared Davis.

Brockington, Kylie Chavis and Evington join St. Pauls’ Jeyvian Tatum in 2022 and Miller, Locklear and St. Pauls’ T.J. Eichelberger in 2021 as recent East-West selections from Robeson County — seven in the last three seasons.

“It just means that in Robeson County, people have got to trust the process when they get here,” Brockington said. “Some people transfer, but if they can stick with it, stay all four years, they can do anything if they work, just work hard.”

“A lot of people say there’s been talent in Robeson County for a long time; it may have been, but maybe finally now people will start realizing the talent,” Edwards said. “And it’s starting to show in other sports and things like that, so maybe we’ll keep it up for the next few years.”

That talent in other sports includes Purnell Swett’s Jacobi Chavis, a defensive lineman who earned the Rams’ first East-West selection since Kenwin Cummings in 2004.

“It’s wonderful, great. I’m glad he did it,” Purnell Swett football coach Josh Deese said. “He’s been working hard for four years and it’s finally paid off.”

Jacobi Chavis, a UNC Pembroke signee, had 68 tackles, with nine tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two caused fumbles as a senior for the Rams, earning All-County recognition.

While Kylie Chavis, Evington and Brockington will represent programs that have been successful and played on big stages in recent years, Jacobi Chavis comes from the less successful Rams football program — but Deese hopes Chavis’ inclusion can become a springboard for the team.

“Guys are seeing the recognition he’s getting from his hard work; not only the East-West Game but the opportunity to play at UNCP,” Deese said. “If they see that, it makes them work a little bit harder, and one day they can be in that position, and that’s what it’s about.”

The East football roster will also include area players Cadyn Graves from Scotland, Jesus Hernandez and Christian Olivas from Terry Sanford and Mathias Winston from Pine Forest.

The East-West Games are put on by the North Carolina Coaches Association.