Two of Sampson County’s top rising junior basketball players will be wearing new uniforms this winter.
Richard Simpson, a two-year varsity standout at Hobbton, and Ivey Sampson, who spent his first two seasons at Clinton, have both transferred to Harrells Christian Academy, giving the Crusaders another infusion of young talent as they prepare for the 2026-27 season.
Simpson arrives after averaging 14.0 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.5 blocks per game as a sophomore. Through his first two varsity seasons, the guard/forward has averaged 14.3 points per contest in 44 career games.
Sampson also heads to Harrells following two years of varsity experience at Clinton. As a sophomore, he averaged 4.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game while appearing in 22 contests. Over 43 career varsity games, Sampson has averaged 3.6 points and 2.4 rebounds per outing.
For Simpson, the decision to leave Hobbton centered on finding an environment he believes will better position him for collegiate recruiting while continuing his development.
“My experience at Hobbton was good,” Simpson said. “The school was good. Education-wise and teacher-wise was good. Athletics, I feel like it could have been better due to getting looks and better opportunities because I feel like I wasn’t getting the right looks the way I needed.”
Simpson clarified those “looks” refer to college recruiters.
“I feel like my move to Harrells was for better opportunities,” he explained. “I saw my cousins from Harrells, and they’re both going to college this year. I felt like I needed to go over there. Coach Clayton Hall is going to be a good coach, help develop me and get me to where they were.”
A member of Hobbton’s varsity since his freshman season, Simpson believes his growth as a player plateaued during his sophomore campaign.
“I feel like this last year, my sophomore year, I didn’t develop at all,” he admitted. “I feel like my development slowed down a lot. Freshman year, playing with a lot of upperclassmen, they were roughing me up and pushing me every day. I feel like I developed a lot more then than I did this year.”
Despite changing schools, Simpson’s recruiting profile continues to grow. He said several programs have already expressed interest through his AAU coaches.
“Mississippi State, Miami (Ohio), VCU and Mount Olive have been some of the schools,” Simpson said. “I’ve still been texting with a few of them from AAU.”
Simpson also acknowledged the expectations that come with following his cousins Antonio and Dashaun “DayDay” McKoy, who helped establish Harrells as one of the area’s top programs.
“They’re big shoes to fill,” Simpson said. “I know Antonio and Dashaun were both great. I’m different from them. I’m just going to go in there, do the best I can and try to make my own legacy just like they had theirs.”
The transition has already begun during summer competition, where Simpson has started developing chemistry with his new teammates.
“I’ve built a connection with the point guard we have and Ivey from Clinton that just transferred over there,” he said. “I feel like me and Ivey are going to be pretty good this year. I still need to learn the full team because we haven’t had everybody together yet.”
Simpson has lofty expectations for both himself and the Crusaders entering the season.
“For the team, I want to have a good season, hopefully go undefeated, win conference and win states,” he said. “That’s the big goal. Personally, I want to average at least 25 points and 10 rebounds, maybe even a triple-double, and I want to go Division I.”
Hall, the Crusader head coach, believes both newcomers possess the tools to make an immediate impact, while acknowledging there will be an adjustment period.
“I look forward to coaching both of them,” Hall said. “They have great potential and will help us moving forward. It will take some time for them to adapt. We like to play fast, and that always takes some time to get used to.”
Hall said one lesson from summer competition stood out above the rest.
“The biggest takeaway from summer ball was their strength,” Hall added. “I told them they needed to be stronger when we start back in November.”
With Simpson’s proven scoring ability and Sampson’s versatility joining an already talented Harrells roster, the Crusaders will enter the upcoming season with expectations as two more of Sampson County’s promising young players look to elevate both their games and the program.