Ginnell Curtis
John Henry “Pete” Jones
Carley Hughes Milinichik
Bernard Minter
David Neal
David Raymer
Ginnell Curtis
CLASS OF 1998
Ginnell Curtis is one of the greatest women’s basketball players in Apex history. She graduated from Apex High School in 1998, having been a three year starter at point guard for the Lady Cougars. She led Apex to a 69-14 record during her three year stint on the varsity, a span which saw Apex win three conference championships, two sectional championships, and twice play for the Eastern Regional title.
Individually, she was an offensive machine, as she recorded over 1000 career points, but also distributed over 500 career assists to account for another 1000 points for the Cougars. But her excellence was not limited to the offensive end of the court, as Ginnell racked up over 400 steals in her career as well. Upon graduation, Ginnell matriculated to UNC Pembroke, where her outstanding basketball career continued to blossom. She earned All-Conference accolades all four years that she played at Pembroke and continued to score at will at the collegiate level.
Ginnell is one of only two players in Pembroke history to score over 2000 points in her career and she established school records for career assists and career free throws made. In addition, she also established the Pembroke single season record for assists with 158. For her outstanding accomplishments during her career at Pembroke, Ginnell was inducted into the Pembroke Hall of Fame in 2008. Ginnell is quick to note, however, that she had tremendous support from the sacrifices of her parents and from the mentorship of former Apex coach Scott Campbell who has always remained a loyal friend.
John Henry “Pete” Jones
CLASS OF 1958
“Pete” Jones was a 1958 graduate of Apex Consolidated High School and is the second former Tiger to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was one of the most outstanding basketball players in Apex history. Standing 6’8’’, he was a force in the paint and held the school record for rebounds and blocked shots. Pete accepted a scholarship to attend North Carolina Central University after his graduation where he continued to excel in the classroom and on the court. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1963 and was drafted by the St. Louis Hawks.
Pete moved to New York City to prepare for a possible NBA career, but instead was recruited to play for the Harlem Wizards. After playing for the Wizards for several years, Pete signed to play professionally in Italy, but returned to New York City in 1968. Truly showing his traits as a Renaissance man, he transitioned from a life in basketball to one in music, where he became one of the original founders of the Hip Hop music genre. Known as Pete “DJ” Jones, he was credited with being one of the originators of using two turntables during his DJ performances. Learn more about his music career here.
Hip Hop legends Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash both praised Pete’s innovations as being critical in the mixing and scratching movement of the Hip Hop scene and in the development of the “jump” between songs. And if that was not enough, “DJ” Pete was also an acclaimed middle school teacher for over 30 years in the Bronx. Sadly, Pete passed away in 2015, but his two sons, Timothy Karim Jones and Jonathan Richard Jones, accepted his Hall of Fame plaque in his memory.
Carley Hughes Milinichik
CLASS OF 2005
Carley Hughes Milinichik, was a multisport athlete at Apex High School. A 2005 graduate, she played volleyball, basketball, and softball during her career at Apex, but the softball diamond was the arena in which she truly left her mark. She was first team All-Conference as a junior and senior, but was also selected as the Conference Player of the Year in 2005. During her extraordinary senior MVP campaign, Carley led Apex to the conference championship, defeating longtime nemesis Fuquay-Varina, and then all the way to the Final Four in the state playoffs. Carley excelled as a defensive force behind the plate and at first base, but it was her prowess at the plate that brought fear to the opposing teams. Carley led Apex in virtually every major batting category, including average, runs batted in, and home runs.
Upon graduation, she signed with UNC-Wilmington and had a phenomenal four year run with the Seahawks, ending her career with virtually every slugging record possible. Carley ended her career as the single season record-holder in slugging percentage, home runs, total bases, hits, and RBIs. In addition, she ended up as the career leader in three of those categories, including a whopping 45 career home runs. For her feats on the diamond, Carley was voted as the CAA Conference Player of the Year in 2007 and was voted by the NCAA as the toughest batter to strike out in that same season with only 3 whiffs in 172 at bats.
For the excellence she achieved, Carley was selected as a member of the CAA Conference 25th Anniversary team. And in a final tribute to her abilities, she became the first softball player in UNC Wilmington history to be inducted into the Seahawk Hall of Fame.
Bernard Minter
CLASS OF 1983
Bernard Minter was one of the greatest and most respected three-sport athletes to come through Apex High School. He was a member of the football, basketball, and track and field teams during his career. Proudly wearing the green and gold for the Cougars, he was a terror on the defensive side of the ball, alternating between linebacker and defensive back. He responded to his first varsity start against Cary with 12 tackles and 2 interceptions and never left the starting lineup for the remainder of his career.
The confidence with which Bernard played carried over into all three sports and led to Bernard being one of the first multi-sport All-Conference athletes in Apex history. Bernard’s defensive skills were also on display in basketball as well, where he was always given the task of defending the best player on the opposing team. This led to one encounter in which Apex was playing Southern Durham. Legendary UNC Coach Dean Smith was in attendance when Bernard played his finest game for the Cougars, holding Spartan star Curtis Hunter scoreless that night and causing Coach Smith to marvel at his defensive ability and stamina.
Bernard also excelled in track and field with an especially unique combination as a distance runner and weight man. With a larger frame for a distance runner, Bernard would silence the doubters by going to the front and staying there in his 800 and 1600 meter races. And if his personal athletic feats were not enough, Bernard continued to add to his Apex legacy through 16 plus years as a youth and volunteer high school football coach.
David Neal
COACH 2002-2019
Previously Apex High School’s Men’s Basketball coach at Apex High School, David Neal arrived at Apex in 2002 and immediately turned the Cougars into a powerhouse program. His teams averaged almost 20 wins a season and made the state playoffs in 15 of his 17 years as a coach at Apex High School. Under his leadership, the Cougars won eight regular season (2005, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015) and five tournament conference championships. In addition, he has twice coached his squads to the Eastern Regional Championship, with the 2014 team reaching the peak by winning the 4A State title.
Coach Neal was honored by his peers seven times as the Conference Coach of the Year and was selected to serve as the Head Coach of the East team in the annual NCCA East-West All Star game in 2018. Prior to coming to Apex, Coach Neal coached at Louisburg High School from 1997 to 2002, amassing an amazing 357 wins over his 22-year high school coaching career. In addition to his amazing high school coaching career, Coach Neal was an excellent athlete in his own right. He played football, basketball, and baseball all four years at Sanderson High School and was inducted into the Sanderson Hall of Fame in 2012 based on his outstanding high school accomplishments. In addition, he played for legendary Coach Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina, including playing in the NCAA Final Four in 1995. In many respects, Coach Neal has emulated many of Dean Smith’s greatest traits. He sent a dozen players on to play in the collegiate ranks. But more important, he created an atmosphere at Apex High School where all of his players invest in something greater than themselves: a team sacrificing for the greater good rather than individual recognition. In July of 2019, Coach Neal became the athletic director at his alma mater, Sanderson High School.
David Raymer
CLASS OF 1997
David Raymer was one of Apex High School’s greatest baseball players. Displaying his skills early, David Raymer “earned his pinstripes” and was called up to the varsity team by Coach Joe Lapp during his freshman year. For the next four years, David was a mainstay in the Cougar line up, locking down centerfield on the defensive side, spraying hits all over Cougar stadium, and twice leading Apex to the Final Four in the state tournament. David’s skill resulted in his being named to the All-Conference team three times as well as being selected as the Conference Player of the Year during both his junior and senior seasons.
In addition, David was named to the All-State team during those same two seasons and was named to one All-American team during his senior campaign. Upon graduation, his baseball journey continued as David spent two seasons playing for Sacramento City College in California. He helped lead the Panthers to two state titles and was named as both the Bay Valley Conference Player of the Year and to the All-American team in 1998. For his accomplishments at Sacramento City, he was also selected as the Male Athlete of the Year in 1999.
He spent the summer of 1998 playing in the prestigious Cape Cod League and led his team to a league championship. David signed with LSU in 1999 and, though he was plagued by injuries during his time in Baton Rouge, he was named to an All-Regional team and played on the Tiger’s 2000 NCAA Championship team. Though David’s baseball odyssey took him all over the country, some of his fondest memories come from his years as a Cougar playing for Coaches Joe Lapp and Mike Gleason.