1,000 x 2
Posted: January 17, 2013
HARRISONBURG – Spotswood High School junior Tucker McCoy virtually has his own two-sport practice facility in Elkton: a lit outdoor basketball court and a batting cage. The facility doesn’t have a name, nor should it.
That’s because one name wouldn’t do it justice since it’s more of a shared establishment – and one that gets plenty of action during family functions.
The private, mini playground is located in a wooded neighborhood between a pair of houses where his cousins, John Dofflemyer and Chase Comer, live. Like McCoy, Dofflemyer and Comer both play baseball and basketball, but for East Rockingham. Two more cousins, Page County senior Tanner Dofflemyer and Spotswood graduate R.J. Dofflemyer, also frequent the family get-togethers, which can get a bit heated at times during 3-on-3 basketball games.
“It’s very competitive. We don’t take it light on each other,” Tanner Dofflemyer said. “Sometimes there’s been many fights. But then we just get back together like a family and everything’s good.”
The extra practice has apparently paid off for Dofflemyer and McCoy, who both reached the 1,000-point plateau in the same two-week span in December.
Dofflemyer, a 6-foot-2 power forward for the Panthers, set his career milestone at the free-throw line during a 78-42 loss at Strasburg on Dec. 15. McCoy accomplished the feat as a junior in a more memorable team outing – a 79-76 win at Handley on Dec. 29.
“It’s a big relief just getting that off my back. Everybody can stop asking me about it,” McCoy said after Friday night’s win at Broadway. “But it felt good to be able to join all those good players up there.”
McCoy, a 5-foot-10 point guard, entered the season with 789 points in his first two seasons. Leading the Trailblazers (12-0) with 19.5 points and 3.5 assists per game, McCoy currently has 1,061 career points. His 1,000th point was indicative of the offensive prowess of his teammates – which has increased sharply since his freshman year, when he was basically Spotswood’s sole scoring threat.
“I was coming off a screen,” McCoy said last week, recalling his milestone moment. “I curled a little bit in the lane and hit a jump shot in the paint.”
Unlike Dofflemyer, McCoy – the 10th Spotswood boy to reach 1,000 points – knew exactly where he stood. He said SHS coach Chad Edwards reminded him he was 13 points away going into Handley, which announced his accomplishment at halftime.
For Dofflemyer, it was more of a surprise – and more of an honor, as he became just the third boys’ basketball player to reach 1,000 points in school history.
“After I made my free throw, they called a timeout and announced it at the game,” said Dofflemyer. “That’s the first time I knew.”
Dofflemyer and the Panthers are currently alone in first place among the Shenandoah District’s eight teams. Page beat East Rockingham 56-52 last week in Elkton, where three of the cousins were in uniform.
“You can tell it’s definitely an athletic bloodline and tradition basically,” said Tim Brown, Dofflemyer’s teammate at Page. “Tucker just scored his 1,000th point and he’s only a junior – and he’s playing [Group AA] competition most of the time.”
McCoy is now 370 points shy of Richard Bruce’s school record set in 1997.
Meanwhile, Dofflemyer was in the Shenandoah District Player of the Year conversation last season as a junior.
“He’s improved a lot on staying calm when things go wrong and just showing that he’s the best player in the district,” Page County teammate Kol Shuler said. “Last year, I even thought he was the best player, but he came in second or third for Player of the Year.”
Ironically, it is unlikely that either player will continue playing basketball in college. Dofflemyer, a star shortstop, has already decided to play baseball at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington – where he took his official visit this fall with McCoy tagging along.
McCoy, also a Division I prospect, is a star pitcher and outfielder at Spotswood.
“I’m hoping to go play college baseball,” said McCoy, who has been helped by Dofflemyer’s advice and knowledge about various college baseball programs. “I’m still keeping my options open with basketball, but I’m leaning towards baseball.”
That doesn’t make his drive on the court any softer, as evidenced by a certain Thanksgiving altercation in 2011 where McCoy admittedly pushed Dofflemyer.
“He was already losing, so he was already a little upset,” McCoy said. “I pushed him and he got a little angry. … We never call fouls out there. That’s probably why we argue.”
It’s hard to argue that Dofflemyer and McCoy aren’t among the top players in the area – especially now, with nicer résumés.
That’s because one name wouldn’t do it justice since it’s more of a shared establishment – and one that gets plenty of action during family functions.
The private, mini playground is located in a wooded neighborhood between a pair of houses where his cousins, John Dofflemyer and Chase Comer, live. Like McCoy, Dofflemyer and Comer both play baseball and basketball, but for East Rockingham. Two more cousins, Page County senior Tanner Dofflemyer and Spotswood graduate R.J. Dofflemyer, also frequent the family get-togethers, which can get a bit heated at times during 3-on-3 basketball games.
“It’s very competitive. We don’t take it light on each other,” Tanner Dofflemyer said. “Sometimes there’s been many fights. But then we just get back together like a family and everything’s good.”
The extra practice has apparently paid off for Dofflemyer and McCoy, who both reached the 1,000-point plateau in the same two-week span in December.
Dofflemyer, a 6-foot-2 power forward for the Panthers, set his career milestone at the free-throw line during a 78-42 loss at Strasburg on Dec. 15. McCoy accomplished the feat as a junior in a more memorable team outing – a 79-76 win at Handley on Dec. 29.
“It’s a big relief just getting that off my back. Everybody can stop asking me about it,” McCoy said after Friday night’s win at Broadway. “But it felt good to be able to join all those good players up there.”
McCoy, a 5-foot-10 point guard, entered the season with 789 points in his first two seasons. Leading the Trailblazers (12-0) with 19.5 points and 3.5 assists per game, McCoy currently has 1,061 career points. His 1,000th point was indicative of the offensive prowess of his teammates – which has increased sharply since his freshman year, when he was basically Spotswood’s sole scoring threat.
“I was coming off a screen,” McCoy said last week, recalling his milestone moment. “I curled a little bit in the lane and hit a jump shot in the paint.”
Unlike Dofflemyer, McCoy – the 10th Spotswood boy to reach 1,000 points – knew exactly where he stood. He said SHS coach Chad Edwards reminded him he was 13 points away going into Handley, which announced his accomplishment at halftime.
For Dofflemyer, it was more of a surprise – and more of an honor, as he became just the third boys’ basketball player to reach 1,000 points in school history.
“After I made my free throw, they called a timeout and announced it at the game,” said Dofflemyer. “That’s the first time I knew.”
Dofflemyer and the Panthers are currently alone in first place among the Shenandoah District’s eight teams. Page beat East Rockingham 56-52 last week in Elkton, where three of the cousins were in uniform.
“You can tell it’s definitely an athletic bloodline and tradition basically,” said Tim Brown, Dofflemyer’s teammate at Page. “Tucker just scored his 1,000th point and he’s only a junior – and he’s playing [Group AA] competition most of the time.”
McCoy is now 370 points shy of Richard Bruce’s school record set in 1997.
Meanwhile, Dofflemyer was in the Shenandoah District Player of the Year conversation last season as a junior.
“He’s improved a lot on staying calm when things go wrong and just showing that he’s the best player in the district,” Page County teammate Kol Shuler said. “Last year, I even thought he was the best player, but he came in second or third for Player of the Year.”
Ironically, it is unlikely that either player will continue playing basketball in college. Dofflemyer, a star shortstop, has already decided to play baseball at Virginia Military Institute in Lexington – where he took his official visit this fall with McCoy tagging along.
McCoy, also a Division I prospect, is a star pitcher and outfielder at Spotswood.
“I’m hoping to go play college baseball,” said McCoy, who has been helped by Dofflemyer’s advice and knowledge about various college baseball programs. “I’m still keeping my options open with basketball, but I’m leaning towards baseball.”
That doesn’t make his drive on the court any softer, as evidenced by a certain Thanksgiving altercation in 2011 where McCoy admittedly pushed Dofflemyer.
“He was already losing, so he was already a little upset,” McCoy said. “I pushed him and he got a little angry. … We never call fouls out there. That’s probably why we argue.”
It’s hard to argue that Dofflemyer and McCoy aren’t among the top players in the area – especially now, with nicer résumés.