SHS No. 1?
Proven Talent Gives Blazers The Early Edge
Posted: November 14, 2012
HARRISONBURG – The Valley District boys’ basketball season starts in two weeks — and one thing appears to be certain, besides the inevitable return of Spotswood High School coach Chad Edwards’ trademark stomp on the hardwood: The Trailblazers are the preseason favorite.
If only by default.
Defending regular-season champion R.E. Lee and tournament champion Broadway both lost plenty to graduation, and although bottom teams appear to be on the rise — including an athletic Harrisonburg squad under new coach Scott Joyner — SHS enters the season with the most proven team-wide talent.
Here’s a peek ahead:
1. Why’s Spotswood favored?
Third-year starting guard Tucker McCoy, still only a junior, is certainly a district MVP candidate for the Trailblazers, who return all of their starters from a young 2011-12 team that upset Lee in the Valley quarterfinals and came up just shy of a regional berth in a 70-67 loss to Waynesboro in the semifinals.
McCoy led the league in scoring last year with 21.9 points per game. When Georgia transfer Hyrum Weiler and an inexperienced squad found their footing, the Blazers became a fear-inducing opponent down the stretch. McCoy, Weiler, lightning-quick guard Khalil Davis, perimeter threat Joshua Lasam and a blossoming physical specimen in Caleb Detamore all return – among others – to give Spotswood a solid foundation.
Plus, senior Austin Nicely (a pitcher who is expected to sign with Virginia on Friday to play baseball) is back after playing minutes in SHS’s state semifinal run two years ago.
“Spotswood is really good,” Lee coach Jarrett Hatcher said. “… They’re definitely built for some success.”
2. Can the Leemen contend with a smaller lineup?
Hatcher was reamed out on the phone recently this offseason for not playing somebody’s 6-foot-8 nephew who transferred to Lee from Texas. As it turned out, the caller had the wrong Lee High – and Hatcher wishes he had that problem.
Though the Leemen return a talented backcourt, they will enter the 2012-13 season with a significant size disadvantage after graduating forwards Chance Crawford (6-foot-3) and Taylor Knicely (6-foot-2).
“We could struggle a lot this year,” said Hatcher, specifically pointing to the lack of height.
But if Lee can get back a few players from injuries suffered during football season – Dylan Horne, perhaps its tallest player at 6-foot-1, Malachi Crawford (foot) and Collin Spears (hamstring) – it could be a threat once again. After all, Shai Matthews (17 ppg) is back for his senior year and was one of the best guards in the Valley last season.
3. Will the younger Gobblers regress with a small roster?
With only one starter returning, BHS coach Dwight Walton expects to use more different starting lineups night-to-night than ever before. He just won’t have many bodies to choose from: The Gobblers have only 10 players on the varsity roster.
Broadway finished with a 17-8 record last season with nine seniors, including 6-foot-4 swingman Mike Richardson and seasoned point guard Zach Walton.
“We’re like in reverse teams here,” Dwight Walton said, comparing BHS to preseason favorite Spotswood. “We are very young just like they were last year.”
Richardson and Walton’s son, Zach, combined to average 34.4 points, 11.3 assists and 5.4 steals per game for the Gobblers, who lost to Heritage in the first round of the Region III, Division 4 tournament. Returning forward Dane Spitzer is one of two seniors on Broadway’s roster.
4. Is athletic Harrisonburg a wild-card contender?
Athleticism is no stranger to recent HHS teams, but double-digit wins have been M.I.A.
Bringing a successful track record to Harrisonburg that includes a 2000 state championship at Bruton, HHS first-year coach Scott Joyner hopes to change that despite the challenges of installing a new, fast-paced system.
Even with the graduation of Salim Charles – a monster post presence at 6-foot-7 – the Blue Streaks (4-18 last season) appear to have an athletic group eager to impress the new coach. That group includes returning star guard Seth Kardos (16.3 ppg), sharpshooter Brian Rodriguez, along with Noah Royer and Max Johnson. Plus, HHS could have even more weapons emerge with senior Natahji Alford taking over in the post, sophomore Chris Whitelow (starting catcher last spring) penciled in at power forward and center, and versatile senior Issiah Smith, if he can stay healthy.
The biggest concern might be Kardos’ ankle. A strange ligament injury from soccer led to surgery in the first week of October, keeping Kardos out of practice. There is no timetable for his return, but Joyner believes he will play at some point this season.
“I’m even happy it’s a possibility, because a few months ago I was getting signs he might not be able to play this season,” Joyner said.
5. Can TA piggyback on its football’s turnaround?
In his second season at Turner Ashby, coach Chad Seibert hopes the Knights (5-18 last season) have the pieces to be the most improved team in the league – and even make some noise.
“I think the whole thing is up for grabs,” Seibert said of the Valley District.
TA returns senior swingman Justin Layman, and junior Shane Brown and sophomore Angel Bravo at guard and has already made significant strides this fall, Seibert said, thanks to the Virginia High School League’s newly allowed out-of-season practices.
“I know that what I work with every day is better than what I had last year in terms of what we’re doing and the understanding of what we’re trying to do,” said Seibert, who plans to utilize junior Taylor Corbin at point guard to free up Bravo. “… We really feel like all our guards are athletic and can rebound well.”
Nic Moyers, a 6-foot-4 nose guard who is currently out injured, and 6-foot-3 Jon Keppel balance out the Knights as options at center. Having some football players – such as Layman, Brown and Moyers – on the roster could help foster a winning mentality, as TA got some of its gridiron swagger back this fall, coming one win shy of a co-championship district title.
If only by default.
Defending regular-season champion R.E. Lee and tournament champion Broadway both lost plenty to graduation, and although bottom teams appear to be on the rise — including an athletic Harrisonburg squad under new coach Scott Joyner — SHS enters the season with the most proven team-wide talent.
Here’s a peek ahead:
1. Why’s Spotswood favored?
Third-year starting guard Tucker McCoy, still only a junior, is certainly a district MVP candidate for the Trailblazers, who return all of their starters from a young 2011-12 team that upset Lee in the Valley quarterfinals and came up just shy of a regional berth in a 70-67 loss to Waynesboro in the semifinals.
McCoy led the league in scoring last year with 21.9 points per game. When Georgia transfer Hyrum Weiler and an inexperienced squad found their footing, the Blazers became a fear-inducing opponent down the stretch. McCoy, Weiler, lightning-quick guard Khalil Davis, perimeter threat Joshua Lasam and a blossoming physical specimen in Caleb Detamore all return – among others – to give Spotswood a solid foundation.
Plus, senior Austin Nicely (a pitcher who is expected to sign with Virginia on Friday to play baseball) is back after playing minutes in SHS’s state semifinal run two years ago.
“Spotswood is really good,” Lee coach Jarrett Hatcher said. “… They’re definitely built for some success.”
2. Can the Leemen contend with a smaller lineup?
Hatcher was reamed out on the phone recently this offseason for not playing somebody’s 6-foot-8 nephew who transferred to Lee from Texas. As it turned out, the caller had the wrong Lee High – and Hatcher wishes he had that problem.
Though the Leemen return a talented backcourt, they will enter the 2012-13 season with a significant size disadvantage after graduating forwards Chance Crawford (6-foot-3) and Taylor Knicely (6-foot-2).
“We could struggle a lot this year,” said Hatcher, specifically pointing to the lack of height.
But if Lee can get back a few players from injuries suffered during football season – Dylan Horne, perhaps its tallest player at 6-foot-1, Malachi Crawford (foot) and Collin Spears (hamstring) – it could be a threat once again. After all, Shai Matthews (17 ppg) is back for his senior year and was one of the best guards in the Valley last season.
3. Will the younger Gobblers regress with a small roster?
With only one starter returning, BHS coach Dwight Walton expects to use more different starting lineups night-to-night than ever before. He just won’t have many bodies to choose from: The Gobblers have only 10 players on the varsity roster.
Broadway finished with a 17-8 record last season with nine seniors, including 6-foot-4 swingman Mike Richardson and seasoned point guard Zach Walton.
“We’re like in reverse teams here,” Dwight Walton said, comparing BHS to preseason favorite Spotswood. “We are very young just like they were last year.”
Richardson and Walton’s son, Zach, combined to average 34.4 points, 11.3 assists and 5.4 steals per game for the Gobblers, who lost to Heritage in the first round of the Region III, Division 4 tournament. Returning forward Dane Spitzer is one of two seniors on Broadway’s roster.
4. Is athletic Harrisonburg a wild-card contender?
Athleticism is no stranger to recent HHS teams, but double-digit wins have been M.I.A.
Bringing a successful track record to Harrisonburg that includes a 2000 state championship at Bruton, HHS first-year coach Scott Joyner hopes to change that despite the challenges of installing a new, fast-paced system.
Even with the graduation of Salim Charles – a monster post presence at 6-foot-7 – the Blue Streaks (4-18 last season) appear to have an athletic group eager to impress the new coach. That group includes returning star guard Seth Kardos (16.3 ppg), sharpshooter Brian Rodriguez, along with Noah Royer and Max Johnson. Plus, HHS could have even more weapons emerge with senior Natahji Alford taking over in the post, sophomore Chris Whitelow (starting catcher last spring) penciled in at power forward and center, and versatile senior Issiah Smith, if he can stay healthy.
The biggest concern might be Kardos’ ankle. A strange ligament injury from soccer led to surgery in the first week of October, keeping Kardos out of practice. There is no timetable for his return, but Joyner believes he will play at some point this season.
“I’m even happy it’s a possibility, because a few months ago I was getting signs he might not be able to play this season,” Joyner said.
5. Can TA piggyback on its football’s turnaround?
In his second season at Turner Ashby, coach Chad Seibert hopes the Knights (5-18 last season) have the pieces to be the most improved team in the league – and even make some noise.
“I think the whole thing is up for grabs,” Seibert said of the Valley District.
TA returns senior swingman Justin Layman, and junior Shane Brown and sophomore Angel Bravo at guard and has already made significant strides this fall, Seibert said, thanks to the Virginia High School League’s newly allowed out-of-season practices.
“I know that what I work with every day is better than what I had last year in terms of what we’re doing and the understanding of what we’re trying to do,” said Seibert, who plans to utilize junior Taylor Corbin at point guard to free up Bravo. “… We really feel like all our guards are athletic and can rebound well.”
Nic Moyers, a 6-foot-4 nose guard who is currently out injured, and 6-foot-3 Jon Keppel balance out the Knights as options at center. Having some football players – such as Layman, Brown and Moyers – on the roster could help foster a winning mentality, as TA got some of its gridiron swagger back this fall, coming one win shy of a co-championship district title.