High School Boys' Basketball Preview

Walt Moody The Winchester Star

Most of last season, the Handley boys’ basketball team took its share of lumps.

With nearly an entire lineup of underclassmen, the Judges were 7-7 heading into the season’s final stretch and that’s when they caught fire.

Handley won seven of its last eight, losing only to a much more experienced Millbrook squad in the Conference 21 West title game.

With four starters and several key reserves returning from that squad, expectations are high for the Judges this winter.

Just ask their opponents.

“Handley brings the most returners back,” James Wood coach Tim Wygant said. “They’re going to be tough. They’re very athletic, very quick up and down the floor and can pressure the ball well. They have a lot of experience as well.”

“Those young guys have developed,” Sherando coach Garland Williams said. “… You are going to have to play very smart against those guys.”

Millbrook coach Ben Bates is even more blunt.

“Right out of the gate, I definitely think it’s a one-team race,” Bates said. “Clear cut going into it, I think Handley is the favorite. After that, it’s pretty wide open.”

Handley coach Jason Toton likes seeing many of the same faces he finished with last season. Juniors Kobe Tigney, Gus Wise and Michael Brown have been fixtures in the lineup. Tigney and Wise were First Team selections in Conference 21 West last season, while Brown was a Second Team pick.

Junior Keevon Martin, sophomore Kevin Curry, senior Quentin Davenport, junior Ra’Shaad Morris and sophomore D’andre James also saw significant action.

All are familiar with Toton’s system.

“We bring back a lot of guys and a lot of experience,” Toton said. “Brown, Tigney and Wise have now been three-year starters. They know the expectations, what we run offensively and what we run defensively. It’s been a lot easier transition from the success we had at the end of the season last year to where we’re at now.”

One of the things that makes Handley so tough is its balance. Tigney (13.3 ppg last season) and Wise (11.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg) both averaged double figures last season, but everyone that Toton throws out onto the floor can score. In a 3-0 start to the season, Wise’s 15.7 scoring average leads the team.

“There’s a sense that Tigney can go out and do it one night,” Toton said. “Wise, Brown, Martin, Curry, James can go out and do it. None of them get a sense of being jealous of each other. If we can continue to do that, it can be deadly. If teams try to zone in on one person, hopefully we have somebody else knocking down shots.”

Toton admits his team has some work to do on the defensive end, but his bench can help him there, too. Newcomers Eli Bell (6-foot-8), Lucas Kropf (6-7) and Tyrese Dudley (6-3) bring size and strength that can alter shots and grab rebounds.

And with a bench that can go 10-12 players deep, Handley can push the tempo all four quarters.

“It’s kind of the style that I’ve always wanted to play, but in the last couple of years I’ve been limited depth-wise,” Toton said. “I haven’t been able to do that because obviously you get wore down. With some of the depth this year, I want to be in your face for 32 minutes --- from the tip all of the way until the end. We have the athletes and the quickness to be able to do some of that this year.”

Millbrook, the team that beat Handley in the conference tournament, hardly resembles that squad. Gone are four senior starters. Starter Jordan Funk (11.4 ppg and First Team all-conference pick) and reserve Trammell Anthony are the only returnees who saw significant action last season.

“We’re obviously young,” said first-year coach Bates, whose team is 2-1. “We started three freshmen and a sophomore [in our first game]. Obviously those kids don’t have any [previous] varsity experience.”

Funk, a junior who is an excellent shooter with deep three-point range, is a focus for his new teammates and the opposition.

“Coming in people are looking up to him, but also looking at him from the opposing side of things,” Bates said. “He’s done a good job leading us, more by example than verbally.”

Junior Anthony won’t break the scoreboard, but he will keep opponents from putting up points.

“Getting him back from football was huge,” Bates said. “He brings the toughness that I like to coach. He has the work ethic and tenacity that kids like to look up to.”

Freshmen Jordan Jackson, Marcus Price and Tarrelle Hayden have joined sophomore Jalen Tyson and Funk in the starting lineup. Noah Thomas, a transfer from James Wood, also should see action.

Bates has size in Price (6-4), Tyson (6-4), along with reserves Michael Benitez-Doleman (6-4) and Dean Rocco (6-5).

“We’re going to be as deep as the kids want to be,” Bates said. “That’s based off of defense. If the kids play defense, they’re going to get a lot of minutes. If they don’t play defense, they’re going to spend a lot of time watching other kids play defense.”

Bates said his players must learn to adjust when things get tough.

“The biggest thing that we’re going to face is dealing with adversity,” he said. “Basketball has always come so easy to most of the kids that I have. They’ve never really even had to work.”

He promises not to complain about the youth on the floor.

“You’ll never hear me say, ‘We’re young,’ because these kids have played basketball long enough not to have that excuse,” Bates said. “I preach short-term memory. These kids are going to make mistakes. I expect them to make mistakes. That’s where adversity kicks in. How are they going to deal with it or when the coach holds them accountable?”

Sherando had a chance to clinch the regular-season title last season, but dropped a heartbreaker at Harrisonburg.

The Warriors lost Winchester Star Player of the Year A.J. Outler to graduation, but return some solid scorers.

Senior Alex Morefield, who shot 60 percent from the field, 56 percent from three-point range and 84 percent from the foul line returns. He’s averaged 23.5 points (more than doubling his 11.0 average last season) as Sherando has opened the season 2-0.

“He’s probably the most improved player from last year,” Williams said. “He’s put in a lot of work in the offseason. … He’s done a great job of preparing for this year.”

Senior Jared Miller (11.6 ppg) is the Warriors’ leading returning scorer and forms a good tandem with Morefield. Both were Second Team all-conference picks last season.

“Definitely those two guys will lead us in the scoring categories and in leadership in making sure our younger guys stay in line as far as what we as a coaching staff like them to do,” Williams said.

Aaron Banks, Logan Vaught and Timothy Dean will see time at the point. Forward Jacquari Hayes is a physical presence.

“We have a hard-working scrappy group,” Williams said. “We just need to have confidence in ourselves. As the season goes on, we’ll gain more confidence and we’ll be very competitive in all of our games.

“We have a little better quickness when we put some of our quicker guys on the floor. We definitely are a little quicker than we were last year.”

The Warriors have the Conference 21 lead, having bounced Harrisonburg already this season.

“That was definitely nice,” William said. “We certainly played well. We just have to take care of the ball better.”

Wygant’s squad lost several nail-biters last season, but this will be a different team. The Colonels were hit with graduation losses and a couple of transfers, including leading scorer Chandler Brooks who is now at program in Pennsylvania.

“A couple of the guys have been thrust into different roles that they did not occupy last year because we did lose some seniors and have some transfers,” Wygant said. “Right now, the kids have filled in admirably and have embraced their new roles.”

Despite the losses, the Colonels are off to a solid start behind senior post players Noah Sullivan and Sam Costin.

“We’re featuring them this year because they can finish around the basket,” Wygant said. “We’re filtering a lot through them. Both are very physical basketball players so that’s what we want them to do. We really do expect them to step in and assert themselves in the post.”

They’re getting plenty of help from versatile senior Aidan Houser, who has grown more than six inches since he was a 5-9 sophomore.

“We’re asking Aidan Houser to play all five positions because he’s shot up like a weed,” Wygant said. “He’s predominantly played guard for us the last two seasons. … We’re actually asking him to play a lot of No. 4 and 5. He’s a great utility player and we’re really excited about what he’s been doing so far this year.”

Junior point guard Cameron Firebaugh has been a key newcomer, stepping into Brooks’ role as the main ballhandler.

“Cam has stepped in and done an excellent job,” Wygant said. “He’s done a more than adequate job of running the point.”

Senior Christopher Vitagliano (6-0) is also expected to make an impact on the boards. “He’s been extremely impressive in the offseason,” Wygant said. “For an undersized post player, he grabs a lot of rebounds. Nobody will outjump him.”

But thanks to sheer numbers, Wygant has been forced to bring up younger players.

“It’s not always ideal to bring up underclassmen because you’d like them to get more experience at a younger level,” he said. “They’ve embraced it and worked really hard.”

As usual, Clarke County coach Brent Emmart got off to a little late start because Clarke County’s football season went deep into the postseason.

“We got a little bit of a late start from football but other than that we’re fine,” Emmart said. “The guys are coming together in the short time that we’ve had.”

Emmart likes the teams chances to contend in Conference 35 and the Bull Run District.

“We have the ability to play eight or nine people,” he said. “We have a lot of seniors. We’ll be able to play uptempo, good defense and be able to score the ball. I think we’re going to be a well-rounded team.”

Seniors Hayden Good (6-5) and Brett McDonald (6-2) lead the squad.

Good (14.3 ppg) led the county last season in shooting 67 percent from the field.

“He shoots the ball well from the foul line and from the field,” Emmart said. “Hopefully he’ll have a big year for us again this year.”

The Eagles also get back Hunter Rogers. The standout football star could not play basketball last season because of an injured ankle. Rogers had 13 points in a season-opening win over Luray.

“He brings athleticism and he’s a tough-nosed defender,” Emmart said. “He’s just another athlete to press and create tempo with.”

McDonald (18) and William Holsinger II (17) also scored in double figures in the opener.

Emmart will need more of those kinds of performances to compete with Madison County and George Mason.

“Last year, we lost a lot of close games,” Emmart said. “We have to find a way to finish those close games this year. We need to try to compete and get better at every practice and every game. That’s our goal every day.

“We’re going to be big, physical and athletic. We have all of the pieces to be a good team this year.”

The following is a glance at area teams:

Handley

Coach: Jason Toton, fourth season

Last year: 14-8, 6-2 Northwestern District, 3-2 Conference 21 West

Key losses: Parker Wilson, Traiven Baxter

Key returnees: Kobe Tigney, Jr., G; Michael Brown, Jr., G; Gus Wise, Jr., F; Keevon Martin, Jr., G; Quentin Davenport, Sr., G; Kevin Curry, So., F; D’andre James, So., F; Ra’Shaad Morris, Jr, F

Key newcomers: Tyler Mudd, Sr., G; Tyrese Dudley, Jr., C; Tyson Long, So., G; Eli Bell, Sr., C; Sam Wise, So., G, Lucas Kropf, Jr., C

Outlook: “The expectations are high. They want to be able to do those things. We take it one game and a time and see where we are right now. We have a long ways to go and where we need to be. At this point, I’d rather be there than perfect where everything is clicking. That’s not good if it’s going well now because later on it might not be going well. We have plenty of things to work on and we’re taking it game-by-game and week-by-week. We’re creating short-term goals by the week. … We want to win the conference and the conference tournament and hopefully get a high seed in the regions and see what we can do with that.”

Next game: Wednesday, vs. Broadway, 7:30 p.m.

James Wood

Coach: Tim Wygant, fourth season

Last year: 8-13, 1-7 Northwestern District, 1-4 Conference 21 West

Key losses: Robert Jackson, Andrew Hinebaugh, Colin Watts, Chandler Brooks, Noah Thomas, Caleb Boden.

Key returnees: Aidan Houser, Sr., G; Sam Costin, Sr., F; Vincent Lew, Sr., G; Noah Sullivan, Sr., F; Christopher Vitagliano, Sr., F; Ben Sear, Jr., G; Cameron Firebaugh, G, So.

Key newcomers: Trenton Campbell, Jr., G; Colby McDaniel, So., G; Harris Dan Othman, Jr., G; Ethan Russell, Fr., F; Jackson Lynch, Fr. F; Treyquone Evans, So., F.

Outlook: “With our group because we are a little bit undersized and won’t be able to go as deep as we have in the past, it is maintaining our execution. Each one of the kids knows that what we do offensively and defensively will work as long as they do it. We need to stick to and execute the game plan. As long as we do that we will have a fighting chance every time.”

Next game: Today, at Woodgrove, 7:30 p.m.

Millbrook

Coach: Ben Bates, first season

Last year: 18-8, Northwestern 6-2 district, 2-3 Conference 21 West

Key losses: Alex Amos, Taryk Baylor, Trey Braithwaite, Donte Weaver, Nick Harrell

Key returnees: Jordan Funk, Jr., G, Trammell Anthony, Jr., W.

Top newcomers: Tarrelle Hayden Fr., G; Jalen Tyson, So., P; Marcus Price, Fr., W; Camdin Gardiner, Sr., G; Jordan Jackson, Fr., G; Benjamin Curtin, Jr., G; Connor Freeman, Sr., P; Cameron Funk, Jr., G; Zahkeil Neville Jr., W; Michael Benitez-Doleman Sr., P; Noah Thomas, So., W; Tyson Baylor, Jr., G.

Outlook: “We’re obviously going to progress as the year goes on. We’re spending a lot of time in the film room watching ourselves in practices and in games. I would hope with all of that work and the practice habits that they change that we’ll naturally get better.”

Next game: Today, vs. Liberty, 7:30 p.m.

Sherando

Coach: Garland Williams, 20th season

Last year: 14-10, 5-3 Northwestern District, 3-2 Conference 21 West

Key losses: A.J. Outler, Noah Ford, Isaiah Armistead, Sam Johnson, Devin Miller

Key returnees: Alex Morefield, G, Sr.; Jared Miller, Sr., F; Michael Perry, Jr., F; Aaron Banks, Jr., G; Jacquari Hayes, Sr., F, Logan Vaught, Sr., G.

Top newcomers: Isaiah Berger, Jr., G; Timothy Dean, Jr., G; Andrew Fisher, Jr., C; Rashad Hilton, Jr., F; Kyle Holliday, Jr., C; Melvin Irby, Jr., F; Matthew McKay, Jr., F; Christian McMahan, Sr., G;

Outlook: “I feel like we can be in the top three in the standings at the end of the season. We can be just as good as anyone. The main thing is playing good team defense, blocking out and eliminating the turnovers.”

Next game: Friday, at Hedgesville Tournament

Clarke County

Coach: Brent Emmart, 20th year

Last year: 5-19, 4-10 Bull Run District, 1-7 Conference 35

Key losses: Marc Damiano, Michael Dietz, Julius Grant, Jordon Turner,

Key returnees: Brett McDonald, Sr., G; Hunter Rogers, Sr., G; Hayden Good, Sr., F; G; William Holsinger II, Jr., G; Carlos Nunez, Sr., G; Isaiah Waters, Sr. F; Bryce Anderson, Sr., G.

Key newcomers: Richard Nappi, F, Jr.; Kaden Warren, Jr., F; Dakota McCaw, So., G.

Outlook: “Obviously, we have the potential to have a good year. It’s just going to be a matter of chemistry and playing together. We’re very talented. We have to mesh that talent together and have great team chemistry and play for each other. Then, we’ll be OK. Hopefully we can contend and be at the top of the league this year.”

Next game: Today, at Luray, 7:30 p.m.