Boys' basketball preview: Several teams taking aim at Class 4 Northwestern District crown

Wide open.

That's how the area boys' basketball coaches characterize the Class 4 Northwestern District race this season.

“I think it's wide open — up-and down No. 8 through No. 1,” James Wood coach Tim Wygant said. “I think that all of the teams bring back some level of experience, but a lot of them also have newcomers. … It would not surprise me at all if you had a logjam with teams going 5-7, 6-6, 7-5 in our district play.”

“If schools are like us, the district could be wide open,” Sherando's Garland Williams said. “… Right now within the first month, I would say it's wide open.”

A good reason that coaches feel the district is up for grabs is that Handley has so many holes to fill. The Judges have to run the table the past three seasons winning every district regular-season and tournament game.

The Judges return just one starter — forward Demitri Gardner who averaged 9.3 points per game — and a handful of reserves. “The only one that really played significant minutes was Demitri,” Handley coach Jason Toton said. “My other role players were Kemani Curry, Matt Peete and Nick Hott. The rest of them are all basically coming off the JV team.”

That leaves the Judges vulnerable, although they opened the season with a 68-44 romp against Kettle Run. Gardner had 16 and Ethan Schwantes added 13 in the romp.

While he says it's a “new day every day,” Toton is looking for someone to fill the leadership vacuum left by players who played for a Class 4 title in March of 2018.

“They've always had Mike Brown,” Toton said. “They've always had Kevin Curry, D'Andre James and Sam Wise. Those kids have always been in front of them playing. The biggest challenge we're having is who is going to step up and be a leader.”

Toton does say he will go a little deeper down the bench this season. Football players Jayden Vardaro, who did not play last season, and Stephen Daley, a late-season call-up from the JVs, add athleticism.

“The bar is set pretty high. We have to keep it there,” Toton said. “. ... Do I think we're going to be like we've been the last four or five years? No, but I think we're going to be able to compete. We're going to be more athletic depth-wise.

“We might not have as much basketball skill as we've had in the past, but we have enough guys that are all comparable that can come in and hopefully provide a spark here and there. I think we're going to be able to play nine and 10 kids and in the last few years we haven't been doing that.”

Toton doesn't expect his team to run the table again, but does expect it to be better when it counts the most.

“We're going to learn how to play varsity basketball at the beginning of the year,” he said. “And then hopefully when we get everybody healthy and everybody gets in shape by mid-year we'll have things rolling.”

Many coaches feel Millbrook, which finished second to the Judges in the regular season last year, are the team to beat. The Pioneers return several starters, including Jordan Jackson (10.9 ppg) and Julien Hagerman (9.6 ppg), and had excellent transfer Taralle Hayden (from Musselman, W.Va.) join the program.

First-year coach Steven Grubbs isn't swayed by the compliments.

“I've never really bought into that,” Grubbs said. “I know it's such a cliché comment, but we try to keep it one game at a time as much as we can. I don't really buy into the preseason hype. I don't ever look at who is supposed to finish where. Honestly, I'm concerned with us getting better each game and us hitting our stride hopefully at the tail end of January and start of February going into the playoffs.”

Grubbs does see why the other coaches are looking to them as favorites.

“We're a little senior-heavy, but when you have kids like Jordan Jackson, Tyson Stewart, Julien Hagerman and Taralle Hayden transferring in, it's nice,” Grubbs said. “There's a lot of continuity with kids having played together a long time and not just in high school but in general.”

The Pioneers have got off to a shaky 1-2 start in non-conference games. Grubbs said effort is his main focus with his club.

“There's lots of things in basketball that you can never control,” he said. “You can't always control the shot going in, when fouls are called or what's going on with the other team. But, your effort is always under your control. I look for us to give 100 percent all of the time.”

He expects that, especially with Jackson on the squad. The football and basketball standout is someone teammates look to guide them.

“Jordan is a fantastic leader,” Grubbs said. “I always think of him as soft-spoken when he needs to be and very loud when he has to be. He displays a lot of those attributes you see out of great athletes. With what he does on the court, how he holds people accountable and his experience being something that you can't second guess … he's a blessing to have.”

Sherando also is off to a slow start, having dropped two close games.

The Warriors also lost several starters. Cole Armel has been the leading scorer thus far and center Keli Lawson is coming off an injury that forced him to miss most of the football season. Guard Darius Lane has missed action.

Williams said sophomore Adrian Myers, a 6-foot-4 sophomore, could provide a lift for the Warriors.

“Definitely Armel and Lawson, those guys have to do the main bulk of the scoring,” Williams said. “We feel that Myers could come along and help us a little bit. If we can get some guards to help out with some outside shooting, we feel we can be alright.”

James Wood already has matched its win total from a season ago by knocking off Clarke County in its opener. While they return much of last year's roster (including leading scorer Ben Smith), the Colonels are benefiting from several transfers.

James Cornwell and Jacob Medina played at Mountain View Christian and Tyrome and Jerome McCarthy have arrived from Handley, where they did not play for the Judges.

“We're really excited,” Wygant said. “We have a solid group of newcomers and returners. They are meshing well together. There is a high level commitment from both groups. … There's no other way to put it — they've come together pretty significantly as a team and pretty quickly as well. I'm very impressed with their maturity and continuity and we'll see where it takes us.”

The Colonels lost every game in the regular season last winter, but pulled off a stunning upset of second-seeded Millbrook in the district tournament. Wygant is hoping that victory has lingering effects.

“I'm hoping it galvanized their confidence,” he said. “We lost some significant games last year, even though we did not play poorly. They were inexperienced and young. There were games last year that we started four sophomores and a freshman. They took their lumps knowing they would get an opportunity later to really contribute and do something.”

Wygant said his team was back in the gym in March and the hard work is evident.

“That is our expectation this year — to really compete,” he said. “You never know wins and losses, but I know that our kids are going to work hard and that should result in some success on the scoreboard.”

Clarke County returns the bulk of its starting lineup from a year ago. Volkan Ergen (11.7 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.4 blocks) is a presence in the paint. Point guard Daniel Jones (3.4 assists) is an excellent passer and penetrator. Colby Childs (8.7 ppg), Ellis Nei and Trey Trenary can knock down open shots.

“It's a senior-heavy team,” veteran coach Brent Emmart said. “I've got guys who have been through the battles. Our experience is going to help us.

“I have five or six seniors who have been with me for three years. Now, it's kind of their time to step up with their experience and see where their leadership is going to take us. Having those guys who have been here just really helps a lot.”

The Eagles (0-2 thus far) will face a revamped district and one of the newcomers is a team to watch out for, according to Emmart.

“Our district is going to be really tough from top to bottom,” he said. “East Rock is a good team and new addition. They're probably the preseason favorite. It's everybody else's job to find answers for those guys.”

The following is a capsule look at the area teams:

Handley

Coach: Jason Toton, seventh season

Last year: 21-3, 12-0 Class 4 Northwestern District, distirct regular season and tournament champion

Key Losses: Kevin Curry, D'Andre James, Sam Wise, Tyson Long

Top returning players: Demitri Gardner, (Jr., G); Kemani Curry (Jr., G); Nick Hott, (Sr., F); Matt Peete, (Jr., G}.

Top newcomers: Jayden Vardaro (Jr. F); Stephen Daley, (So., C); Ethan Schwantes, (Jr., F); Braeden Freimuth, (Jr., G).

Toton's outlook: "We're going to be competitive. I think we're going to be a lot longer than we have been in the past. I think it's going to take us a bit here at the beginning of the season with everybody getting to learn each other and find some chemistry. I'm hoping our trip to Hilton Head will be a good bonding experience. Hopefully, we come back from that trip a more cohesive team. We want to get everybody on the same page, get rolling for district play and hopefully get things turned around and right in gear where we need to be at the end of January and the beginning of February.”

Next game: Today, vs. Liberty

Millbrook

Coach: Steven Grubbs, first season

Last year: 18-5, 9-3 Class 4 Northwestern District

Key losses: Jalen Tyson, Noah Thomas, Haden Madagan

Top returners: Jordan Jackson (Sr., G), Julien Hagerman (Sr., G), Michael Robertson (Sr., F), Kaden Buza (Sr., G), TJ Spain (Sr., F)

Top newcomers: Taralle Hayden (Sr., G)

Grubbs' outlook: “I hope we just continue to improve. That's what we're looking for every time we step on the court — looking to get better. Every practice we go into, we're just looking to get better. Hopefully over the course of the season what we'll see is our execution continue."

Next game: Today, at Kettle Run.

Sherando

Coach: Garland Williams, 23rd season

Last year: 11-13, 5-7 Class 4 Northwestern District

Key losses: George Gibson, Michael Usa, T.J. Washington, Will Hall

Top returners: Cole Armel (Jr., F), Keli Lawson (Jr., F), Darius Lane (Sr., G), Jonathan Romero (Jr., G)

Top newcomers: Amari Williams (So., G), Caleb Hakel (Jr., G), Adrian Myers (So., F), Rahmyne Campbell (So., F), Graham Schultz (So., G), Dylan Rodeffer (So., G), James Harris (Jr., G), Zachary Symons (So., F).

Williams' outlook: “We want to improve as we go throughout the season. The main thing is to be in the top third of the district. By the time we get to the end, we want to be on the upswing. We feel that we are in that mode.”

Next game: Today, vs. Culpeper County

James Wood

Coach: Tim Wygant, seventh season

Last year: 1-22, 0-12 Class 4 Northwestern District

Key losses: Brian Harlow

Top returners: Lavaughan Freeman (Sr., C), Ben Smith (Jr., F), Elijah Boggs (Jr., G), Jaden Ashby (So., G)

Top newcomers: Ethan Russell (Sr., F), James Cornwell, (Sr., G) Jacob Medina (Jr., G), Tyrome McCarthy (Sr., G) Jerome McCarthy (Sr., G)

Wygant's outlook: “The goal is always to win every game, but realistically speaking I think our kids should have some success. We put some goals together. We think that we can finish in the upper half. We think that we can really compete for a district championship this year."

Next game: Today, at Fauquier

Clarke County

Coach: Brent Emmart, 23rd season

Last year: 11-12, 5-5 in Bull Run District

Key losses: Dakota McCaw, Trae Lambert

Top returners: Volkan Ergen (Sr., F), Trey Trenary (Jr., F), Ellis Nei (Jr., G), Daniel Jones (Sr., G), Colby Childs (Sr., G), Jacob Weddle (Sr. F)

Top newcomers: Brendan Moyer (Jr., F), Brendan Haun (Jr. G), Luke Lyman (So., F), Deonte Trammel (So., G).

Emmart's outlook: “I told our guys at the beginning of the year that we have 23 guaranteed games. We’d love to be 15-8 or 16-7. That's our goal.”

Next game: Today, vs. Berkeley Springs, W.Va.

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