Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 31, 1994 TAG: 9403310321
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Mark Byington, who hit 54 percent of his field-goal attempts and 72.1 percent of his free throws in helping Salem win the state championship, is The Associated Press' 1993-94 Group AA boys' basketball player of the year.
Byington, Ricky Barnes of Greensville County, Nathan Hungate of Northside, Frankie Johnson of Lee-Staunton and Robert Shelton of Louisa are the All-Group AA team chosen in balloting by sports writers and broadcasters from throughout the state. All are seniors.
Byington's coach, Charlie Morgan, is the coach of the year.
Byington, a 6-foot-3 1/2 guard, has signed with North Carolina-Wilmington. He averaged 23.7 points and 5.3 assists per game. He shot 42 percent from 3-point range and tried around 20 shots per game.
Hungate, a 6-1 center, led Northside's Vikings to a 22-6 record and a place in the state semifinals. He averaged 23.3 points and 5.4 assists per game, and he scored 30 or more points in eight of Northside's last 19 games.
Barnes, a 6-2 guard, averaged 23.4 points, 12 assists, eight rebounds and three steals per game for Greensville County's Eagles. The team won the Southside District tournament and advanced to the Region I semifinals.
Johnson, a 6-6 forward, averaged 21.1 points and 11.3 rebounds in leading Lee-Staunton (20-3) to the Valley District regular-season championship. Johnson finished his career at Lee with 1,763 points, tied for second on the school's all-time list behind Kevin Madden.
Shelton, a 6-4 guard, averaged 22.3 points and seven rebounds per game in leading Louisa's Lions to the state final. The Ohio State signee scored 40 points in one game and 23, including five 3-pointers, in the championship game.
Morgan took a school with no basketball tradition and made it a state champion. This year, the Spartans were 25-1, losing only to Group AAA Cave Spring. His two-year record at Salem is 42-6.
\ ALL-GROUP AA\ AP BOYS' BASKETBALL TEAM\ FIRST TEAM: Mark Byington, Salem, 6-3 1/2, senior; Nathan Hungate, Northside, 6-1, senior; Ricky Barnes, Greensville County, 6-2, senior; Frankie Johnson, Lee-Staunton, 6-6, senior; Robert Shelton, Louisa, 6-4, senior.\ \ SECOND TEAM: Michael Martin, Martinsville, 6-1, junior; Dell Hutcherson, Culpeper County, 6-3, senior; Brett Jones, John Battle, 6-5, senior; Khris Law, Tunstall, 6-2, senior; Robbi Moose, Warren County, 6-4, junior.\ \ PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Mark Byington, Salem.\ \ COACH OF THE YEAR: Charlie Morgan, Salem.
by CNB