Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, December 1, 1994 TAG: 9412210037
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: W17 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
These two Bedford County teams may be fighting it out for a Seminole District championship. Both squads figure to be in on the title scrap and have some of the top players back from last year's race, when Liberty was good enough to earn a Region III berth.
Staunton River will use a transfer and top returnee to take its place among the elite and try to improve on last year's winning record.
Coach Mark Hanks hopes that Liberty is ready to take the next step. The Minutemen took on Northside in the Region III tournament and showed their inexperience at that level with a bad first half against the tournament-tested Vikings.
If Liberty returns this year, they'll not likely have the first-half frights. ``We're quicker than last year. The key early is to create a lot of turnovers to get the offense going,'' said Hanks.
Liberty did that in the second half to Northside and rallied. They just had too far to go. In guards Gregg Reynolds and J.J. Coles, Liberty has perhaps the best front court in Timesland on the Group AA level.
Reynolds (10.1 points per game) was Timesland's Sizzlin' Sophomore of the Year last winter in basketball. He added that honor to the same one in football as he became the first player ever to sweep both awards.
Coles (5.0 ppg.) didn't start, but he was a major factor with his outside shooting in the rally against Northside. In Coles and Reynolds, Liberty has a pair of strong 3-point shooters.
Developing an inside game will be the key to the Minutemen's season as they seek to improve on last year's 16-5 record.
Steven Shrader (11.5 ppg., 6.0 rebounds per game) is the strongest returning inside player at 6-4. Also back is 6-3 Brian Long, who was a defensive standout, but didn't score. There is no height after those two, but there are plenty of guards, lots of shooting and an abundance of quickness.
Staunton River might have been only average if it had depended on only two returning starters - Corny Foxx (16.1 ppg.) and Jeff English (8.1 ppg.).
Then Altavista coach Stu Richardson was fired and when that happened, Hunter Hoggatt's family decided to move. They bought a house in the Staunton River zone and Hoggatt, a 6-2 sophomore who dazzled the Seminole District with a 23.4 scoring average last year as a freshman, joined the Golden Eagles.
Coach Eddie Carter also decided to stay. In a twist of irony, both he and new Altavista coach Mike Cartalaro had a chance to take the job at Alleghany. Both pulled out of the running and their teams were scheduled to open the season against one another last night.
``I definitely think this will be the best team we've had since we moved to the Seminole District,'' said Carter, who says he's finished looking for jobs and plans to stay in Moneta.
The Golden Eagles moved to the Seminole District three years ago after they terrorized perennial power Northside in the Blue Ridge District.
``We're going to have to have a lot of things go well for us. We have to stay injury-free and keep out of foul trouble. But we have some nice problems [to overcome].''
LIBERTY
1993-94 record:16-5 overall, 14-4 in the Seminole District
Coach: Mark Hanks, sixth year
Returning starter: Gregg Reynolds, 5-9, jr., guard, 10.1 ppg., 6.9 assists per game.
Other key players: J.J. Coles, 5-10, jr., guard, 5.0 ppg., 3.0 assists; Steven Shrader, 6-4, sr., post, 11.5 ppg., 6.0 rpg.; Brian Long, 6-3, sr., forward; Mike Padgett, 6-2, sr., forward; Zac St. Clair, 6-2, sr., guard; Cris Ridgeway, 5-11, soph., guard; Robert Carson, 5-11, fr., guard; Raymond Arrington, 6-1, fr., forward; Greg Boyer, 6-2, sr., center; Ryan Stevens, 5-8, jr., guard.
Outlook: The Minutemen will again be strong as they try to make their way to the Region III tournament for the second consecutive year. This team won't be as big as a year ago, but it might be deeper and quicker, with tremendous outside shooting.
STAUNTON RIVER
1993-94 record: 11-8 overall, 11-7 in the Seminole District
Coach: Eddie Carter, seventh year
Returning starters: Cornelius Foxx, 6-1, sr., forward, 16.1 ppg., 9.1 rpg.; Jeff English, 5-10, jr., forward, 8.1 ppg., 7.0 rpg.
Other key players:Hunter Hoggatt, 6-2, soph., guard, 23.4 ppg., 5.0 rpg. at Altavista; Kevin Witcher, 5-9, sr., guard; Benji Turner, 6-0, sr., guard; Joe Sellers, 6-2, sr., forward; Lance Price, 6-4, jr., center; Kevin Martin, 5-9, soph., guard.
Outlook: Staunton River figures to be a major player in the Seminole District race with Foxx and Hoggatt, two of last year's top scorers. If the Golden Eagles can hold their own on the boards and find some players to give them depth, it might turn out to be their best team in years.
by CNB