Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, April 9, 1995 TAG: 9504130018
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
The 5-foot-8 William Fleming point guard didn't achieve that goal, but he was the best in Timesland and is the boys' basketball player of the year for 1994-95.
Hines shares top honors with Glenvar's Art Lawrence, the Timesland boys' coach of the year after his team had a spectacular run to finish second in the Group A tournament.
The Sizzlin' Sophomore of the Year is Hunter Hoggatt, Staunton River's scoring machine.
Hines is joined on the first team by fellow repeat selection Michael Martin of Martinsville; Justin Porterfield of Northside; Stephen Shrader of Liberty; and Pulaski County's Eric Webb, the player Hines beat out for Roanoke Valley District honors.
The second team consists of William Byrd's Chris Childress, the Blue Ridge District's player of the year; Cave Spring's Matt Matheny; Pulaski County's Tyrone Hash; Parry McCluer's Mike McElroy; and Bassett's Tyree Hairston.
Joining Hoggatt on the Sizzlin' Sophomores team are Grayson County's Wes Self, Blacksburg's Philip Klaus, Liberty's Cris Ridgeway, and Martinsville's Manti Venable.
The teams were picked by staff members of the Roanoke Times & World-News in consultation with Timesland coaches.
Hines, a classic point guard, increased his scoring by more than two points per game while still averaging better than six assists per game.
``I looked to score more,'' Hines said. ``I'm a better shooter. Give me some room and I'll shoot from just about anywhere on the floor. I had a better year in assists [8.3] as a sophomore because I was playing with Carlos Rhodes, who was a great shooter.''
Hines, considered a Division I prospect, says he probably will attend Fork Union Military Academy in the fall.
As for the state tournament, Fleming was derailed in a Group AAA Northwestern Region semifinal at E.C. Glass, where the Colonels also lost their opener. In between, Fleming didn't live up to its preseason billing after reaching the state final in 1994.
``It was a disappointing year for all the seniors, especially with the talent we had coming back,'' Hines said. ``We didn't play well down the stretch. At Glass, their crowd took us out. It's the biggest crowd I've seen in years.''
Hines' best stretch came when he propelled his team to the Roanoke Valley District's regular-season and tournament titles. In a five-game stretch - three against Pulaski County, including a regular-season playoff game - the point guard averaged 22.4 points and took control for Fleming.
Shrader earned his spot despite averaging only 13.8 points per game. He scored a career high of 32 against eventual Group AA champion Nansemond River in a state semifinal. In five games in the Region III and state tournaments, Shrader stepped up with an 18.6-point average. He also led Timesland in shooting, making 77 percent of his field-goal attempts.
Porterfield also stepped up after failing to make the All-Blue Ridge District team based on regular-season play. Starting with a 23-point performance in a playoff victory over Salem for the regular-season title, Porterfield averaged 17 points - a big improvement over his 12.5 average, the lowest on the All-Timesland squad.
Martin was the model of consistency once again and was named the Piedmont District's player of the year. The Bulldogs guard scored in double figures in every game and had highs of 31 points in back-to-back December games. He led Martinsville past preseason favorite Laurel Park to the regular-season championship as longtime Martinsville coach Husky Hall isolated him in one-on-one situations on offense.
Webb, who also was All-Timesland in football, led Pulaski County to the Northwestern Region tournament along with Hash. Webb averaged 19 points and paced the Roanoke Valley District in regular-season scoring with an average of a little more than 20 points. His performance this season was a strong comeback from a disappointing junior year that started when he suffered a broken jaw in a December football playoff game.
On the second team, Childress had a superb season, consistently scoring 18 to 22 points a game. Hash played in Webb's shadow but never missed scoring in double figures. Matheny was the Roanoke Valley District's second-leading scorer and Cave Spring's go-to player. McElroy proved in the NationsBank Classic that he could play with Group AAA and AA players, then led Parry McCluer to a Group A semifinal. Hairston averaged double figures in scoring and rebounding.
Sizzlin' Sophs
A year ago, Hoggatt led the Seminole District in scoring as a freshman at Altavista, a non-Timesland school. As a sophomore, he led the league again after transferring to Staunton River. In the process, he has scored 1,014 points and set Staunton River single-season records in free-throw shooting (85.4 percent), points (523), average (24.9) and assists (110).
``Hunter improved quite a bit,'' said Eddie Carter, the Golden Eagles' coach. ``He came from a program that was very free-lance when it came to offense to one that was more team-oriented in half-court offense. Our style was more controlled.''
``This year was better because I improved on things besides scoring, like assists and rebounds,'' Hoggatt said.
Will the scoring average go up? ``It's hard to tell,'' Hoggatt said. ``I'll just try to play the way I did this year, and if [the points] come, they come.''
``The things I'd like to see him improve on is as a defensive player and shooting a higher percentage,'' Carter said. ``As he becomes physically stronger, he can make the next step and that would be to college basketball.''
Hoggatt also led Staunton River to its best record (14-7) in school history. With No.2 scorer Cornelius Foxx departing through graduation, the challenge for the Golden Eagles is to find help for Hoggatt.
``We've got a lot of potential if we work hard,'' Hoggatt said. ``I think we can put a good record together.''
Self played on a Grayson County team that was the dominant Group A squad in Timesland for much of the season, but couldn't handle Parry McCluer in the Region C tournament.
Ridgeway was another of the outstanding young players in the Liberty arsenal. He didn't average double-figure scoring, but the Minutemen used 10 players a game and spread the wealth statistically.
Venable was a Sizzlin' Sophomore as a football player, too. He had an outstanding freshman year and figures to be a player the Bulldogs build around in basketball the next two seasons.
Klaus is the big man on the Sizzlin' Sophs. He helped lead Blacksburg to another regional tournament appearance and figures to be the player of the future as the Indians try to make it back to the state tournament after missing for one of the few times in recent years.
by CNB