ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 9, 1997 TAG: 9701100127
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PEARISBURG
SOURCE: ANGIE WATTS STAFF WRITER
One is an only child; the other has five siblings. One is quiet and subdued; the other loud and emotional. As different as they are off the court, Giles basketball seniors Adam Jones and Robbie Claytor are remarkably similar on the hardwood.
Both are three-year starters for the Spartans, and have been selected as captains for the 1996-97 season. Together they lead the team in both points and rebounds per game. And they have more than basketball in common inside the walls of Giles High School: academics. Claytor and Jones rank 11th and 13th, respectively, in their class of 123 students with cumulative grade point averages of 3.89 and 3.88.
"They might be similar in some respects, but they are so opposite in others," said sixth-year coach John Howlett. "Adam is my quiet man, my iron man. He's the blue-collar guy who does the dirty work in the paint, rebounding the ball and blocking out. Robbie's what makes us go. He's such a fiery competitor that even in pickup games he gets into fights with his teammates - he's that fiery."
At 6 feet 2 inches, Claytor leads the Spartans at point guard, averaging 13.7 points, seven rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. Jones, also 6-2, cleans up from the forward position for the Spartans with an average of 14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.
Combine this on-the-floor duo with the team's other five seniors, and it's easy to see why the Spartans don't lack for leadership. After finishing the season tied for second in the Three Rivers District a year ago, the Spartans captured the district tournament championship to advance to regional action for the first time in 10 years. A one-point overtime loss to Grayson County in the first round of the Group A Region C tournament has left this group with a desire for redemption. The team aspires to a return trip to regionals.
"Our main goal is to get our play to the way it was at the end of the last year," Jones said. "We want to get back to regionals, and to make getting there a tradition for Giles High School."
Building a basketball tradition has certainly been Howlett's objective since arriving here. He's had five seasons (he's starting his sixth) to conclude it isn't easy.
"When I first got here this was just a football school, they just played basketball as something to do between football and baseball seasons," said Howlett, whose team is off to a 5-4 start this season. "But I knew right away these guys would work to build this program up. Last season we set a school record in wins [16], won the district tournament for the first time in school history and went to regionals for the first time in 10 years.
"It took me five years, and it wasn't easy, but they have been a big part of that."
Both Jones and Claytor have set their sights on attending Virginia Tech next fall, but true to their personalities, they have done so for different reasons. Jones said Tech's main attractions are its engineering program and the opportunity to live close to home. As for Claytor, this whirlwind has yet to decide what his future studies hold. He does want to continue a promising soccer career there.
Claytor is the rare American high school athlete who has played both sports internationally. He spent the summer of 1995 traveling with a select area soccer team to Russia for a two-week stint and joined a group of basketball players primarily from North Carolina for a week and a half-long jaunt to Aruba.
Claytor said his family helped him with travel expenses and other support. Four of his five siblings still live in the area and often attend games. Parents Bobby and Delia never miss an outing.
"They've been such a big help to me," Claytor said. "Mom and dad are always there to support me and that has allowed me to do so much."
An only child, Jones may not have the numbers in the stands Claytor does, but he too has plenty of support from his family."
"I don't even remember when my dad first handed me a basketball," Jones said. "My dad played football and baseball here at Giles, never basketball. But he always said it was his favorite sport, and wished he had played. Now I'm living it out for him."
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: ALAN KIM STAFF. 1. At 6 feet 2 inches, Robbie Claytorby CNB(left) leads the Spartans at point guard, averaging 13.7 points,
seven rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. 2. Adam Jones (above), also
6-2, cleans up from the forward position for the Spartans with an
average of 14.3 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. color.