Top Teams John Marshall I.C. Norcom Spotswood George Wythe Northside Hopewell Cave Spring James Monroe Armstrong Top Players Maliek White – George Wythe Keldon Johnson (2018) – Park View Jeremy Sheppard – John Marshall Travis Fields – IC Norcom Justin…
Top Teams
John Marshall
I.C. Norcom
Spotswood
George Wythe
Northside
Hopewell
Cave Spring
James Monroe
Armstrong
Top Players
Maliek White – George Wythe
Keldon Johnson (2018) – Park View
Jeremy Sheppard – John Marshall
Travis Fields – IC Norcom
Justin Kier – Spotswood
Kendrick Tucker – Northside
Brody Hicks – Cave Spring
James Sullivan – Turner Ashby
Travis Ingram – IC Norcom
Kevin “KJ” Davis – IC Norcom
Greg Jones – John Marshall
Luther Gibbs – Culpeper County
Drejon Boley – James Monroe
Darius Bell – Southampton
Deonte Jones – Hopewell
Since the VHSL changed up their classifications, 3A has gone through the city of Richmond with John Marshall and George Wythe winning the last two state championships. However, it isn’t as cut and dry as it seems, and this year’s 3A race will be as interesting as any in the state. Here are some things to watch for as the season unfolds.
John Marshall seemed on top of the state last season, but stumbled down the stretch with a loss to St. Chris and George Wythe, and eventually fell to Wythe in the conference semifinals. This season, they have perhaps the most talented lineup on paper, and are certainly one of the early season favorites to regain the crown.
After winning two straight 4A titles, Norcom was reclassed to 3A changing the entire landscape of the classification. Norcom returns four of their top players from the state championship team of last year, which includes two juniors and a sophomore. They will be a contender in 3A for years, giving the 757 a presence in the smaller classification.
Spotswood came so close to pulling off an undefeated season last year, but came up just short losing to Wythe in the state championship. That feat won’t happen this season, as they already have lost to 4A contender Millbrook, but they can’t be counted out as a contender. George Mason commit Justin Kier is an absolute winner, and anytime he’s on the court they’ll be competitive.
George Wythe has struggled early as they adjust to losing three of their top players from the state championship team last season. Providence commit Maliek White had transformed into a true point guard, and consistently put his teammates in opportunities to succeed which made them so good. He’ll have to go back to being a top scoring threat for the Bulldogs to succeed this year.
Northside is Roanoke’s best shot at getting back to the Siegel Center, and other than senior point guard Kendrick Tucker, they’re very young. However, their group is talented and have all bought into the system, meaning we wouldn’t be surprised to see them take a shot at bringing the title back to the Star City.
Team to Surprise:
Lord Botetourt outside of Roanoke has three senior wings that on any given day can go off. 6’5 Trey Hornback, 6’3 Joe Mikalauskas and 6’2 Justin McIvor are all experienced and skilled scoring wings, each capable of carrying the team if another one is having an off night. They can all shoot it and have been playing together for a long time, making them the perfect team to pull some upsets in 3A West.
Players to Emerge:
2016 Percy Burt of James Monroe has quickly turned himself into a solid basketball prospect. The 6’5 wing has only been playing basketball competitively since his freshman season, but his intelligence and versatility has some coaches really intrigued. Burt will team up with fellow wing and All State selection Drejon Boley, and James Monroe should be a tough team to matchup with this season.
2016 Johnnie Harrison of Hopewell is one of the most athletic and versatile defenders in Virginia. A two sport star, Harrison’s nonstop motor on the defensive end allows him to guard the best player on the other team regardless of position. He’s also a lefty with a solid midrange game and a freak athlete in transition.
The Best Player You’ve Never Heard of is…
2016 Mason Reyer of Cave Spring. A heady point guard that is capable of lighting it up from deep, Reyer had an impressive summer with Spectrum Sports which led to a lot of attention from D2 and D3 schools. In the western part of the state, the 6’2 guard is a nightmare to matchup with, and he’ll likely put up big numbers as a secondary scorer behind Brody Hicks.
Frosh/Soph to Know
Keldon Johnson (listed above) – Park View
Lavar Allen – John Marshall
Tommie Pope – IC Norcom
Xavier Kane – Christiansburg
Nick Price – Northside
Antwan Miles – Phoebus
Shannon “Shey” Webb – Northside
Demarr McRae – John Marshall
Mike Cunningham – Park View
VANTAGE PREDICTIONS:
3A East Championship: John Marshall def IC Norcom
3A West Championship: Northside def Spotswood
3A State Championship: John Marshall def IC Norcom
3A East POY: Jeremy Sheppard – John Marshall
3A West POY: Kendrick Tucker – Northside