The Girls
The basics: It was a mixed bag of results for Central Virginia’s Group AAA and Group A squads last year. Goochland, Madison County and William Monroe all qualified for the Region B tournament but exited with first round losses to George Mason, East Rockingham and Central Woodstock respectively. Buckingham, Albemarle and Nelson struggled, but showed some promise. Moving into 2012-2013, the stage appears set for a potentially improved year for all six squads.
Last season there was just a single senior on Madison’s roster as the Mountaineers leaned on a collection of juniors and talented sophomores, including Chandler Gentry. The Mountaineers finished below .500 last year, but improved greatly as the season went on, including a 36-32 upset of Clarke County on the road in the district tournament quarterfinals. If the Mountaineers take a leap forward — and a blowout win over Buckingham indicated they may have — then Madison can compete for a league title.
William Monroe has to overcome the graduation of a strong senior class that included All-Bull Run honorees Alex Cave and Alexa Smith. While Cave was beset by injuries during her career, she was one of William Monroe’s finer all-around athletes. The Dragons need to find answers in the younger group fast as they try and maintain a standard set during her career that started as a freshman with a Jefferson District title back in 2009.
Nelson, Buckingham and Goochland will need to play solid basketball to get out of their respective districts. The Governors face a tall task in a challenging Dogwood District while Goochland should take some steps forward and build on last year’s Region B appearance. Buckingham faces an uphill task, replacing Elynn Lee, the area’s leading scorer with 15.2 points per game. But look for them to build around the younger standouts.
Orange County went winless as part of the rough and tumble transition the entire school’s athletic program made to Group AAA in 2011-2012. But the Hornets relied almost totally on a youth movement, and that should pay dividends this year. A trio of sophomores, Rebecca Harvey, Markianna Smith and Jada Davis all return along with juniors Ashleigh Williams, Nicole Shipley and Ayanna Braxton. The Hornets get some senior leadership from Ashanti Demas and new addition Aysha Richardson, the Hornets’ resident softball star and a recent Virginia Tech signee. If Orange can play beyond its youth, things should get much better in Dave Rabe’s third year.
Albemarle finished 5-20 last year and made a chance to Rachel Proudfoot at head coach from area fixture Harry Terrell. Proudfoot has one critical building block in place already in sophomore Keturah Barbour, an honorable mention All-Scrimmage Play honoree who should take some major strides this season after a monster freshman year. If Proudfoot can pull the Patriots together against an incredibly tough Commonwealth District slate, Albemarle has the potential to make some strides.
Who to watch: Gentry is the safest bet for a star out of this group as the multi-sport standout has made a huge impact in volleyball already this season as the Bull Run player of the year. She was a second team All-Bull Run honoree and the Mountaineers lone award winner. Look for Gentry to be an even bigger factor this year as Madison was a young team last year, but returns the bulk of its core.
How it could turn out: Most of the five Group A teams should again be in the hunt for Region B playoff berths, with Madison looking particularly strong as a contender in the Bull Run. But George Mason’s powerhouse squad still sits atop that district. Albemarle should get a renewed confidence boost from Proudfoot’s arrival, so look for major improvements from the Patriots. Rabe should get more out of his young crop this year with a season of Group AAA competition under their belts.
The Boys
The basics: William Monroe made the deepest run of all the Group A squads last year, just missing a chance at the state tournament by a game. And in 2012 the Dragons are back in full force with double-double machine Markel Williams and Gary Morris, a breakout talent last year, both back in the fold. Monroe also has depth at guard with Austin Batten starting for the third straight season. If Jo-jo Krynitsky stays healthy, the Dragons front court might be the most formidable 1-2 punch of all the public school teams period. Staying within the Bull Run District, Madison County has an inside-outside duo of Matt Temple and Bobby Ford that will be problem for a lot of teams. The Moutaineers have to find some scoring with Travis Warren and Patrick Roebuck both gone. A healthy Kody Lichtliter could be the Mountaineers breakout talent this year.
In the James River District, the team Monroe beat in the Region B quarterfinals, Buckingham County, will also be looking to continue their playoff tradition. The Knights have to find a way to thrive without Tarian Ayres and L.A. Briely in the mix, but senior Cam Johnson should be able take over as the go-to talent in Dillwyn. The Knights also have a solid rebounder in Tyriq Bartee. Look for Drequan Scott to help out with Johnson in the scoring department and keep the Knights on the right half of the James River District standings. For the second straight year Goochland will essentially begin its season in January thanks to another deep run by its football team. When the Bulldogs reconvene as a full team, the task will be to find a way to fill the gap left by its too All-James River selections, Cody Johnson and James Brooks. But Nathan Adams and Evan Smith both are back as seniors and Ceejay Johnson returns as a junior. If sophomore David Dyer and freshman Alec Crepps can provide quality production and minutes that would be a big boost for this team.
In the Dogwood District, Nelson County has its hands full trying to compete with a pair of Dan River and Altavista teams that were loaded last year, and not much different this year. The Govenors should be able to take a big step forward this season though as it’s two top talents are back in All-JR first teamer Adam Pickett and second teamer Tyler Vest.
Both Albemarle and Orange County faced one last tour through the Commonwealth District basketball tour and given what both teams lost to graduation – Lee Carneal, Kendall Hawkins for the Patriots and Tyler Seal, Rahiem Cooper for the Hornets – it’s going to be an uphill climb in an already unforgiving environment. For Albemarle, junior big man Ryan Londree gives them a post presence to build around with players like Harmon Hawkins stepping into bigger roles. Orange lost nine of its 12 from last year’s roster, but Jacob Pugh also gives them a big body underneath the basket. Pugh is just one of two seniors for the Hornets who are playing with an awfully young but athletic roster.
Who to watch: Markel Williams and Gary Morris. It’s not just the scoring that this duo provides coach Mike Maynard. It’s the way they go about it. Williams is essentially unstoppable underneath the hoop and draws a ton of attention and a ton of fouls. Morris’ ability to penetrate does the same. The aggressive attacking style of this team puts defenses in foul trouble quickly. This combination of size and speed makes the Dragons the same force if not better than they were last year.
How it could turn out: This about as a good a shot as Monroe has to make a trip to the Siegel Center in Richmond given their star players and the depth around them. Madison and Buckingham, while undergoing some changes, should be able to pick up right where they left off, particularly with the Mountaineers because of Temple’s size and talent. Nelson should be the team among this group that takes the biggest step forward from last year. For Albemarle, Orange and Goochland, it’s all a matter of which of the three respective coaches of Greg Maynard, Keyode Rogers and Preston Gordon can find the most production in a hurry. The Hornet and Patriots schedule is just a killer, and the Bulldogs get essentially nothing in terms of time to build chemistry with its group.
