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Blacksburg

or Cave Spring – Who will win the initial boy’s title of the new River

Ridge District this season? Both teams have legitimate shots, and don’t be

surprise that it doesn’t come down to the final regular season game between

these two teams on January 30, 2004, and that game will be played on the Knights

home court. However, between next Monday and early February, a lot of things can

happen. The new River Ridge District consists of

Blacksburg

, Christiansburg, Cave Spring,

Hidden

Valley

,

Salem

and Pulaski.

, under head coach Doug Day, will be shooting for their third-straight district

championship when the Bruins tip off their season next Tuesday, Dec. 2, with a

home date against Patrick Henry.

Paul Velander (Sr./6-3/guard) and Sam Wheeler

(Sr./6-4/forward) are the only two returning two starters off of last year’s

23-3 team. Both averaged 13 points per game. Wheeler pulled downed eight

rebounds per game, while Verlander posted six grabs per game.

Other players who will see a lot of action this season are

Eric Eversole (Sr./6-0/guard), John Bailey (Jr./6-8/forward), Neil Mutispaugh

(Jr./6-1/guard), Seth Engebritson (Sr./6-3/forward), Daniel Smith

(Jr./6-0/guard), Matt Mitchell (So./6-1/forward) and Harrison LaPuassa

(So./5-11/guard). Both Eversole and Bailey averaged five points per game last

year.

“We will have a strong inside and outside presense,”

said coach Day.

With five returning players, normal">Christiansburg could be the dark horse in the district this season.

“We have good perimeter players this year,” said head

coach Tony Dunford, who will finally be able to practice for the first time with

his complete team, now that the football season has ended. “We only lost one

player off of last year’s team. So we should be in pretty good shape this

season.”

Leading the Demons this year will be returning players

Jason Diggs (Sr./5-10), John Howard (So./6-0), Terence Saunders (Sr./6-4), Zach

Nagle (Sr./6-4) and Stephano Blakely (Sr./6-5). Diggs led the Blue Demons with a

21 point per game average, while Howard and Saunders both averaged 10 points per

game last year.

Losing 10 seniors off of last year’s state runner-up

team, Cave Spring still hopes to give

the Bruins a run for their money this season.

Teddy Saunders (Sr./6-1/guard) is the only returning player

off head coach Billy Hicks’ 22-9 team from last year. Saunders averaged five

points per game last year.

Troy Kaase (Sr./6-6/forward), Brian Thompson

(Jr./5-11/guard), Alex Lemmer (Jr./6-0/forward), Matthew Mull (Sr./5-10/guard),

Micah Kaplan (Sr./5-10/guard) and David Redick (So./6-4/forward) will get plenty

of action this winter. Redick, who averaged five points and six rebounds in his

freshman season last year, is the younger brother of former Cave Spring and now

Duke standout, J.J.Redick.

As for the Knights strengths, according to coach Hicks’,

they are post play, depth, 1/2 court defense and their intelligence. As for

weakness, they included lack of experience, overall size, quickness and ball

handling skills.

Hidden Valley,

who did not have a single senior on last year’s 6-17 team, will return with

the same five starters this season.

Hunter Miller (Sr./6-0/guard), Hunter Kern

(Sr./6-1/forward), Brent Lawrence (Sr./5-10/guard), Corey Snell (Jr./6-6/point)

and Kevin Lambert (Jr./6-2/guard) will lead the Titans into battle this season.

Miller and Lawrence averaged 12.6 and 10 points per game last year,

respectively. Snell tossed in 7.5 ppg and Lambert added 7.4 ppg.

Head coach Chris Morris listed the Titans strengths as

experience, excellent shooters and a deeper bench. As for weaknesses, the lack

of size.

is counting on four returning starters from last year’s 10-14 team to lead

the Spartans in to battle this season. They include A.J. Dowell

(Sr./5-11/guard), Chris Adams (Sr./6-1/forward), Jeremy Haskins

(Sr./6-0/forward) and Carter Tate (Sr./5-11/guard).

Dowell led

Salem

last season with 14.1 points per game. Adams and Haskins averaged 7.8 and 7.1

points per game, respectively. While Tate had a 1.8 points per game average.

“Our quickness and ability to run the floor will be our

strengths this year,” said head coach Grant Smyhers, who is entering his

fourth year at the helm. “As for our weakness, it has to be our overall team

size.

With 11 of 14 players standing at 6 feet or better, head

coach Mark Hanks still says that team height is a weakness for the Pulaski

Cougars this season.

“We have no height,” said Hanks, who is returning five

starters off of last year’s 10-13 team. By the way, his returning starter are

6 feet or better.

Returning for the Cougars is Brandon Anderson (Sr./6-0),

Cory Poindexter (Jr./6-0), Derek Burks (Sr./6-0), Ernie Hodge (Jr./6-2) and Matt

Tilley (Sr./6-3). Hodge averaged 14 points and 17 rebounds per game last year,

while Poindexter averaged nine points and three rebounds per game.

“We have good quickness and good shooters this year,”

said coach Hanks.

Predicted order of finish in the River Ridge District

boy’s race this season:

Blacksburg

, Cave Spring, Christiansburg,

Salem

, Pulaski, and

Hidden

Valley

.

Christiansburg opens its season next Monday night, Dec. 1,

with a home tilt against Lord Botetourt.

Blacksburg

opens its season on Tuesday, Dec. 2, with a home game against Patrick Henry.

By David Grimes, Sports Editor Radford News Journal/News

Messenger

(reprinted with permission