VirginiaPreps.com is proud to release our 9th Annual All-State Basketball Teams.

There are a total of 12 honors with six players, including a Player of the Year, for First Team and six more on the Second Team.

So what are the factors that go into the choices that are made? All selections are made by me with no consultation of the coaches simply because that’s what the VHSCA Teams are designed for in my opinion. However, we try to study individual statistics (some supplied by coaches upon request) as well as factor into the equation team success and overall impact.

Once everything is weighed, we try to blend it all together and make the best choices possible, even though there’s no such thing as a perfect team or right and wrong picks.

It’s never an easy process because there are always many deserving players who don’t get recognized on First or Second Team.

Without further ado, here’s the VirginiaPreps.com 2A All-State Basketball Teams for the 2016-17 campaign with bios on each player . . .

2A First Team:
Darius George - Robert E. Lee - Sr.
Mac McClung - Gate City - Jr.
Jarvis Vaughan - Robert E. Lee - Jr.
Isiah Smith - Madison County - Sr.
Luke Phillips - Richlands - Sr.
Zac Ervin - Gate City - Soph.

Player of the Year: Darius George (Robert E. Lee)
Coach of the Year: Jarrett Hatcher (Robert E. Lee)

2A Second Team:
Jared Baker - Amelia - Sr.
Zemar Anderson - Dan River - Sr.
Javon Butler - East Rockingham - Sr.
Aaron Martin - Martinsville - Sr.
Dre Twyman - Madison County - Sr.
Hank Conner - Glenvar - Sr.

Set to play his College Basketball in Conference USA at Marshall, George averaged team-highs of 24.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals per game while Lee went 25-5 overall to capture the State Championship. The 6-foot-7 small forward also converted 279-of-516 field goals (54.1%), 153-of-235 free-throws (65.1%) and 60% of his shots inside the arc to go with 28 blocks and 27 made three-pointers.

George was a force in the State Playoffs as well with averages of 20.3 points, 12 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game. He not only posted double-doubles in wins over Gate City and Amelia County, but also finished with 27 points on 12-of-21 shooting from the field in their overtime victory over Dan River in the semifinals. His decorated Lee career finished with him third on school's scoring list behind only Kevin Madden and Tyler Crawford.

With over a dozen scholarship offers from Division I schools already, McClung was named the Clinch Mountain Conference 40 Player of the Year and First Team All-Region in 2A-West with numerous dazzling performances. The chief showing came in a regional semifinal loss to Dan River, where he single handily scored 64 points, including 24 in the third quarter alone.

For his junior campaign, McClung averaged 30 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game as the Blue Devils earned their second straight trip to the State Tournament and won their fourth consecutive Clinch Mountain Conference Tournament crown. The 6-foot-2 guard also had more than 30 dunks during his junior season, which saw him eclipse 1000 career points in late December.

The 6-foot-8 junior big man enjoyed a dominating run in the State Tournament with averages of 28 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks per game while shooting 62.6% from the field and 77.8% at the charity stripe. His 31 points in the Final Four overtime victory over Dan River along with his 31 points in the Championship game win over Amelia County made it possible for Lee to capture the program's seventh state title.

A First Team All-Region performer in 2A-East, Vaughan averaged 16.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 53.7% from the field (188-of-350) and 70.1% from the foul line (117-for-167). He also had 70 assists, good for 2.3 a contest and led the Leemen in blocked shots with 39.

Chosen the 2A-East Region Player of the Year by the coaches, this multi-sport standout - who also excels in baseball and football, where he will be playing in college at Division II Fairmont State in West Virginia - led the Mountaineers in scoring, assists, steals and free-throws made. The 5-foot-9 senior guard averaged 14.3 points, eight assists, 4.6 rebounds, 2.8 steals per game and made 117 foul shots.

Without Smith, Madison County definitely doesn't win the 2A-East Region Tournament and earn their first trip to the State Tournament Final Four since 2010. Prior to this season, the only player in VHSL, per the record book, with more assists in a career than Smith's 436 was Honaker's Blake Stinson, who amassed 522 from 2015-17.

Signed to play his College Hoops at Division II Bluefield State in West Virginia, Phillips set a school-record with 1509 points during his four-year career with the Blue Tornado. Before this past season, Richlands had never even won a regional playoff game in basketball, but Phillips helped them beat Union in the 2A-West Region quarterfinals, then Chatham in the semifinals as they punched their ticket to the State Playoffs.

A two-time Southern Empire Conference 39 Player of the Year, Phillips earned First Team All-Region honors with averages of 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two blocks and two charges drawn per game. Besides getting it done on the court and leading Richlands to a season to remember that culminated in a 21-5 overall record, the 6-foot-5 senior forward also maintains a 3.6 grade point average in the classroom.

After leading a Blue Devils team that reached the State Final Four a year ago in scoring as a freshman, all Ervin did for an encore in his sophomore campaign was put up even better numbers in helping Gate City achieve another State Tournament berth with a 23-5 overall record. The versatile 6-foot-5 forward/guard averaged 24 points, seven rebounds and three assists per game.

Of note were scoring performances of 39 points and 36 points in the first month of the season alone, plus he eclipsed the 1000-point barrier in his career during February, an amazing accomplishment for someone that still has two varsity seasons left to play. It came as no surprise that Ervin was chosen First Team All-Region and First Team All-Conference.

Jarrett Hatcher is no stranger to high expectations because his father, Paul Hatcher, led the Leemen to four state titles and a VHSL record 897 victories. In Jarrett's sixth season at the helm, Lee added to its trophy case and did so after recovering from a 59-57 loss to Madison County in the 2A-East Region Championship.

Lee's State Tournament run began with an 80-75 win over Gate City in overtime in the quarterfinals, followed by a zany comeback from 16 points down to defeat 2A-West Region Champ Dan River 75-72 in OT during the semifinals. Hatcher's group played one of their most complete games in the State Championship, placing four players in double-figures as they topped Amelia 84-71 to cap a 25-5 season.

Averaging team-bests of 15 points and 11 rebounds per game, Baker was the driving force in the front-court for a Raiders team that won James River District and Quad Rivers Conference 34 Tournament Champions. His steady play during the playoffs was a big reason why Amelia went from the #3 seed out of the 2A-East Region Tournament to reaching the State Final, upending top-seeded Madison Count in the semifinals.

Baker averaged 12.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game during the State Tournament while converting 78.9% of his free-throws. The 6-foot-2 senior forward was also chosen as a First Team All-Region performer.

Anderson posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds in Dan River's 67-53 opening round regional win over Martinsville, the reigning two-time State Champs, which enabled the eventual 2A-West Region Champion Wildcats to claim an unprecedented ninth straight State Playoff berth. He continued to fill the stat sheet with a double-double of 18 points and 10 boards in a 96-84 victory over Gate City in the regional semifinals.

During the State Tournament, the rugged 6-foot-2 senior forward continued to play strong in the paint with 22 points and 22 rebounds over two contests. Anderson was rewarded for his stellar play by being named the Courthouse Conference 37 Player of the Year and First Team All-Region.

Chosen as the Shenandoah District Player of the Year, Butler starred for an Eagles team that finished 22-5 overall in 2016-17. The 6-foot-1 senior guard was named First Team All-Region and was a key ingredient for an East Rockingham program that won its third straight crown, concluding his decorated career with 1235 points and 362 rebounds in 79 games.

Committed to play College Football at Glenville State, Butler averaged 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game during his senior season on the hardwood while shooting 51% from the field and 77% at the foul line. He also led the team in three-pointers made (64) and charges drawn (13).

For the second year in a row, Martin was named Second Team All-State on VaPreps, helping the Bulldogs achieve a 20-win season for the fourth straight time during his career there. In his final contest in a Martinsville uniform, a loss to Dan River in the opening round of the regional playoffs, Martin left it all on the floor with a game-best 23 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and four steals.

The 6-foot-1 senior wing put up 15 points per game and shot over 80% from the free-throw line, becoming the leading scorer as two-time State Player of the Year Devonnte Holland moved on to the next level at Radford. He was named First Team All-Region in 2A-West as well as First Team All-Conference 38 and the Piedmont District co-Player of the Year.

Maybe the most under appreciated player in Virginia at the 2A level, Twyman averaged 13.6 points and a team-leading 9.1 rebounds per game for a Mountaineers squad that went 26-3 overall, winning the 2A-East Region title. He also shot 53% from the field and led Madison County in double-doubles with 12 on his way to earning First Team All-Conference 35 and Second Team All-Region accolades.

Twyman averaged 15 points and 11 rebounds per game for the Mountaineers in the State Tournament. The 6-foot-2 senior forward followed up a double-double of 18 points, 12 rebounds against Chatham with 12 points and 10 boards in a loss to Amelia County.

Committed to play his College Basketball at Pfeiffer in North Carolina, Conner earned First Team All-Region honors in 2A-West as the Highlanders enjoyed a 17-7 record. That was highlighted by besting two-time defending State Champ Martinsville, 49-46 in overtime to capture the River Run Conference 38 Tournament Championship.

Conner averaged 19.2 points per game and made 52.5% of his field goal tries, sparking a run that saw Glenvar re-group from a 0-3 start to win 17 of its next 20 contests. The 6-foot-1 senior guard performed at a high level in his final game, scoring a team-best 28 points in a regional quarterfinal loss to Chatham.

Matthew Hatfield serves as Publisher for VirginiaPreps.com, part of the Rivals.com Network, and is a regular contributor to the ACC Sports Journal. Check out Hatfield’s Twitter page for more sports related updates, and you can also read his work in the Suffolk News Herald. To contact Matthew, please e-mail hatfieldsports2k4@yahoo.com, and don’t forget to listen to him every Saturday at 10AM on ESPN Radio 94.1.