VaPreps Class 3 All-State Hoops Teams for 2017-18

VirginiaPreps.com is proud to release our 10th Annual All-State Basketball Teams.

There are a total of 12 honorees 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 and VHSL 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 Class 3 All-State Basketball Teams for the 2017-18 campaign with information bios on each player . . .

Class 3 First Team:
Isaiah Todd - John Marshall - So.
Antwan Miles - Phoebus - Sr.
Julien Wooden - Northside - Jr.
DeMarr McRae - John Marshall - Jr.
Nick Price - Northside - Sr.
Jarec Brown - George Wythe - Sr.

Player of the Year: Isaiah Todd (John Marshall)
Coach of the Year: Ty White (John Marshall)

Class 3 Second Team:
Kevin 'C.J.' Rosser - Heritage-Lynchburg - Sr.
Elvin Edmonds IV - Hopewell - Fr.
Ikechi Chantilou - George Wythe - So.
Chris McGahren - Western Albemarle - Sr.
Robert Smith - Spotswood - So.
Faizhon Taylor - Hopewell

This five-star sophomore drew extra attention every time he touched the floor, from observers in the stands as well as opponents. Yet, Todd still was the focal point on a very balanced John Marshall team that won its second state title in five years, beating Western Albemarle by 21 in the title game.

The 6-foot-10 forward averaged 18.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game or the Justices, who finished 22-6 overall and went a perfect 8-0 in games where their marquee prospect registered a double-double. Additionally, the Region 3B Player of the Year made a team-high 40 3's and shot 39% from long distance along with 55% from the field and 71% at the foul line. In a much-anticipated showdown against Trinity Episcopal with fellow five-star prospect Armando Bacot, Todd had 26 points and made five three-pointers.

In April, Todd announced that he will be transferring to Trinity Academy in Raleigh, North Carolina to spend his junior season.

Named First Team All-State for the second year in a row, Miles averaged 22 points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals per game to lead the charge as Phoebus made back-to-back State Tournament trips for the first time in school history in basketball. That came after a junior season where he eclipsed 1000 career points and averaged over 23 points per game, just months following a devastating knee injury.

The 5-foot-11 guard had some of his better games against top-notch competition, even in defeats. Sure, his 22 points in a rivalry win over Hampton, where the Phantoms outscored the Crabbers 19-2 in the fourth quarter to storm back, will be remembered by most around the Peninsula District. But the Virginia State commit also had 26 points and 10 rebounds in an overtime loss to reigning 4A State Champ Loudoun Valley in the VaPreps Classic, plus tallied 25 points, six boards, four assists and three steals in a narrow loss to eventual Class 3 State Champ John Marshall in the playoffs.

This 6-foot-7 junior forward showed his promise the year before in the State Tournament, when he averaged 19.3 points per game and shot 73.3% from the field over his team's final three contests. Wooden came back even better in 2017-18 as he put up 19.6 points and 8.4 rebounds per game while the Vikings won their first 28 challenges before falling to Western Albemarle in overtime of the State Tournament semifinals.

Consistency might be one of the best ways to sum up Wooden's play. The Class of 2019 prospect shot 61% from the field, converted 45% of his three-point tries (30-of-67) and reached in double-figures in points every time out on a balanced Vikings squad that made sure to spread the wealth.

Second to his teammate Isaiah Todd in both scoring and rebounding for the Justices, McRae was at times their most valuable player, which speaks volumes to his impact considering he played alongside a 6-foot-10 sophomore who's one of the nation's most coveted recruits. The 6-foot-3 wing averaged 16.2 points and 5.7 rebounds per game on his way to First Team All-Region 3A accolades.

Most impressive may have been the quality of shots that McRae took and made as he connected on 65% of his field goals and also displayed accuracy from the free-throw line in going 63-of-76 (83%). In the 10th Annual VaPreps Classic held at Henrico against Potomac, he earned MVP honors with 24 points and 11 rebounds. His 26 points and 10 boards proved very influential in their 77-74 State Tournament quarterfinal escape against Phoebus.

When it came strictly to wins and losses, nobody at the point guard position in the state has a better percentage than Price, who helped Northside go 102-15 overall in his four years as a varsity starter. That's a major difference from the 5-17 mark in 2013-14 before his arrival to the school that reached the State Tournament in all four seasons that he played.

The 6-foot-1 floor general for the Vikings leaves behind a great legacy as his 1180 points place fourth all-time in school history, plus he's their career leading in assists with nearly 600 and steals with more than 300. While 10 points per game this past season don't seem like much - third on the team in fact - he made 107 consecutive starts in a Northside uniform before a shoulder injury forced him to come off the bench. It goes without saying that 28-1 is impossible without this Roanoke College commit.

A First Team All-Region 3B selection, Brown was the leading scorer at 19.1 points per game on a Wythe team that went 22-5 overall. In fact, without him, the Bulldogs literally don't make their fourth State Tournament Final Four trip in five years. That's because his tip-in with 7.3 seconds left propelled Wythe past Hopewell, 66-64 in the State Tournament quarterfinals.

In that win over Hopewell, Brown scored 28 points and sank a trio of three-pointers to help the Bulldogs erase a 13-point half-time deficit. There also was a strong performance in an 82-72 win over L.C. Bird, where the 6-foot-4 small forward posted 33 points, 12 rebounds and five assists against the reigning 5A State Champs. Brown has signed to play at Eastern Arizona College.

As the playoffs went along, it seemed as if the Justices got stronger. During the regionals, they outscored three foes by an average of 98-57 before edging Phoebus 77-74 in a hard-fought State Tournament quarterfinal, pulled away from George Wythe 56-40 in the State Semis, and concluded it with a dominant 63-42 rout of Western Albemarle in the Class 3 title game.

Recovering from a 3-5 start, where all of their losses came to out-of-state opponents, White's Justices closed out the season by winning 19 of their final 20 matches. The lone blemish was to Class 5 Maury. White is now 176-44 in eight seasons at the helm of John Marshall with two State Championships.

Despite the Pioneers seeing a pair of All-Region performers graduate in Jordan Hamlette and Caleb Snead, they were able to match the 19 wins they achieved during the 2016-17 campaign this past season. Rosser, developing into the primary offensive after previously being more of a role player, was a big reason why.

In averaging 20 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 steals per game, Rosser showed his value and proved to be more than just a weapon from three-point land, as in previous seasons. The First Team All-Region 3C selection and First Team All-Seminole District performer didn't wait long to put his stamp on things either. In just their third game of the season against Dan River, Rosser exploded for 32 points - including seven three-pointers - 10 rebounds, five assists and four steals.

In just his second varsity game, Edmonds sank 10 three-pointers in a 79-38 blowout of Armstrong. That showed right then and there he would be a player to be reckoned with for quite a while at Hopewell, which went 22-4 overall and earned its third State Tournament berth in four years.

The 6-foot-1 freshman guard averaged 18.3 points, 4.0 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Edmonds drained 80 three-pointers, shooting 43% behind the arc, and connected on 80% of his free-throws (66-of-82) on his way to being named First Team All-Region 3A.

At times in watching Chantilou play, it's hard to believe he's only a sophomore. The bouncy 6-foot-3 guard averaged 19 points per game as the Bulldogs went 22-5 overall and reached the State Tournament Final Four.

In the State Tournament quarterfinals against Hopewell, Wythe rallied from 13 points down at intermission to win 66-64 behind Chantilou's 24 points. Earlier in the postseason, he had 26 points in a regional playoff victory over Armstrong as well as 20 in a loss to John Marshall during the Region 3B Championship. Coaches recognize his talent and potential, thus voting him First Team All-Region 3B.

A two-sport standout who also excels in baseball, McGahren came up in a big way during his senior campaign so that the Warriors could reach the State Tournament for a third consecutive year. In fact, even with the graduation loss of an All-State performer in Ryan Ingram, this Warriors team managed to make it to the State Championship game for the first time in program history.

McGahren, a 6-foot-3 senior swingman, was named the Class 3 Jefferson District Player of the Year for his efforts and was the team's top scorer at 12 points per game. On Senior Night, he posted 23 points and six rebounds against Fluvanna, but the 16 points and game-clinching free-throws he made in the State Tournament semifinals to bounce previously undefeated Northside in overtime will be what most Western Albemarle fans remember.

Entering the State Tournament, Smith was averaging 14.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per game for the Blazers while shooting 48% from the field and having mad 32 three-pointers. Not too shabby for a sophomore on varsity. Even though a compelling case can be made for his teammate Kaleb Strawderman, the Valley District Player of the Year who put up 13.9 points per game and shot 42% from long distance, often nights Smith served as the biggest mismatch on the floor.

This 6-foot-3 wing proved to be a terrific finisher in transition and also was third on the Blazers in both assists and deflections. His emergence played a key role in Spotswood going 21-7 overall, notching their sixth straight undefeated regular season in the Valley District, and recording their sixth consecutive State Tournament appearance as well as ninth in ten years.

With averages of 17.7 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game, Taylor clearly was a vital cog in Hopewell finishing 22-4 overall. He scored over 1000 points in his career with the Blue Devils, who made the State Tournament three times over four seasons.

The 6-foot-tall senior guard was lethal behind the arc, drilling 82 three-pointers on his way to receiving First Team All-Region 3A recognition. Even in Hopewell's final game of the season, a heart-breaking 66-64 loss to George Wythe in the State Tournament quarterfinals, Taylor left it all on the floor with a team-best 21 points and five three-pointers.

*** See VaPreps 3A All-State Teams for 2016-17 Here ***

*** View VHSL Class 3 All-State Teams for 2017-18 Here ***

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 10 AM to Noon on ESPN Radio 94.1.