Boys basketball preview: King’s Fork begins season at No. 1; Maury, Woodside, Menchville and Catholic round out the top five
757Teamz Top 15
1. King’s Fork
The Bulldogs return four starters and 10 players from a team that finished 24-1. Coach Rick Hite said this team has talent, depth and toughness. “We have really amazing chemistry,” he said. “We have quality leadership from within. I love this bunch and can’t wait to see where it ends up.” The Bulldogs are led by senior guard Samuel Brannen, 6-foot-3 senior guard Ryan Hite, senior guard Kaleb Brown, 6-5 junior forward Zekhi Darden and 6-5 junior forward Dashawn Lucas.
2. Maury
The Commodores will always be tenacious on defense as long as Brandon Plummer is the coach. They are led by 6-foot sophomore guard Adrean Newton, 5-11 senior guard Casey Jones, 6-4 senior forward Meltarious Pulliam, 6-4 sophomore forward Jayvion Green and and 6-7 junior center Tyler Bell.
3. Woodside
The Wolverines have plenty of talent, led by Trevor Smith, who was second-team All-Tidewater last season. They also have 6-6 guard Mykel Jenkins, who moved from North Carolina, 6-8 forward Silas Barksdale and guard Masiah Stevens.
4. Menchville
The Monarchs are led by Appalachian State commit Etienne Strothers, who was first-team All-Tidewater last season. They also have 6-3 senior guard and VMI commit A.J. Clark (11 points per game) and 6-2 junior guard Jordan Watlington. “The key to success is how well we defend,” said coach Lamont Strothers, Etienne’s father. “In order to play up-tempo at a high level, we must defend up-tempo at a high level. Our team will go as our defense goes.”
5. Catholic
Crusaders coach Bobby Steinburg thinks he has the pieces to make a state tournament run. Last season Catholic finished 25-7, including 10-0 in the Tidewater Conference. The Crusaders will be led by 6-3 senior guard Josiah Rickards (14 ppg) and 6-3 senior wing C.J. McPherson (14 ppg). They also have senior guard Brayden Thorne, senior guard Aidan Filippini and newcomer Kosi Mgbejiofor, a 6-10 freshman.
6. Oscar Smith
The Tigers return everyone from last season, including 6-8 forward Kareem Stagg, 6-7 center Jaeden Haslam and guards Ulysses Young and Larry “Trey” Williams. They also add Indian River transfer Isaiah Dozier. “We have a lot of size, so we should dominate the boards and the paint,” Tigers coach LaVar Griffin said. “The team chemistry is great. We are going to be able to score the ball inside and out with the experience.”
7. Cape Henry
Dolphins coach Mark Hall has a young but talented team led by 6-10 sophomore Martez Harris, 6-7 sophomore wing Sebastian Whitfield and sophomore guard AJ Sweeney, along with 6-7 senior forward Tristan Whitfield and junior guard Zach Duncan. “We will go as far as our leadership takes us,” Hall said. “The younger players are developing at a fast pace, which is really exciting to see.”
8. Landstown
The Eagles will miss all-time leading scorer Donald Hand Jr., who graduated and plays for Boston College. But they have 6-6 senior Ethan Ward (12 ppg, 9.5 rebounds per game), 6-3 junior guard Demeir Pollard, guard Nayir Valentine and 6-5 freshman Shawn Spellman.
9. Kecoughtan
The Warriors had a great season last year that included a 20-game winning streak. They return plenty of experience, led by 6-3 senior guard Justin Bass, who committed to Trevecca Nazarene, a Division II university in Nashville, Tennessee. They also have 6-5 senior guard Jadon Pace, 6-6 senior center Kevin Copeland, 6-4 senior guard Dershon Ormon and junior guard Marcel Pace.
10. Norview
Coach Ricardo Foster said he has a great mixture of youth and experience that will allow the Pilots to be highly competitive for years to come. They have seniors Josiah Gregory and Jalen Milt, along with sophomore Joshua Feagin and freshman Keon Mitchell. They also have size in 6-6 junior forward Kyree Salvant and 6-8 senior forward Jemari Hawk, a transfer from North Carolina.
11. Kempsville
The Chiefs once again should be one of the top teams in the Beach District. They will be led by seniors Landon Fore, Montrell Bynum, Tayion Anderson and 6-6 forwards Omarion Barber and Brayden Luckenbill.
12. Bethel
Bruins coach Craig Brehon, who last season won his 400th career game, has another talented team with a mixture of experience and young talent. Bethel is led by senior guard Jayson Williams (8 ppg, 5 assists per game), 6-6 senior center Jaylon Moton, junior Smiley Faulks, Brandon Croslin and Woodside transfer Jovan Butler.
13. Lake Taylor
The Titans took their lumps last season as a young and inexperienced team, but this season should be much different. They are led by 6-7 junior Rodney Gaines and 6-6 junior Elijah Washington, who give the Titans size and athleticism in the paint. Also watch for sophomore G Aaron Elliott, sophomore G Triston Skipwith, sophomore guard Jayden Gaines, senior forward Tobias Meekins and junior forward Shahide Battle.
14. Western Branch
The Bruins finished .500 last season and didn’t make the postseason. “Last year was tough because we lost so many seniors in 2021,” coach Paul Hall said. “We are a year older and hopefully a year wiser. This team could be good, but we have to prove that we can play against tough, physical teams.” Western Branch will be led by 6-7 senior center Jahzari Priester (6 rpg), junior guard Viktor Parson (6 ppg) and sophomore guard Jamir Jenkins (6 ppg).
15. Green Run
In 14 seasons under Kenneth Harris, the Stallions have made 12 region tournaments and three state tournaments, including a state title in 2020. “If we can defend and be consistent in our approach on a regular basis, we can make a lot of noise this season,” he said. They are led by 6-5 sophomore forward David “Trey” Miller (9.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg), 6-0 sophomore guard Kassidy Jackson (6 ppg) and 6-3 senior forward Eizayah Chisholm (6.3 ppg, 4.2 rpg).
The next five: Grafton, Phoebus, Grassfield, Smithfield, Kellam.
Storylines
Former ODU player is new coach at Heritage
Dimitri Batten is the new head coach at Heritage High in Newport News. Batten played for Heritage for three seasons before transferring to Kecoughtan for his senior year. He finished with 1,312 career points and was the 2010 Peninsula District Player of the Year and Daily Press Player of the Year. He averaged 7.9 points in three seasons for Old Dominion and 7.3 points and 2.8 rebounds in one season at Boston College.
More new coaches
Batten joins several other new area coaches, including Tony Newbold (Manor), Clyde Spellman (Indian River), Bobby Hedrick (Tabb) and Chris Brown (Smithfield), who coached at Jamestown last season.
Nansemond River’s Young getting close to 500
Nansemond River coach Ed Young is 12 wins away from 500 in his career. Only 20 coaches in Virginia High School League history have reached that milestone. Young would be the first from Suffolk. He already is the winningest coach in Nansemond River history and is 488-280 in 31 seasons overall.
Maury has several players with good genes
If family genes count for anything, Maury coach Brandon Plummer should have a very talented team. Caden Parker is the son of Cornel Parker, a three-time All-Tidewater player at Maury who played for Virginia. Tyler Bell is the son of Sean Bell, who was All-Tidewater in 1989 for Indian River and played at St. Paul’s College and Norfolk State. And Plummer has his son, Jayvion Green, on the team. Coach Plummer was All-Tidewater in 2006 for Booker T. Washington and played for Norfolk State, Wingate and Virginia State.
Must-see event
The 14th annual VirginiaPreps.com Basketball Classic is Feb. 4 at Virginia Wesleyan. The schedule includes: Kellam vs. Nansemond-Suffolk at 11 a.m., Western Branch vs. Peninsula Catholic at 12:40 p.m., Oscar Smith vs. Washington-Liberty at 2:20 p.m., Menchville vs. W.T. Woodson at 4 p.m., Green Run vs. Catholic at 5:40 p.m. and Maury vs. Cape Henry at 7:20 p.m.
Five players to watch
Sam Brannen
King’s Fork, 6-0, senior guard
Brannen was second-team All-Tidewater and second-team All-Class 4 last season. He averaged 17 points, including 20.7 in the postseason to help lead the Bulldogs to the Class 4 Region A title.
Keon Mitchell
Norview, 6-1, freshman guard
You might not know the name now, but you will by season’s end. As an eighth-grader, he averaged 30 points a game on a junior-varsity team that went undefeated.
Kosi Mgbjiofor
Catholic, 6-10, freshman center
Another name you won’t know but soon will. He is already regarded as one of the top players in the country in the Class of 2026. He was a standout at Chris Paul’s CP3 Rising Stars Camp and has several scholarship offers, including those from Mississippi State and Texas A&M.
Trevor Smith
Woodside, 6-0, senior guard
The University of Richmond commit was second-team All-Tidewater, first-team All-Peninsula District and first-team all-region last season. He averaged 23 points a game and scored a school-record 55 in a win over Gloucester.
Etienne Strothers
Menchville, 6-2, senior guard
The Appalachian State commit was first-team All-Tidewater and first-team all-state in Class 5 last season. He averaged 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals to lead the Monarchs to the state tournament for the first time since 1995.
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com Follow @LHRubama on Twitter.
