It goes without saying that the excitement is high for the Greater Beckley Boys basketball team this year.
Following a one-year postseason ban by the West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC), the Crusaders are back to business as usual.
“It is way more up-beat in practice,” Greater Beckley head coach Justin Arvon said. “Playing for the Christian school state tournament is great and we love that. However, at the end of the day, our school is accustomed to trying to compete to be at the WVSSAC state tournament in Charleston. When that option is not there, it does undermine the excitement of the season.”
The last time Greater Beckley was competing in the WVSSAC postseason, the Crusaders made it to the Class A state championship game.
Whether they can make a return trip to Charleston is still to be seen, but the Crusaders definitely have the pieces to make a run.
Greater Beckley will return an experienced group, but they will still have a big scoring gap to fill left by all-stater John Rose who graduated last year.
“We have four starters back, so I think we have a pretty good squad,” Arvon said. “We did lose John which was 30 points per game, but these guys have not taken much time off at all in the off-season. They have all progressed, gotten better and we have added some pieces.”
“We will be far deeper than we were last year,” Arvon went on to say. “We will probably shoot the ball better as a team than we did last year. We will rebound better because we have more size. It is a different team all together. They are an extremely confident bunch too which helps out.”
The Crusaders will provide opposing defenses a strong challenge in the post this year with the return of senior Aaron Hall.
“Aaron is a 6-foot-5 forward who can step out and shoot it a little bit. He was a double-double kid last year and will be that to a great extent this year. He plays above the rim and is the hardest worker we have in the program right now.”
Junior Averyk Woodson averaged nine points, seven rebounds and four assists last year and Arvon expects him to be a big-time player this year.
“He will have the ball in his hands a lot this year,” Arvon said. “His wing span is about four inches longer than it should be, so he led us in blocked shots last year. He is really good on the defensive end and he can change the game as well.”
Kash Hendrix was one of the top 3-point threats in the state last year as a sophomore averaging 10 points per game.
“Kash was our leading 3-point shooter and was inside the top-five in the state last year” Arvon said. “He spent the off-season adding to his game. He now puts the ball on the floor and gets to the rim. He has improved his toughness and if he brings that to the team this year he will have a prominent role on this team.”
Hunter Laxton will also see time for the Crusaders and is described as the energy guy, that rebounds and will do anything to help the team win.
One of the newcomers this season will be freshman Keegan Davidson who has proven already he can play well above his years.
“Keegan is a huge add to our team. He is an immediate leader that is a really good shooter,” Arvon said. “He can penetrate and is one of the best ball handlers in the area already. I would argue one of the best players already. He will play the point mostly and play in transition. That is what we want to do, get the ball up the floor.”
Joining Davidson as a newcomer this season is Kellen Heffernan who played at Woodrow Wilson last year. Heffernan will definitely be an impact player for the Crusaders.
“Kellen is a smooth player that is a good defender and can shoot the basketball. He can really attack the rim as well,” Arvon said. “I have made it a personal goal of mine to make him tired in practice and that has not happened. He will really help us.”
Landon Rose and Eli Gunter will give Greater Beckley added depth on the perimeter.
“Landon is John’s brother and he can really shoot it. He is not shy about it either,” Arvon said. “He is not the biggest kid in the world, but he acts like it. Landon can come in and turn a game around in the blink of an eye. Eli is another guard that can shoot. I am excited about what he brings to the table.”
Isaiah Kincaid is 6-foot-3 and is a skilled perimeter player that can play in the post and finish around the rim. He, along with Josh Garlow, Colten Harper and Kaden Bolen should all see varsity minutes this year.
