To the victors go the spoils, and the James River basketball team reaped the spoils this week.
Two James River players have been named to the All-Group A, Division 2 first team in basketball and Coach Mike Goad has been named the State Division 2 Coach of the Year. In addition, Ethan Humphries has been named the Division 2 Player of the Year.
Seniors Humphries and Patrick Bennett were both named to the All-State first team after leading the Knights to the Group A, Division 2 championship the previous weekend. Humphries was also named to play in the VHSL All-Star game in Hampton this summer, while Bennett is an alternate and Goad will be on the West coaching staff for that game. The game will be played July 6 in Hampton.
Humphries, who has yet to decide on a college, is the first player from James River named as state Player of the Year in basketball. According to Goad, who was on the committee of coaches picking the squad, it wasn’t even close.
“It was a unanimous decision, and that says it all,” said Goad. “Ethan has been a great player for our program and we’re really going to miss him.”
Humphries was the point guard for River. He handled the ball a majority of the time and was a team leader on the floor and in the locker room. His ability to drive to the basket and either score or dish off to an open teammate was a key to River’s attack. He also played solid defense.
Bennett, also a first team all-state selection, was the leading scorer on the team playing forward and center. After another River starter was lost for the season, Patrick had to often guard the tallest player on the opposing team. Despite being outsized he did a solid job on the defensive end and was a tough matchup for anyone when he had the ball.
Goad, who was named Coach of the Year, has guided the Knights to 100 wins in the past four years and three trips to Richmond for the state Final Four. A graduate of Lord Botetourt High School, he’s a member of the Cavalier Athletic Hall of Fame.
