Patrick Hite, Staunton News Leader
The Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout is back for year six, and once again the Lexington basketball tournament, set for January 11-12, is loaded with talent.
That talent is led by Virginia's Oak Hill Academy, which is returning for the second year in a row. Waynesboro native and former UVA great Cory Alexander is an Oak Hill assistant coach.
Cole Anthony, son of former NBA star Greg Anthony and the No. 3 ranked player in the nation according to 247Sports, transferred to Oak Hill this summer to play his final year of high school ball. Among the teams interested in the 6-3 Anthony are ACC powers North Carolina and Duke. Kansas and Kentucky, among others, are also in the mix for Anthony.
Oak Hill plays Bishop Walsh on Friday night in the second of three games, following Handley and Harrisonburg.
The Friday nightcap features Stuarts Draft's 3Diculous offense, which set state records for 3-pointers made in a season and a game last year. The Cougars play Chatham at 8:45.
The event, organized by Travis Patterson in 2014, raises money for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Games are played at Rockbridge County High School.
"Last year we had to keep people out of the gym," Patterson said of the crowds at the 2018 event. "When we were opening the gates, we had a line for the first 45 minutes, people trying to file in to watch Oak Hill."
Robert E. Lee, which played for the state championship the past two seasons, will take part again this year in the Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout in Lexington. (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)
Saturday's schedule includes seven games. The boys teams at Robert E. Lee and Riverheads will both be taking part again this season.
Lee High plays Martinsville. The two schools, arguably the two most successful in Virginia state boys basketball history, have met six times in either a state semifinal or final. The last time it happened on the state level, in 2006, Martinsville won the state title and ended an 85-game winning streak by the Leemen. The two teams played in the Rock the Ribbon event in 2017. This year they'll play at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12
Riverheads takes the floor just before Lee, playing Parry McCluer at 4 p.m. The Gladiators' Braeson Fulton, a first-team all-Class 1 state selection last year as a sophomore, and second-team all-state player Grant Painter, both return for a Riverheads team that reached the state quarterfinals a year ago.
Riverheads is set to play Parry McCluer in the Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout in January. (Photo: Stephen Blue/Special to the News Leader)
Saturday begins with a pair of girls games. Alleghany takes on Rockbridge at 10 a.m., followed by Spotswood and Christiansburg.
The East Rockingham boys play Floyd County at 1 p.m. East Rock is led by Dalton Jefferson, a second-team all-state pick last year in Class 2.
"I talked to Carey Keyes [East Rock's boys coach]," Patterson said. "He and I have talked for several years, but this is the first year we've actually made it happen. He said it was a great cause and they wanted to come up and play."
The East Rock girls follow the boys, tipping around 2:30 p.m. against two-time Class 1 defending state champion Parry McCluer. The Blues lost just two starters from last year's team and should be a power in Class 1 again this season.
After the Riverheads and Lee boys play the next two games, Alleghany takes on Rockbridge in the final game of the event. That boys game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
The Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout is back for year six, and once again the Lexington basketball tournament, set for January 11-12, is loaded with talent.
That talent is led by Virginia's Oak Hill Academy, which is returning for the second year in a row. Waynesboro native and former UVA great Cory Alexander is an Oak Hill assistant coach.
Cole Anthony, son of former NBA star Greg Anthony and the No. 3 ranked player in the nation according to 247Sports, transferred to Oak Hill this summer to play his final year of high school ball. Among the teams interested in the 6-3 Anthony are ACC powers North Carolina and Duke. Kansas and Kentucky, among others, are also in the mix for Anthony.
Oak Hill plays Bishop Walsh on Friday night in the second of three games, following Handley and Harrisonburg.
The Friday nightcap features Stuarts Draft's 3Diculous offense, which set state records for 3-pointers made in a season and a game last year. The Cougars play Chatham at 8:45.
The event, organized by Travis Patterson in 2014, raises money for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life. Games are played at Rockbridge County High School.
"Last year we had to keep people out of the gym," Patterson said of the crowds at the 2018 event. "When we were opening the gates, we had a line for the first 45 minutes, people trying to file in to watch Oak Hill."
Robert E. Lee, which played for the state championship the past two seasons, will take part again this year in the Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout in Lexington. (Photo: Mike Tripp/The News Leader)
Saturday's schedule includes seven games. The boys teams at Robert E. Lee and Riverheads will both be taking part again this season.
Lee High plays Martinsville. The two schools, arguably the two most successful in Virginia state boys basketball history, have met six times in either a state semifinal or final. The last time it happened on the state level, in 2006, Martinsville won the state title and ended an 85-game winning streak by the Leemen. The two teams played in the Rock the Ribbon event in 2017. This year they'll play at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 12
Riverheads takes the floor just before Lee, playing Parry McCluer at 4 p.m. The Gladiators' Braeson Fulton, a first-team all-Class 1 state selection last year as a sophomore, and second-team all-state player Grant Painter, both return for a Riverheads team that reached the state quarterfinals a year ago.
Riverheads is set to play Parry McCluer in the Rock the Ribbon Roundball Shootout in January. (Photo: Stephen Blue/Special to the News Leader)
Saturday begins with a pair of girls games. Alleghany takes on Rockbridge at 10 a.m., followed by Spotswood and Christiansburg.
The East Rockingham boys play Floyd County at 1 p.m. East Rock is led by Dalton Jefferson, a second-team all-state pick last year in Class 2.
"I talked to Carey Keyes [East Rock's boys coach]," Patterson said. "He and I have talked for several years, but this is the first year we've actually made it happen. He said it was a great cause and they wanted to come up and play."
The East Rock girls follow the boys, tipping around 2:30 p.m. against two-time Class 1 defending state champion Parry McCluer. The Blues lost just two starters from last year's team and should be a power in Class 1 again this season.
After the Riverheads and Lee boys play the next two games, Alleghany takes on Rockbridge in the final game of the event. That boys game is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.
