Hargrave Military Academy basketball

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Hargrave Military Academy Tigers
UniversityHargrave Military Academy
First season1990-91
LocationChatham, VA
ArenaWalter Davis Gymnasium
(Capacity: 1,382)
NicknameTigers
Uniforms
Home jersey
Team colours
Home
Away jersey
Team colours
Away


The Hargrave Military Academy basketball team is the prep basketball team of Hargrave Military Academy. The Tigers have won three National Prep Championships since a formal tournament began in the mid 2000s. The program has produced hundreds of players that went on to play NCAA Division 1 basketball, and 27 that have gone on to play in the NBA.[1] The program has also been a breeding ground for college coaches, as many former head coaches and assistants have ascended through the ranks at the NCAA Division 1 level. The Hargrave Military Academy basketball program was named “Program of the Decade” by RealGM in 2012 after a study showing that Hargrave produced more successful college basketball players than any other prep school or high school in the nation.[2] The program was also featured on a season 2 episode of CNN's Inside Man.[3]

Team history[edit]

The Scott Shepard years (94-99)[edit]

Shepard manned the sidelines for the Tigers from the 1994-95 season to the 1998–99 season. He compiled an overall record of 127-18, and had multiple teams ranked in the top 3 nationally. He sent over fifty players on to Division 1 schools in his time. Shepard moved on from Hargrave to accept a position as an assistant coach with the Virginia Cavaliers for the 1999-2000 season.[4]

The Kevin Keatts years (99-01;03-11)[edit]

Upon Shepherd's departure to the University of Virginia, Kevin Keatts was promoted from an assistant to head coach prior to the 1999-2000 season. Keatts would man the sidelines for the Tigers for the 99-00 and 00-01 seasons before accepting an assistant coaching position at Marshall. He returned to Hargrave for the 2003-2004 season, and was in charge of the Tigers for the better part of the decade from that point forward. He coached the Tigers to their first two National Prep Championships, as well as the program's first undefeated season in 2008.[5] During his time, he sent 103 players on to the NCAA Division 1 level, and coached 16 players that reached the NBA level. He owns a career win-loss record at Hargrave of 262-17.[6] Keatts would leave Hargrave in 2011 to accept a position as an assistant coach on Rick Pitino's Louisville staff.

The A.W. Hamilton years (11-17)[edit]

A longtime assistant to Kevin Keatts, A.W. Hamilton was selected to lead the program when Keatts departed. Hamilton presided over the Tigers during one of the most successful stretches in the history of the program. His 6-year run included 237 wins with just 22 losses, with 63 of his players continuing on to the NCAA Division 1 level. He also had two former players, and fellow Hargrave All-Decade Team selections, Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier, selected in the 2015 NBA Draft. Hamilton was lauded as the National Prep Coach of the Year twice (2012,2016) and East Regional Coach of the Year three times (2014, 2015, 2017) during his tenure. He guided players that set records for career points and points scored in a game and his 2016 National Championship team set a school record for wins in a season with 47.[7] Hamilton had a home record of 120-2 during his six years at the helm. Hamilton accepted a position as an assistant coach at N.C. State, reuniting with Kevin Keatts, in 2017.[8]

The Lee Martin years (17-20)[edit]

Lee Martin had been the associate head coach for A.W. Hamilton from 2015-2017 and was hired as his replacement when the former departed for N.C. State. Martin continued the winning tradition at Hargrave, to the tune of a 113-12 overall record in his three seasons as head coach. Martin's teams advanced to the National Tournament every year of his tenure, including an Elite 8 appearance in 2019 and a Final Four appearance in 2020. Under his watch, Hargrave broke the school record for points in a single game with 173 points scored on March 1, 2019. Martin's teams finished in the top 4 of the final national poll each year of his tenure. In his three years as Head Coach, 26 of his players went on to the Division 1 level. On June 25, 2020, Martin accepted a position as an assistant coach on Jeff Boals' staff at Ohio.[9]

The Thomas Messinger years (20-23)[edit]

Thomas Messinger was hired as head coach in June 2020 after a 3-year stint as the associate head coach for Lee Martin. Messinger served as an assistant coach under Hamilton (15-17) before that. As an assistant at Hargrave, his record was 203-15.[10] Messinger led the Tigers to a 33-1 record in his first year at the helm during the 2020-2021 season, and a 37-5 record in his second year during the 2021-22 season. Both seasons saw the Tigers end the season ranked in the top 4 nationally (#2 in 2021, #4 in 2022). Messinger was named South Region Coach of the Year for the 2021-22 season.[11] Over his first two seasons, 18 players from Hargrave signed NCAA Division 1 scholarships. In his third season, Hargrave ended the season ranked #1 nationally with a 44-2 overall record, which included winning the inaugural Elite Prep League regular season and conference championships. Messinger also became the fastest coach to 100 career wins in Hargrave's storied history (106 games, during his third season) on January 28, 2023.[12] Messinger was named National Postgrad Coach of the Year,[13] as well as Elite Prep League Coach of the Year for the 2022-23 season.[14] His overall record as head coach stands at 114-8 (.934 winning percentage) through three seasons. In May 2023, Messinger accepted a position as an Assistant Coach at NJIT under Grant Billmeier.

Current roster[edit]

2023–24 Hargrave Military Academy Tigers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Walt Andrews 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Notre Dame Prep Bridgeport, Connecticut
G 2 Khalil Williams 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Potomac School Washington, D.C.
G 3 Trey Minard 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 165 lb (75 kg) West Cabarrus High School Kannapolis, North Carolina
G 4 Nathan Savage 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Michigan Collegiate London, Ontario
F 5 Alan Xu 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RDFZXS Beijing, China
G/F 11 Leland Coleman 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Trinity Episcopal Richmond, Virginia
G 12 Nevin Ibroci 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 155 lb (70 kg) Brewster Academy Staten Island, New York
G/F 21 Nigel Clarkson 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Cosby High School Richmond, Virginia
F 22 Austin Fortune 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Dutchtown High School Hampton, Georgia
G 23 Naim Ibroci 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 160 lb (73 kg) Brewster Academy Staten Island, New York
G 24 Robert Little 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Randolph Campus High School New York, New York
C 32 Ralph Akuta 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Bishop Walsh Ijamsville, Maryland
F 33 Cameron House 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) NorthStar Academy Eudora, Kansas
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Notable players and coaches[edit]

McDonald's All-Americans[edit]

Name Year
Korleone Young 1998
James White 2001
Vernon Macklin 2006
PJ Hairston 2011

Postgraduate All-Americans[edit]

Name Year Team
Keon Thompson 2022 Second Team[15]
Elijah Gray 2022 Third Team[16]
Leland Walker 2022 Honorable Mention[17]
Jaden Daughtry 2023 First Team[18]
Kailon Nicholls 2023 Second Team[19]
Diovion Famakinde 2023 Third Team[20]
De'Shayne Montgomery 2023 Honorable Mention[21]

Hargrave All-Decade teams[edit]

Name Decade
Josh Howard 1990’s[22]
David West 1990’s[23]
Lonny Baxter 1990’s[24]
James Thomas 1990’s[25]
Korleone Young 1990’s[26]
Coach Scott Shepherd 1990’s[27]
Joe Alexander 2000’s[28]
James White 2000’s[29]
Mike Scott 2000’s[30]
Vernon Macklin 2000’s[31]
Marreese Speights 2000’s[32]
Coach Kevin Keatts 2000’s[33]
Braxton Beverly 2010’s[34]
Naji Marshall 2010’s[35]
PJ Hairston 2010’s[36]
Terry Rozier 2010’s[37]
Montrezl Harrell 2010’s[38]
Coach A.W. Hamilton 2010’s[39]

Hargrave Basketball Hall of Fame[edit]

Year Player(s) Inducted as
2011 Kevin Keatts Coach[40]
2011 Josh Howard Player[41]
2011 David West Player[42]
2012 Joe Alexander Player
2013 Mike Gallagher Player
2014 Mike Scott Player
2015 Jake Ness Player
2015 Luke Hancock Player
2016 Hy Cook Contributor
2017 A.W. Hamilton Player/Coach[43]
2018 Marreese Speights Player
2021 Lee Martin Player/Coach
2022 Braxton Beverly Player

Members who moved to the NBA[edit]

Other notable alumni[edit]

Notable former coaches[edit]

  • Kevin Keatts, assistant coach from 1997 to 1999, head coach from 1999 to 2001 and from 2003 to 2011. Current head men's basketball coach at NC State.
  • A.W. Hamilton, assistant coach from 2006 to 2011, head coach from 2011 to 2017. Current head men's basketball coach at Eastern Kentucky.
  • Lee Martin, assistant coach from 2013-2017, head coach from 2017-2020. Current assistant coach at Ohio.
  • Thomas Messinger, assistant coach from 2015-2020, head coach from 2020-2023. Current assistant coach at NJIT.
  • Mark Byington, assistant coach for the 2001-2002 season. Current head men's basketball coach at James Madison
  • Takayo Siddle, assistant coach for the 2009-2010 season. Current head men's basketball coach at UNC Wilmington.
  • James Johnson, assistant for the 1996-1997 season. Former head men's basketball coach at Virginia Tech and NC State.
  • Lamar Thornton, assistant coach for the 2015-2016 season. Current assistant coach at Ohio.
  • Jake Ness, assistant coach from 2015 to 2017. Current director of basketball operations at Ohio.
  • Steve Lepore, assistant coach from 2013 to 2015. Current assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky.
  • Mike Allen, assistant coach from 2013 to 2015. Current assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky.
  • Chris Zupko, assistant coach from 2000 to 2006. Current assistant director of basketball operations at NC State.
  • Thomas Carr, assistant coach for the 2010-2011 season. Current assistant coach at Charleston.
  • Jason Slay, assistant coach for the 2012-2013 season. Current assistant coach at Illinois State.
  • Austin Burnette, assistant coach for the 2021-2022 season. Current assistant coach at North Alabama.
  • Devan Carter, assistant coach from 2012 to 2014. Current head women's basketball coach at Lincoln Memorial
  • Ambrose Mosley, assistant coach from 2018 to 2020. Current director of player personnel at Eastern Kentucky.
  • Ryan King, assistant coach from 2017 to 2022. Current director of player development at VMI.
  • Tommy Freeman, assistant coach from 2018 to 2022. Current director of basketball operations at Maine.

Records[edit]

Results by season (2003–present)[edit]

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Kevin Keatts (Independent) (2003–2011)
2003-04 Kevin Keatts 23-2 National Champions
2004-05 Kevin Keatts 27-1
2005-06 Kevin Keatts 28-2
2006-07 Kevin Keatts 22-5 National Runner Up
2007-08 Kevin Keatts 27-0 National Champions
2008-09 Kevin Keatts 27-2 National Runner-Up
2009-10 Kevin Keatts 23-1
2010-11 Kevin Keatts 28-1
A.W. Hamilton (Independent) (2011–2017)
2011–12 A.W. Hamilton 38–1[46] National Runner-up
2012–13 A.W. Hamilton 39–6[47]
2013–14 A.W. Hamilton 32–6[48]
2014–15 A.W. Hamilton 38–6[49]
2015–16 A.W. Hamilton 47–1[50] National Champions
2016–17 A.W. Hamilton 43–2[51] Final Four
Lee Martin (Independent) (2017–2020)
2017-18 Lee Martin 38-4[52]
2018-19 Lee Martin 38-4[53] Elite Eight
2019-20 Lee Martin 37-4[54] Final Four
Thomas Messinger (Independent) (2020–2023)
2020-21 Thomas Messinger 33-1[55] Elite Eight
2021-22 Thomas Messinger 37-5 Sweet Sixteen
2022-23 Thomas Messinger 44-2 Elite Prep League 1st Sweet Sixteen
Ben Veshi (Independent) (2023–present)
2023-24 Ben Veshi Elite Prep League
Total: {{{overall}}}

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References[edit]

  1. ^ Hargrave Military Academy. "Team Alumni". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  2. ^ RealGM. "Decade Look Back on Where to Scout College Basketball Players". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. ^ "Coaches are watching their every move – CNN Video". Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  4. ^ UVA Sports. "Scott Shepherd Named Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at UVA". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  5. ^ News Advance. "Hargrave Post Grad Basketball Team Achieves Perfect Ending". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  6. ^ Jeff Goodman (March 27, 2014). "Kevin Keatts accepts job with UNC-Wilmington Seahawks". ESPN. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  7. ^ Danville Register & Bee. "Hargrave PG Wins First National Prep Championship Since 2008". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  8. ^ ESPN. "North Carolina State Hires A.W. Hamilton". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  9. ^ Parker Cotton. "Hargrave head basketball coach Lee Martin accepts position at Ohio University". Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  10. ^ Mike Moran. "Fit for a role: Tom Messinger climbs the coaching ladder at Hargrave Military Academy". Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  11. ^ Taylor Hicks. "Postgrad Postseason Awards". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  12. ^ Ben Veshi. "Messinger Picks Up Win #100!". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  13. ^ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  14. ^ Elite Prep League. "EPL Coach of the Year - 2023". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  15. ^ Taylor Hicks. "Postgrad Postseason Awards". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  16. ^ Taylor Hicks. "Postgrad Postseason Awards". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  17. ^ Taylor Hicks. "Postgrad Postseason Awards". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  18. ^ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  19. ^ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  20. ^ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  21. ^ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards". Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  22. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  23. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  24. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  25. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  26. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  27. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  28. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  29. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  30. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  31. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  32. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  33. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  34. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  35. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  36. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  37. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  38. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  39. ^ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  40. ^ Danville Register & Bee. "Hargrave Honors Howard, West and Keatts". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  41. ^ Danville Register & Bee. "Hargrave Honors Howard, West and Keatts". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  42. ^ Danville Register & Bee. "Hargrave Honors Howard, West and Keatts". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  43. ^ Alex Tichenor. "Former Coach A.W. Hamilton Inducted Into Hargrave Post-Grad Hall of Fame". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  44. ^ "Jeff Allen bio". Archived from the original on 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  45. ^ USA Today. "Braxton Beverly's 70 Point Explosion". Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  46. ^ "2011-2012 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  47. ^ "2012-2013 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  48. ^ "2013-2014 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  49. ^ "2014-2015 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  50. ^ "2015-2016 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  51. ^ "2016-2017 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  52. ^ "2017-2018 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  53. ^ "2018-2019 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  54. ^ "2019-2020 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  55. ^ "2020-2021 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
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