Prep boys basketball: GW's Lewis etches name with other greats as All-Valley POY

Two years ago, as GW’s Ben Nicol and Brendan Hoffman shared the same award in 2023, Lewis was named Rookie of the Year.

This season, the GW forward averaged 17.5 points and 8.8 rebounds per game and swatted away 40 shots. Lewis also shot 56.9% from the floor, 60.6% inside the arc and 37.7% from long distance.

Lewis is accompanied by ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic’s Zaden Ranson, South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s Roman Kellum, Herbert Hoover’s Dane Hatfield and Nitro’s Ty Stephens as members of the All-Kanawha Valley first team.

“This means a lot,� Lewis said. “I appreciate everybody who put me in the position to win Player of the Year. [Fellow first-teamers] are some of the best players in the state. Some of these guys made first-team all-state last year. This is one of the best counties for basketball.�

Veteran GW coach Rick Greene has seen the junior forward make strides in his game over the last few seasons, especially during his third year on The Hill.

“He improved in just about every area,� Greene said. “He has added something to his game every year. He came in as a freshman as a good post player. During his sophomore year, he’s out on the floor more and putting it down more and shooting more. He increased all that again this year. He’s going to improve even more.�

Lewis led the Patriots to the Class AAAA state tournament title game before falling short to Spring Mills, 41-38.

The three-point loss in the title game left a sour taste in his mouth.

“Obviously, we lost,� Lewis said, “but I think we exceeded expectations by making the state tournament and state title game. We were happy with our season, but in the moment we lost, we weren’t [content] because we knew we were two possessions away from bringing home a state championship.�

As a sophomore, Lewis made the All-Kanawha Valley first team, recording 13.2 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He shot at a 54% rate last year.

He felt that the offseason work between his sophomore and junior season paid off for him, which saw an uptick in his points by 4.3 per outing.

“My confidence grew,� Lewis said. “I played a role with Ben and Brendan. This year, I took a leadership role. I was scared last year because we had all those seniors, and I was just a sophomore. This year, I stepped into that leadership role with confidence. How I lead is by example by being there for practice on time, never being late, doing the drills the right way and giving 100% effort. I try to be a leader on the court.�

The All-Kanawha Valley Coach of the Year is a familiar face as Nitro’s Austin Lowe repeats. Last year, Lowe shared the award with ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic coach Hunter Moles.

Nitro posted a 19-7 record, making history by qualifying for the Class AAA state tournament for the second consecutive year for the first time ever and reaching the title game before falling to Bridgeport, 62-40.

The Wildcats have gone 43-10 (81%) in the last two seasons with Lowe at the helm.

“Coach of the Year is a great award and I’m appreciative of it. However, the season didn’t end the way we wanted it to,� Lowe said. “But that doesn’t take away from everything we accomplished the last three years. We knew he had a chance this year, and we didn’t see that happen on Saturday [in the final]. I’ve thought about that every day since then, but I’m still proud of everything we’ve accomplished.�

Nitro’s senior class consisted of seven players, including three starters in Derek Lowe, Landon Poniatowski and Ashton Crouch.

The Wildcats will return experienced players like Caylem Thomas, Collin Crouch and Stephens.

Lowe expects Nitro to be hungrier heading into next season after what it has achieved the last two years.

“The bar has been set high,� Lowe said. “That was the biggest thing, especially after the success we had last year. We expected ourselves to be in the position we were this year. We lost some games down the road, but we scheduled tough. We battled through everything that everybody does with adversity.�

The All-Kanawha Valley Rookie of the Year goes to another Patriot, freshman Dominic Sprouse.

Sprouse rose to the occasion throughout his freshman season and finished with 6.5 points per game while shooting 46.5% from the floor and 42% from long distance. He netted 29 triples this season.

Sprouse was also effective defensively with 32 deflections, 15 steals, six blocks and seven charges drawn.

“He has a great understanding of the game, while having a great temperament, which are two things people don’t talk about very much,� Greene said. “There are times where you can rush a freshman too much, but, with Dom, you know what he can do and can see his potential.

“He ate everything up that was thrown his way. He’s like a sponge. He’s very intelligent, so he kept himself out of trouble. If he made a mistake, he listened and went on.�

Winfield’s Preston Keiffer took home the All-Kanawha Valley Defensive Player of the Year award.

The Generals guard produced 29 deflections, 25 steals and two blocks while drawing eight charges.

“Preston Keiffer has been that defensive, gritty guard all season for this team,� Winfield coach Travis Tarr said. “He led us with defensive intensity in practice, and he never turns his hustle off on either end of the floor. Preston is a strong kid who abuses his body defensively and does anything it takes for us to have a chance to win. He is a constant voice on the floor to his teammates and coaches. He sets the defensive tone of the game for us.�

Ranson netted 15.4 points, 12.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game while shooting 53% from the floor. The Irish were one game away from a state tournament berth, but finished the season 9-14.

“Although we didn’t have the year we wanted and expected, Z stepped up in a new role and impressively averaged a double-double,� Moles said. “He played 1 through 5 for us this season and was a great leader. He does a little bit of everything for us and is extremely coachable. He’s a beast on both sides of the ball. I’m lucky to get to coach him.�

Kellum averaged 13 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game.

“Roman has been a pleasure to coach over the last four years,� SC coach Josh Daniel said. “His growth and development as a player and person has been fun to watch. He’s always been a team-first guy. He doesn’t care about individual statistics. He just wants to win. Those qualities will lead him to a successful career beyond high school.�

Stephens closed his junior season second on the Wildcats in scoring, finishing behind Ashton Crouch. The junior guard averaged 13.2 points per game while shooting 44% from the floor and 38% from 3.

“In his sophomore season, he was probably considered mainly a 3-point threat,� Lowe said. “This year, he made improvements with his ability to score in other ways. He was able to get to his mid-range jumper and also score in transition. Beyond scoring, he improved on the defensive end, with rebounding, with finding open teammates off the dribble and just understanding the game a little better. He took a big step as a more all-around player and was a critical piece of our success this past season.�

Hatfield’s time at Herbert Hoover has come to a close after successful senior football and basketball seasons. He is the Huskies’ all-time leading scorer, scoring more than 1,300 points. Hatfield averaged 22.6 points his senior season.

“When you think Hoover athletics, you think Dane Hatfield,� Hoover coach Ryan Thomas said. “I was lucky enough to be his head coach his senior year, and I wish I would’ve gotten all four. He made my life as a first-year head coach 10 times easier, with suggestions, IQ and his feel for the game. He does all the little things you want in a player by taking charges, boxing out and rebounding — not to mention, he was our best defender and always guarded the other team’s best player.�

St. Albans’ Brogan Samms, Hurricane’s Carson O’Dell, George Washington’s Gale Lamb, Herbert Hoover’s Donovan Brown and Ashton Crouch made the second team.

The third team is composed of Winfield’s Reid Fisher, Buffalo’s Asher Flanery, Nitro’s Collin Crouch, South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä’s Zane Saunders and Capital’s David Robinson Jr.

The All-Kanawha Valley defensive team included Keiffer, Kellum, Ranson, George Washington’s Chuck Kelley and Poniatowski.

Sprouse shared All-Valley rookie team honors with ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic’s Mikaden Hale, Hurricane’s Parker O’Dell, Buffalo’s Caleb Cales and Winfield’s Mydan Oglesbay.