The reigning Mideastern Conference champions should be getting back to full strength over the next week as seven student-athletes will quickly transition from football to basketball following a season-ending setback in the third round of the state playoffs last Friday.
Coach Brett Queen has had a lot of rotating parts early on in the year without a few key players on the floor, but Trae Bryant and newcomer Jack Bagley have picked up the slack through the first few games of the season, Queen said.
With Trevor Singleton getting into basketball form as probably one of the most talented players in the area, Bryant should complement the big man nicely with his ability to score from anywhere on the court.
The junior guard has led the Vikings in scoring through four games this season, averaging more than 20 points and five rebounds per game. He saw action in nine varsity games as a sophomore in the 2012-2013 season.
As a four-year starter, Singleton is a very versatile player, and averaged 18.9 points and 8.3 rebounds as a junior. He blocked 90 shots and made 58.3 percent of his field goal attempts last season. The big man holds the school record for blocked shots and is No. 7 on the all-time scoring list.
Bagley has impressed Queen so far as the sophomore has seen significant time early on this year. Bagley transferred to Hoggard from Missouri and shined on the soccer field for Coach Peter Broadley in the fall.
Senior Anders White has been running the offense at point guard for Queen, while Singleton should provide some relief in the post coming off a dominant year.
Without two of his returning stars from last season (Joe O’Donnell, Austin Louthan), the 6-foot-7, 230-pounder, should work guys like Bryant and Bagley into the system quite nicely with their ability to shoot it from the outside.
Queen has been impressed with his team’s effort over the first four games of the season as the 12-year coach had to bring up a number of players from the JV team to fill out the roster because of football.
“With Trevor returning as our leading scorer and rebounder, and with a lot of size on the court, we should contend for another conference championship,” said Queen. “We are very inexperienced at the varsity level, but we will be a tough defensive team and have some athletes on the perimeter.”
The Hoggard basketball team took part in the Inaugural Coaches vs. Cancer Shootout in Asheville over Thanksgiving weekend. The 13 schools that played in the event raised more than $24,000 to be donated to cancer research. Hoggard made its donation in honor of Amy Louthan, who is currently battling cancer.
Girls basketball
Coach Boubacar Aw enters his second season as head of the girls basketball program at Hoggard, and the former Georgetown student-athlete has a few returning letter winners and a number of young players that should make the Lady Vikings competitive in the Mideastern Conference.
While Ashley and Laney may be the favorites in the league, Hoggard has one of the most explosive guards in the area as Julia Buehler returns for her junior year as the team’s leading scorer, Aw said. Buehler runs the offense and will shine in the backcourt for Aw.
Emma Haywood returns to the floor with a year of varsity experience under her belt as the sophomore saw significant playing time during her freshman season.
Aw has a relatively young group of players to develop and it starts with sophomores Aleah Thompson and Venice Leone. Madeline Crumpton returns as one of the team’s more experienced players, while freshman Tara Poteat has made an immediate impact in the scoring column for the Lady Vikings through the first week of the season.
Wrestling
With three key returners and a talented group of young wrestlers, Coach Craig Underwood believes he has a strong core that will lead the way into a competitive field across the Mideastern Conference.
James Sciales (132 pounds, junior), Daniel Wilson (138 pounds, senior) and Nick Clay (182 pounds, junior) will be the grapplers to watch out for in Hoggard blue, while Malik Moore (285 pounds, senior) should build off his 32-7 record from 2012-2013 in his first season on the mat as a returning state qualifier from a season ago.
Moore recently wrapped up a successful season on the defensive front for the football team.
“Daniel is our most experienced wrestler and is hungry for success. I expect him to compete for a conference title and hopefully move on to regions and states,” said Underwood. “James is a third-year wrestler and has made great strides over the last two years. Overall, we are really young in a number of weight classes, but our guys are eager to learn. I expect Daniel, Nick and James to have great seasons.”
In the 195-pound weight class, Tristan Kandare is a varsity letter winner and regional qualifier, and Ivan Soloman should round out a talented roster at 120 pounds.
