By Marty Gordon
NRVsports@ourvalley.org
Radford High School placed two players and a coach on the Class 2 all-star boys’ basketball team announced earlier this week, and this year’s state champion also dominated the All-County/All-City team announced Thursday.
Quinton Morton-Robertson led the contingent being named the all-county/all-city player of the year. He was joined on the team by his Radford teammate, Miles Jones (11.1 points, pulled down 126 rebounds this season).
Both players, who will suit up for Radford University in the fall, were named to the all-state Class 2 team. Morton-Robertson, who poured in 40 points in the state semis and then championship game, was also the state player of the year. He averaged 18.9 points per game this past season and connected on 39.7 percent of his shots from behind the arc while hitting on 87.6 percent from the charity stripe.
The rest of the boys’ team included: Grant Johnston (17.3 average, 8.7 rebounds per game) and Cole Epperley (13.6 points, 86.1 percent from charity stripe and 35.4 percent from 3-point line) of Blacksburg, Isaac Hayden of Christiansburg, Ethan Millions who is a freshman from Auburn and Garret East of Eastern Montgomery.
Radford’s Rick Cormany shared coach of the year honors with Auburn’s Terry Millirons.
At Auburn, Millirons played a tough Mt. Empire District schedule and managed to win the Class 1 west regional title before being eliminated this past month.
But it might have Cormany who can boast about this season. He led the Bobcats into the state playoffs for the fourth straight year, winning a state trophy in 2016, 2017 and again this season.
On paper, it looks like things were easy for Radford. But take this into consideration, they moved from the 1A ranks just two years ago to 2A. The competition was probably a little more competitive, but the results were the same.
The ball coach considers himself to have a lot of good talent including Morton-Robertson and Jones. He also counted a lot on his son, Cam, who became a three-pointing shooting machine.
Cormany is now pushing 692 wins and has won 17 of 18 regular season Three Rivers District titles and six regional championships.
When asked about retirement, he simply shrugs off the idea even though it has crossed his mind. Cormany has become the elder statesman of high school basketball in southwest Virginia and the state of Virginia.
As a guidance counselor, his workload is a little easier these days. His time spent on coaching is not.
“It (coaching) takes a lot out of you, and there is a lot of time spent on the X’s and O’s of the game. I will be honest I have thought about what it would be like doing something else. Maybe even just coaching,” he said earlier this winter.
His name has been linked to several college assistant jobs, but he remains on the Radford bench.
“I have been lucky to have a great staff and a great group of kids to play for me,” he said.
Previously, Cormany also served as head coach of Rocky Gap High School but most of his wins have come in black and gold.
“Radford is a great place to work and live,” he said.
The time clock might stay punched for awhile as Cormany’s son is only a rising junior. So, two years still might be on his plate. That could also mean at least two more state titles.
Cormany was also named the state Class 2 coach of the year.
The girls’ team was led by two Christiansburg players with Julia Moschella being named the 2019 all-county/all-city girls’ basketball player of the year. She is joined on the team by Gracie Hutson.
Moschella missed over a month of action late in the season and into postseason play for a high ankle sprain. When she came back, she was slowed and the downtime showed in the Blue Demons overall play.
“It was tough to sit and watch from the sidelines,” she said earlier this week.
But she admits she tried to contribute as much as possible from the bench after playing four years of varsity ball.
This season, Moschella shot over 35 percent from behind the arc, and opponents had to make major defensive adjustments on the pure shooter.
She will head to UVA this fall and will hang up the basketball shoes next year. She plans to study kinesiology, the study of how the body moves. Moschella, who has a 4.29 grade point average, is leaning toward a career in physical therapy or nutrition.
“I might play some through intramurals but for the most part, I am not going to play competitively,” she said.
Other members named to the girls’ team were: Elli Underwood of Eastern Montgomery, Charli Dietz of Radford, Skyler Prosser of Blacksburg and Becca Harding of Auburn.
Christiansburg coach Joe Hutson was named girls’ coach of the year.
