Bath Boys Basketball Combines Experience And Youth

Hot Springs, Virginia – The Bath County Chargers boys basketball team lacks mid-level management this season, with no juniors on the roster. But the Chargers have a core group of seniors to help develop a strong squad of sophomores.

Coach Steve Shaver says the Chargers have an unusual combination of experience and youth.

“Now, this is going to sound funny, but if you can be experienced and young at the same time,” he said. “With five seniors and five sophomores, we’re very young, so that makes us not very deep. But we have five guys with experience and they all got to play last year. So, we’re looking forward to a very good, competitive year.”

Shavers talks about his senior veterans.

“We’ll have Ryan Plecker, a lot of the offense will run through him,” he said. “Aaaron Newmarker, Matthew Quantz are big in the middle. We have Xavier Smothers, who’s so quick. We look to push the ball to him a lot and get him down the floor on fast breaks. The other senior is James McCully. James is experienced – good athlete – good three-point shooter.”

The coach says his team has some size, including one big sophomore.

“We should be able to get the ball to big six-four sophomore Jonah Ford, who has been playing big, and Matt Quantz, who’s six-two,” he said. “So, we’ve got some size and some speed, as well.”

Senior Ryan Plecker says the younger players need some actual game experience.

“Everybody gets along real well,” he said. “If anything, I think we need to start taking things a little more seriously. But we all get along real well. We got some young guys right now and they just need to see what it’s like. Once we get in the schedule, we should be down to business.”

Plecker said the team should be strong under the basket.

“We got a lot of height,” he said. Should be pretty good in the paint.”

Senior Aaron Newmarker says sports analysts don’t expect much from the Chargers this season.

“Well, no one expects us to do anything, so, you know, we have no pressure on us,” he said. “Into every game, we’re not expected to win, so, we can go as hard as we can. We don’t have anything to worry about, winning or losing because nobody expects us to win. In the community, probably yes, but everyone talking about district is Covington, Parry [McCluer] and James River. You know, they’re not even mentioning us.”

Senior Xavier Smothers says improved morale will help the team in the long run.

“This year, we’re definitely more of a team,” he said. “You know, there’s a lot of camaraderie and I think that’s going to help us, in the long run. Instead of relying on one man to carry the load for us.”

Bath County played three powerhouse teams to start their regular season and are off to a rocky 0-3 start. The Chargers have regrouped and will travel to Staunton to challenge the Riverheads Gladiators on December 14. Tipoff time is 7:15 p.m.