I left the house at 2:35 P.M. that afternoon. At 2:51 P.M. I was headed on Route 64 East, listening to car’s FM radio, and the band “U2″ was playing: the lyrics “with or without you” could be heard from radio station “94.3 FM.”

By 2:52 P.M., on FM radio station 94.1, a caller named Donna was saying, “Look at the people we have in charge right now….” to conservative talk show host Mark Stein, a man with a British accent.

At 3:16 P.M., I was still on Route 64 East, and I passed a sign that said it was 31 miles to Richmond, Virginia. At 3:35 P.M., I arrived at a gas station called “Bulletts.” I got to Richmond at 3:50 P.M.! Finally, at 4:10 P.M., I got to the school. But the game wasn’t due to start until 5:45, so I sat in the car, reading newspapers and listening to the radio. It was cold outside! At 4:55 P.M., I went in and watched some of the junior varsity game.

The varsity game started, and I kept track of each shot Kevin Huang took, as well as each rebound he grabbed, and each shot he blocked. He didn’t score until the 3:32 mark of the first quarter. (High school basketball games are comprised of four 8-minute quarters). His team trailed 10-2 at the end of the first quarter. Hampton Roads Academy had poor team ballhandling. Finally, he scored at the 6:21 mark of the second quarter! But his team trailed 24-14 at the half. It was 6:13 P.M.

In the second half, Kevin Huang came alive, mostly because his team stopped turning the ball over, and decided to look for him on offense. He began shooting the ball. He finished the game with 12 points, hitting on 6 out of 9 shots for the contest. But he had little help around him. His team lost 42-31. The game ended at 6:47 P.M.

Kevin Huang has a thin uppper body, but hey: he’s just a high school FRESHMAN! I talked to the man whose family he is staying with. Kevin Huang is an exchange student from China. Kevin Huang’s parents were basketball players back in China. He has Division 1 potential, but then: there are 347 Division 1 schools in the USA. He could still be growing. He has a soft touch. He’s a prospect to keep an eye on. He plays smart and does not commit fouls! At 7:06 P.M., I left Richmond. By 7:36 P.M., I was 30 miles from Charlottesville. By 8:10 P.M., I was back in Charlottesville!

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On this Saturday, I drove from Charlottesville, Virginia and went to see the 4-game SlamFest in Ashland, Virginia on the campus of Randolph-Macon College. The weather was in the 30′s with a white sky. The gym is very, very old-looking, but the one court in there is nice. It’s the court where Randolph-Macon, a Division III college plays it’s home games.

I was not really there to see the first game. 3 games in one day was enough for me. But I did see the last couple of minutes, and saw 6-6 sophomore Travis McKie  of John Marshall High, a Group AAA school (the largest schools in Virginia). Travis McKie seems to have grown a little since last year when I watched him play and looks like a future ACC player to me. This first game, John Marshall High of Richmond, Virginia against Atlantic Shores Christian of Virginia Beach, Virginia, started at 3:30 P.M. Travis McKie of John Marshall, who wears number 15, had 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 steals in this contest. He could play Division 1 ball now. His team is now 7-2 after beating now 12-4 Atlantic Shores, 76-72.

The second game was Hampton Roads Academy of Virginia Beach, Virginia against The Collegiate School of Richmond, Virginia. Hampton Roads Academy had 6-7 junior Ovie Soko (wearing number 42 in photo below right). Soko has the ability to guard point guards out on the perimeter! He has quick hands and can snare passes easily. He had just 11 points, but his team never ran a play for him. Very interesting player. Lots of potential as a defender, and can slam dunk also. Division 1 prospect for sure. But there are 330 Division 1 schools. So, is he an ACC caliber prospect?

At this point, “No.” But he could become one on defensive ability alone. An interesting player for Hampton Roads Academy was freshman starting point guard Keith Hornsby, the son of famous musician Bruce Hornsby. Wearing number 2, the 6-0 Keith Hornsby(he could be actually closer to 5-10) is very fast, heady, and a good ball-handler. I could see him playing Division 1 basketball one day. He had 8 points. Hampton Roads Academy lost this game, however, 63-53.

The third game was Benedictine High School of Richmond, Virginia against Booker T. Washington High School of Norfolk, Virginia. In addition to 6-9 (looks 6-10) senior Ed Davis of Benedictine (headed to the University of North Carolina), I was there to see 6-8 Deshawn Painter(he’s wearing the white jersey with the number 4 in the photos at left) of Booker T. Washington. Let’s put it this way. If Deshawn Painter is ever to play in the NBA, it will have to be after 4 years of college. As for Ed Davis, he could play now. He had 30 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 blocks. Keep in mind that Ed Davis was playing against a Group AAA (largest enrollments) high school in the state of Virginia. Had Ed Davis stayed at Hanover High near Richmond, where he played his first two seasons, he probably would have been averaging these statistics as a high school senior. 5-11 solidly-built starting point guard Eric Moody is a prospect for the future to watch for Benedictine. With a little more height, he could play Division 1 basketball. He did not score and I’m not sure why: too unselfish, I’d guess. His 15-3 team led easily throughout the game and won 69-51 over the now 6-5 Booker T. Washington High squad.

The fourth game was Miller School of Crozet, Virginia in the Charlottesville, Virginia area against Meadowbrook High School in the Richmond, Virginia area. The player I came to see play, Marshawn Powell (see him in photo at right, wearing number 21) was joined by a couple of decent 6-8 sophomores I had not heard of Hippolyte Tsafack and Brice Kofane. The two are so similar in size, appearance, and talent that it’s hard to distinguist between them.

Hippolyte Tsafack, who scored 9 points, is more muscular. Brice Kofane, though he had just 3 points, was more impressive: he’s a very intense, outgoing player and appears to be the better athlete. Did Virginia Tech make a mistake in withdrawing their scholarship offer to 6-3 Shamarr Bowden, who is now going to North Carolina-Greensboro? True, Shamarr Bowden may be closer to 6-2 150 pounds. But he can shoot to 25 feet with his picture jumpshot, and after Virginia Tech’s loss recently to the University of Richmond, it’s obvious that Virginia Tech is lacking shooters. He had 25 points and his team won 78-55. No one for Meadowbrook High impressed me as a sure-fire future Division 1 prospect.

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Starting in September of 2007, I’ll be reporting again on high school football prospects in Virginia.Then when basketball season begins, I’ll be scouting high school basketball prospects in VA as usual. According to the most recent copy of “The Sports Journal”on July 31, 2007, four juniors to watch in The Commonwealth are Marshawn Powell, 6-7 power forward for Newport News, VA Menchville High School; Deshawn Painter, 6-8 combination forward for Norfolk, VA Booker T. Washington High School; Cadarian Raines, 6-8 forward at Petersburg, VA High School; and Donte Hill, 6-4 forward-guard playing for Norfolk, VA Collegiate School.