ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 19, 1996 TAG: 9603190080
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FROM ASSOCIATED PRESS AND STAFF REPORtS
To William Fleming coach Marshall Ashford, it was a formality that James Stokes was named to The Associated Press' Group AAA boys' basketball first team on Monday. After all, Stokes should have been on the team.
``I'd have been awfully disappointed if he wasn't on there because of the season he had and what he meant to our ballclub,'' Ashford said.
Stokes, a 6-foot-5 senior, averaged 18.4 points and 11.5 rebounds for the Colonels, who finished 19-8. He also proved to be a big-game player. He scored 21 points and 20 points, respectively, in two games against state champion George Washington-Danville, 25 in Fleming's region tournament victory over defending state champion Potomac and 40 in a 100-87 overtime victory over J.E.B. Stuart in the state quarterfinals.
In Fleming's final game, an 81-61 state semifinal loss to Hopewell, Stokes led all scorers with 29 points.
Another big-game player, 6-8 sophomore Jason Capel of Indian River, was named player of the year.
Ashford said Stokes has what it takes to play big-time college basketball.
``He's still got a few people out there who are skeptical about him,'' Ashford said. ``But if they came to see him play, they would realize this kid can play, and he's as good as anyone in the state of Virginia.
``I saw a lot of players in Winston-Salem [N.C.] last summer at the AAU national tournament, and I didn't see anyone down there that was as good as him.''
Stokes, who just turned 17, hasn't qualified academically for admission to a Division I school, and Ashford said a year at a prep school may be an option for his top player.
``He's sort of an in-betweener,'' Ashford said, meaning Stokes' size is big for a guard and small for a forward at the major-college level. ``But once he gets on the next level, he'll be put in a position where he can show people how well he can can handle the ball and work on the wing.''
Capel, the son of Old Dominion coach Jeff Capel, helped lead Indian River to the Group AAA semifinals, where it lost 82-75 to GW-Danville. Capel averaged 21.1 points, 12.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists for the Braves (18-3).
Capel had single-game highs of 34 points, 19 rebounds and 10 assists for Indian River.
Harry Johnson, who ended 19 seasons at GW-Danville by coaching the Eagles to a 27-0 record and their first state title since 1933, was chosen coach of the year.
Johnson compiled a career record of 292-146.
Joining Capel and Stokes on the first team are seniors Bobby Wimbush of GW-Danville, Marseilles Brown of Kecoughtan and Colin Ducharme of Douglas Freeman.
``Those are some super players,'' Ashford said. ``When you look at how James stacks up against those players, he's just as good as any of them. That's evident from where we got this year.''
Wimbush, a 6-6 center, scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds in the championship game and averaged nearly 21 points and 11 rebounds during the season.
Brown, at 5-10, averaged more than 31 points for Kecoughtan. He scored at least 18 in every game.
Ducharme, 6-9, averaged about 17 points and 11 rebounds for Douglas Freeman. Ducharme, who has signed with Virginia, also anchored the defense, getting seven blocks per game.
The second team consists of Tony Stanley of Washington-Lee; Rolan Roberts of Potomac; Tyrone Robertson of GW-Danville; Ike Richardson of Maury; and Harold Wrotten of Annandale. Roberts and Stanley have committed to play for Tech.
LENGTH: Medium: 74 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. William Fleming's Jamesby CNBStokes (left) dribbles around Hopewell's Monsanto Pope during action
in their Group AAA semifinal
game Friday night at the Vines Center. color.