THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, March 15, 1995 TAG: 9503150549
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: 1994-95 All-Tidewater Basketball Teams
SOURCE: BY RICH RADFORD, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 88 lines
The rap on Shawn Hobson as a junior was that he lacked intensity, he floated during stretches, he didn't always do what was needed to win.
``I played in spurts,'' Hobson said.
That was still good enough to earn him Eastern District player of the year.
But this season, his senior year, Hobson aspired to more.
He eliminated the letdowns. Did away with the disappearing acts. And when a game was on the line, often so was Hobson - shooting clutch free throws and doing anything else it took to win.
Hobson, a 6-foot-5, 198-pound swingman, led Granby to its first Eastern District regular-season title in 19 years, a feat that helped make him The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star player of the year.
``Overcoming that lack of intensity made him the No. 1 player in the area,'' Granby head coach Tim Sweeney said. ``He turned it on and kept in on and was clutch all year. And I can't tell you how many times his fourth-quarter point totals led us to victory.''
Hobson averaged 22.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 4.6 steals in leading the Comets to a 20-3 record. He shot 51.2 percent from the field, 46.7 percent from behind the 3-point arc and 74.6 percent from the foul line.
Hobson, who played at Booker T. Washington as a sophomore before transferring to Granby, finished with 1,044 career points.
He was a small forward upon introductions. But Hobson played all over the court.
``When we got in trouble, Shawn was the one who would break the press,'' Sweeney said. ``If we needed a rebound, Shawn would go get one.''
College coaches have been calling repeatedly in the last month from schools such as Clemson, Wisconsin, St. Bonaventure, Alabama, James Madison, Cincinnati and Tennessee.
Hobson has met the NCAA's minimum required score on the Scholastic Assessment Test and is making a late charge to meet the minimum grade point average for freshman eligibility.
He says he will make a recruiting trip to Clemson and will pick his spots with his other four official visits.
If he doesn't reach the required 2.0 grade point average, some schools are still talking about signing him and having him sit out a season - an NCAA mandate - then play three years. Hobson is also talking to a number of junior colleges.
For many college recruiters, it's their first contact with Hobson. Last spring, he underwent surgery to repair an abdominal hernia, missing much of the summer basketball scene while recuperating.
``A lot of the coaches ask me why they didn't see Shawn with an AAU team last summer,'' Sweeney said. ``As far as the operation was concerned, it hurt him in that respect.''
Instead of traveling the country playing for the Boo Williams AAU All-Stars, Hobson spent each day in the Granby High gym, refining his jump shot and ball-handling skills.
``I think a lot of guys don't put the time into it that they should,'' Hobson said. ``They just play off their abilities and don't work on their weaknesses.''
Hobson can look at the state semifinal pairings and argue that the Comets should be there.
A month ago, Hobson scored 23 points in a 70-59 victory over state semifinalist Indian River. Two weeks ago, the Comets lost, 64-62, in the opening round of the Eastern Region tournament to Kecoughtan, which has also advanced to the state semifinals.
Hobson had 26 points in that season-ending loss, 20 in the second half. But Kecoughtan triumphed on a last-second shot.
``I was saying to myself that I could have made an extra free throw, we would have scored if I'd made an extra pass,'' Hobson said. ``Things like that happen. I know at least I played hard.''
And for Hobson this season, that was what counted most. MEMO: The Virginian-Pilot and Ledger-Star All-Tidewater basketball teams were
chosen by sports writers Rich Radford and Patti Walsh, in consultation
with area coaches. ILLUSTRATION: COLOR PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
FIRST TEAM
SECOND TEAM
KEYWORDS: ALL-TIDEWATER BASKETBALL TEAM BOYS by CNB