Hargrave Basketball Soars To New Heights

The Hargrave Basketball brand has long been associated with excellence at the Post-Graduate level. The 2016-17 season proved that from the Post-Graduate level through the middle school level, Hargrave Basketball is a force to be reckoned with. The program reached new heights once again this season, amassing a remarkable 92-14 record across all teams (PG, Varsity, JV and Middle School)

The post-graduate team continued their run as one of the top prep teams in the country, holding the #1 or #2 national ranking for the entire season and finishing 43-2 while falling in the National Final Four. This years team featured 13 players that signed with NCAA Division 1 schools, tying a school record. All 15 players from this year’s squad received scholarships to play basketball in college next year. The Tigers set multiple school records over the course of the season, including team scoring average (114.1) and points scored in a game (163).

The varsity team exploded onto the scene by blowing away the school record for wins in a season with 26, surpassing the 2015-16 team that set the bar with 19. They went undefeated in the VIC and captured the first VIC Tournament Championship in program history as well. This year’s Tigers were among the nation’s leaders in points scored, pouring in an average of 78.9 points per game, good for 5th in the country in “Points Per 32” according to Maxpreps.com. They placed two players on the VIC all-conference first team and three on the VIC all-conference second team. DJ Myers was named the VIC player of the year and was a 1st team All-State selection. 

The junior varsity team went 15-5 and reached the conference championship game for the second straight season. They competed in, and won games in, the Rudy Lane Classic, Hargrave Holiday Shootout, Scharlie Dillon Classic and the Hargrave-Chatham Hall Fight Against Cancer Challenge. The 15 wins are the second most wins in a season for the JV Tigers since 2004.

The middle school team had one of the best seasons in program history. They finished the season with an overall record of 12-3, which is the most wins in a season- by a wide margin- since 2003. The middle school team also participated in a number of events that also featured the Post-Graduate, Varsity and Junior Varsity teams. 6’6″ Ijomah Ezuma, a dominant post presence all season, spearheaded a swarming defensive unit that often swallowed up opponents entirely. Ezuma in turn has become a hot name on the recruiting trail for the class of 2021 in Virginia.
 
It’s clear that the 2016-17 season was a special one, but with the infrastructure in place for sustained excellence at all levels, we can only wait and see what milestones and records will fall in the coming years.

Corps at State Basketball Tournament