Hargrave Has Six Players Sign

By Damien Sordelett
This article is reprinted online with permission from the Danville Register and Bee. “Hargrave has Six Players Sign” first appeared November 13, 2008 in the Register and Bee. Sordelett is a Register and Bee sports writer.

Chatham — Hargrave Military Academy’s post grad basketball program produced another stellar signing day, as six players signed letters of intent to play at Division I schools in 2009, a sign that the reigning national champions have reloaded again for the upcoming season.

The Tigers (2-0) were able to get half of the roster signed on the first day of the early signing period. Of the six players signing, five stayed on the East Coast, with Maurice Creek signing with Big 10 power Indiana.

Local product Luke Hancock of Roanoke and Hidden Valley High School, who was receiving offers from only Division III schools upon graduation from high school, signed with George Mason University of the Colonial Athletic Association.

“It’s definitely a big deal,” Hancock said of signing day. “I didn’t have a whole lot of offers coming out of high school. I worked really hard this summer with Coach Myers a lot. I worked with Coach Hamilton and Coach Keatts just trying to get better every day. I ended up getting a bunch of looks and then just decided on George Mason.”

Another Virginia product, DeShawn Painter of Norfolk, signed with Florida of the SEC. There seemed to be no pressure on Painter as he grinned from ear to ear, even with Hargrave coach Kevin Keatts jokingly asking him to take a serious photo during his signing.

The only one not to sign of letter of intent was Alex Newsome, who enrolled in the U.S. Naval Academy. It came down to two choices earlier this year for Newsome, who was offered a chance to play at the Naval preparatory school or at Hargrave, and when the time came to make a decision, the 6-foot-9 forward from Stanley, N.C., made the only move he could.

“I’m definitely glad I came to Hargrave because Hargrave is going to prepare me more for the Naval Academy academically and basketballwise, because basketball here is just phenomenal and I love the coaches,” Newsome said.

“It’s fantastic, it’s kind of like an all-in-one package — that’s what I was kind of shooting for,” Newsome added about what it means to attending the Naval Academy when he graduates from Hargrave. “It’s got a fantastic basketball (program), I love the coaches and everything, and at the same time you couldn’t ask for a better academic standpoint at all. I’m just really, really excited about it.”

Rounding out the class are Freddie Riley and Chris Braswell. Both will be playing in the Atlantic 10 next year, as Riley will be attending the University of Massachusetts and Braswell will play right down the road at UNC Charlotte.

“Coming here to Hargrave another year was fantastic, I really believe that I have a friend in (Maurice) Creek — we’re from the same area and we played together for six years — I came here to help him out a little bit and also for myself,” Braswell said of his decision to come back to Hargrave for more preparation for the college level. “Going through last year was a struggle for me. I think it was good to come back and be positive and active with my teammates.”

Braswell’s leadership will be an addition to a program that normally gives players an alleyway in a year to find the school they want to attend and then gets them there. But, nothing can replace a day when they finally accept the offer to play and study at the college of their choosing.

“It’s a special day. We’ve been fortunate here at Hargrave that we usually average about six or seven guys sign early. We don’t make light of it because it’s a special day where some places may not have anybody signing,” Keatts said. “I’m happy for all of these kids and their families. It’s a great day for Hargrave to have seven — not just six basketball players, but one baseball player — to have seven guys on the first day of national signing day end up signing their scholarship.”

Hargrave Military Academy logo.