Hargrave Postgraduate Basketball recently celebrated it’s 30th season. To commemorate the sustained excellence of the program, we are proud to announce our All-Decade teams from the 1990’s (released Wednesday), 2000’s (released yesterday) and 2010’s (released today). The teams were selected by a panel of Hargrave insiders and are comprised of five players and one coach, all of whom had a tremendous impact on the Hargrave Basketball Program.
Naji Marshall (’16-’17): Marshall starred for the 2016-17 Tigers that went 43-2 and advanced to the National Final Four. He averaged 20.7 points and 11.4 rebounds per game during that season. Marshall signed with Xavier University and has enjoyed a standout career. He has earned All-Big East Honors twice during his career at Xavier, and recently passed the 1,000 point plateau in just three seasons with the Musketeers. Marshall recently announced that he will forgo his last year of eligibility at Xavier and enter his name in the NBA Draft.
Braxton Beverly (’15-’17): Beverly re-wrote record books regularly during his time at Hargrave. Braxton’s career spanned two years, and his individual accomplishments are rivaled only by the accomplishments of his team. Braxton left Hargrave with a staggering 90-3 record in his two years, including a 2016 National Prep Championship and a 2017 National Final Four appearance. Beverly averaged over 20 points and 6 assists per game during his Hargrave career, narrowly falling short of the 2,000 career point plateau, but still ending his career on top of the all-time scoring list at Hargrave. He also holds the single game scoring record, pumping in 70 points in the 2016 Fight Against Cancer Challenge, a night where he connected on 14 3-pointers. Braxton went on to play at N.C. State for former Hargrave coaches Kevin Keatts and A.W. Hamilton. Beverly became a key contributor immediately for the Wolfpack, starting 26 games his freshman year and helping guide N.C. State to an NCAA Tournament berth. Beverly is currently a rising senior for the Wolfpack.
P.J. Hairston (’10-’11): Hairston was a dominant force for the 2010-11 Tigers, averaging 25.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. He was rewarded with a selection to the McDonald’s All American team in 2011, and was rated as highly as the #3 shooting guard in the country by Rivals. Hairston signed with the University of North Carolina after his time at Hargrave. Hairston averaged 14.6 points per game during his breakout sophomore campaign for the Heels, helping lead them to an Elite Eight appearance. Hairston was selected in the First Round of the 2014 NBA Draft, enjoying stints with the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies.
Terry Rozier (’12-’13): Rozier stuffed the stat sheet for the 2012-13 Tigers that went 38-8, averaging 29.3 points, 7.8 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game. He established a then-single game record of 69 points in a double-overtime win in at the Louisville Shootout in January of 2013. Fittingly, Rozier signed with the University of Louisville after his time at Hargrave, uniting with Kevin Keatts, who was an assistant at the time for the Cardinals. Rozier broke out in his sophomore season, leading the Cardinals with a 17.1 point per game scoring average, and leading them to an Elite Eight appearance and earning him second team All-ACC honors. Rozier declared for the NBA Draft after that season, and was a First Round draft pick of the Boston Celtics in 2015. Rozier again broke out in his third season with the Celtics, scoring 11.4 points per game in the regular season, and robust 16.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game during a 19-game playoff run that saw the Celtics fall in 7 games in the Eastern Conference Finals. Rozier signed with the Charlotte Hornets before the 2019-20 season and went on to average a career high 18.9 points her game this past season.
Montrezl Harrell (’11-’12): A star of A.W. Hamilton’s first team at Hargrave, Harrell was a driving force behind a Hargrave team that went 38-1 and advanced to the National Championship game in 2012. Harrell was a force to reckoned with the entire season, averaging 25.6 points and 13.6 rebounds per game for the Tigers. Harrell earned a reputation during his time at Hargrave as one of the hardest playing players in the country- a reputation that has stayed with him throughout his college and NBA Career. He would continue on to the University of Lousiville, where former Hargrave Head Coach Kevin Keatts was an assistant, helping the Cardinals capture the NCAA Championship during his freshman season. Harrell’s success continued at Louisville for two more years, and during his Junior campaign, he averaged 15.7 points and 9.2 rebounds per game en route to earning the Karl Malone Award, which is awarded to the nation’s top power forward. Harrell declared for the NBA Draft following that season and was selected with the 32nd overall pick in the 2015 draft. Harrell has improved his play in each of his 6 NBA seasons- both his points per game and rebounds per game have increased every year of his career. In the 2019-20 season, playing with the Los Angeles Clippers, Harrell averaged career highs of 27.8 minutes, 18.6 points and 7.1 rebounds.
A.W. Hamilton (Coach; ’11-’17): Hamilton presided over the Tigers during one of the most successful stretches in the history of the program. His 6-year run included a gaudy 237 wins with just 22 losses, with 63 of his players continuing on to the NCAA Division 1 level. He also had two former players, and fellow All-Decade team selections, Montrezl Harrell and Terry Rozier, selected in the 2015 NBA Draft. Hamilton was lauded as the National Prep Coach of the Year twice and East Regional Coach of the Year three times (2014, 2015, 2017) during his tenure. He guided players that set records for career points and points scored in a game and his 2016 National Championship team set a school record for wins in a season with 47. Hamilton boasted a home record of 120-2 during his six years at the helm. Hamilton departed Hargrave to up with Kevin Keatts for the 2017-18 season as an assistant at NC State. In his lone year in Raleigh, the Wolfpack surpassed twenty wins and earned an NCAA Tournament berth. Hamilton was then hired as the Head Coach at Eastern Kentucky University, a post he still holds today. He has spearheaded a turnaround of the Colonels program, jumping out to a 9-2 start in the OVC this past season–the best start in the last 41 years for the EKU program. For his efforts, Hamilton was named the OVC Coach of the Year for the 2019-20 season, as well as the NABC District 18 Coach of the Year. Hamilton has been inducted into both the Hargrave Basketball and Scott County Athletic Hall of Fames.
