[BEAVER, W.Va.] Ten area basketball teams will compete on January 2, 2019 in the inaugural New River Community and Technical College Shootout at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center.
With team matchups and game times finalized, participating coaches say they are looking forward to the event and excited for their communities to support their local basketball teams and student scholarships. Proceeds from the tournament will go to fund student scholarships at New River CTC.
The tournament kicks off at 12 p.m. with Greater Beckley Christian High School facing off against James Monroe High School.
“This game will allow us to evaluate where we are early in the season and prepare us for the stretch run toward the sectional and regional tournaments,” said James Monroe Head Coach Matt Savauge. “I know this tournament will be well-run and grow into one of the premier events in southern West Virginia. We are glad to be participating in the inaugural event and look forward to making this a mainstay on our schedule,”.
New River CTC Foundation Executive Director Michael Green has been involved with basketball his entire life and with the support of the New River CTC Foundation Board of Directors, launched the tournament as a community outreach event for the college and to raise funds for student scholarships.
“This is a day to showcase the many educational and workforce opportunities New River CTC provides our students and the communities we serve,” Green said. “Because of our generous donors and events like this, the Foundation will award more than $150,000 in student scholarship this year.”
Game two starts at 2 p.m. with Pocahontas County High School traveling to take on the Shady Spring Tigers. Expectations will be high for this year’s Shady Spring team to make their first ever state tournament appearance. The Tigers are led by Head Coach Ronnie Olson and Senior Steven Williams.
“We are excited to play in the inaugural New River CTC Shootout next month. I think the tournament format is a great concept and the fact that we will be playing right before the talented Shady Spring Middle School team will allow our fans to come out and support both programs. I know Tiger Nation will make a strong showing,” Olson said.
The third game begins at 4 p.m. with Shady Spring Middle School competing against Peterstown Middle School and Head Coach Dave Mathis. Shady Spring is led by the guard trio of eighth-graders Cole and Brayden Chapman and seventh-grader Brady Green.
Game four tips-off at 6 p.m. with Greenbrier East High School taking on perennial AA power Westside High School. Greenbrier East has a solid nucleus returning for head coach and former NBA player and Olympic Gold Medalist Bimbo Coles. The Westside Renegades may lack varsity experience this year but will play hard and with a ton of heart.
“We always look forward to playing in the Raleigh County Convention Center and playing against a quality opponent like Greenbrier East only makes the trip to Beckley that much more exciting. We have the best fans in southern West Virginia, and I know the ‘Clear Fork Crazies’ will travel to see this game,” said Westside Head Coach Shawn Jenkins.
Friends, family and community members are encouraged to show up to the Shootout and support their local school. The school with the “Most Outstanding Cheering Section” will receive a $500 donation toward their Project Graduation from the New River CTC Foundation. In addition, each participating high school will receive a $1,000 scholarship for a player, cheerleader or member of the support staff.
The fifth and final game will match Princeton Senior High School and Liberty High School at 8 p.m. Both teams are optimistic about the upcoming season and looking to improve on last year’s campaign.
There will be entertainment and prizes throughout the day. Cheer Revolution, a local all-star cheer and gymnastic gym, will bring their competitive national champion cheer teams to perform during halftime of each game. Cheer Revolution has six competitive cheer teams that compete nationally and recently won the COA Rocky Top National Championship in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
New River CTC workforce programs and admissions representatives will be available for demonstrations and to answer questions about the FAFSA and preparing for college. Spring semester registration is ongoing until January 9 and classes begin January 14, 2019.
The event is open to the public. Tickets will be sold on the day of the event at the Convention Center. Admission will be $8 for adults and $5 for students and will be good for the entire day.
For more information, contact New River Community and Technical College Foundation at 304-939-6734 or foundation@newriver.edu.
New River Community and Technical College serves nine counties in southeastern West Virginia from the Greenbrier Valley Campus (Lewisburg), Mercer County Campus (Princeton), Nicholas County Campus (Summersville) and Raleigh County Campus (Beaver).
