Hargrave Military Academy basketball

Last updated
Hargrave Military Academy Tigers
University Hargrave Military Academy
First season1990-91
Location Chatham, VA
ArenaWalter Davis Gymnasium
(capacity: 1,382)
NicknameTigers
Uniforms
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Home
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The Hargrave Military Academy basketball team is the prep basketball team of Hargrave Military Academy. The Tigers have won three National Prep Championships since a formal tournament began in the mid 2000s. The program has produced hundreds of players that went on to play NCAA Division 1 basketball, and 27 that have gone on to play in the NBA. [1] The program has also been a breeding ground for college coaches, as many former head coaches and assistants have ascended through the ranks at the NCAA Division 1 level. The Hargrave Military Academy basketball program was named “Program of the Decade” by RealGM in 2012 after a study showing that Hargrave produced more successful college basketball players than any other prep school or high school in the nation. [2] The program was also featured on a season 2 episode of CNN's Inside Man. [3]

Contents

Team history

The Scott Shepard years (94-99)

Shepard manned the sidelines for the Tigers from the 1994-95 season to the 1998–99 season. He compiled an overall record of 127-18, and had multiple teams ranked in the top 3 nationally. He sent over fifty players on to Division 1 schools in his time. Shepard moved on from Hargrave to accept a position as an assistant coach with the Virginia Cavaliers for the 1999-2000 season. [4]

The Kevin Keatts years (99-01;03-11)

Upon Shepherd's departure to the University of Virginia, Kevin Keatts was promoted from an assistant to head coach prior to the 1999-2000 season. Keatts would man the sidelines for the Tigers for the 99-00 and 00-01 seasons before accepting an assistant coaching position at Marshall. He returned to Hargrave for the 2003-2004 season, and was in charge of the Tigers for the better part of the decade from that point forward. He coached the Tigers to their first two National Prep Championships, as well as the program's first undefeated season in 2008. [5] During his time, he sent 103 players on to the NCAA Division 1 level, and coached 16 players that reached the NBA level. He owns a career win-loss record at Hargrave of 262-17. [6] Keatts would leave Hargrave in 2011 to accept a position as an assistant coach on Rick Pitino's Louisville staff.

The A.W. Hamilton years (11-17)

A longtime assistant to Kevin Keatts, A.W. Hamilton was selected to lead the program when Keatts departed. Hamilton presided over the Tigers during one of the most successful stretches in the history of the program. His 6-year run included 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 Hargrave 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 (2012,2016) 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. [7] Hamilton had a home record of 120-2 during his six years at the helm. Hamilton accepted a position as an assistant coach at N.C. State, reuniting with Kevin Keatts, in 2017. [8]

The Lee Martin years (17-20)

Lee Martin had been the associate head coach for A.W. Hamilton from 2015-2017 and was hired as his replacement when the former departed for N.C. State. Martin continued the winning tradition at Hargrave, to the tune of a 113-12 overall record in his three seasons as head coach. Martin's teams advanced to the National Tournament every year of his tenure, including an Elite 8 appearance in 2019 and a Final Four appearance in 2020. Under his watch, Hargrave broke the school record for points in a single game with 173 points scored on March 1, 2019. Martin's teams finished in the top 4 of the final national poll each year of his tenure. In his three years as Head Coach, 26 of his players went on to the Division 1 level. On June 25, 2020, Martin accepted a position as an assistant coach on Jeff Boals' staff at Ohio. [9]

The Thomas Messinger years (20-23)

Thomas Messinger was hired as head coach in June 2020 after a 3-year stint as the associate head coach for Lee Martin. Messinger served as an assistant coach under Hamilton (15-17) before that. As an assistant at Hargrave, his record was 203-15. [10] Messinger led the Tigers to a 33-1 record in his first year at the helm during the 2020-2021 season, and a 37-5 record in his second year during the 2021-22 season. Both seasons saw the Tigers end the season ranked in the top 4 nationally (#2 in 2021, #4 in 2022). Messinger was named South Region Coach of the Year for the 2021-22 season. [11] Over his first two seasons, 18 players from Hargrave signed NCAA Division 1 scholarships. In his third season, Hargrave ended the season ranked #1 nationally with a 44-2 overall record, which included winning the inaugural Elite Prep League regular season and conference championships. Messinger also became the fastest coach to 100 career wins in Hargrave's storied history (106 games, during his third season) on January 28, 2023. [12] Messinger was named National Postgrad Coach of the Year, [13] as well as Elite Prep League Coach of the Year for the 2022-23 season. [14] His overall record as head coach stands at 114-8 (.934 winning percentage) through three seasons. In May 2023, Messinger accepted a position as an Assistant Coach at NJIT under Grant Billmeier.

Current roster

2024–25 Hargrave Military Academy Tigers men's basketball team
PlayersCoaches
Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
G 0Michael Solaja6 ft 0 in(1.83 m)
—
Xavier Academy Cypress, Texas
F 1Myles Sidney6 ft 6 in(1.98 m)
—
SrLipscomb Academy Old Hickory, Tennessee
G 2Dior Kennedy6 ft 3 in(1.91 m)
—
Coatesville High School Coatesville, Pennsylvania
G 3Brooklyn Vick6 ft 1 in(1.85 m)
—
Saint Andrew's Deerfield Beach, Florida
F 4Jed Barlow6 ft 7 in(2.01 m)
—
SrGood Counsel Auckland, New Zealand
F 5Shane Pendergrass6 ft 9 in(2.06 m)
—
JrMt. Zion Prep Upper Marlboro, Maryland
G/F 11Donnie Morris6 ft 6 in(1.98 m)
—
Berkeley Preparatory School Wesley Chapel, Florida
G 12Lleyton Burkholder6 ft 0 in(1.83 m)
—
Halifax County High School South Boston, Virginia
G 13Evan Taylor6 ft 0 in(1.83 m)
—
Maury High School Virginia Beach, Virginia
G 14Cedric Horton6 ft 6 in(1.98 m)
—
SrRichmond Senior High School Richmond, Indiana
G 15Jhett Carter6 ft 5 in(1.96 m)
—
JrAstronaut High School Titusville, Florida
G/F 21Sha'Yah Goba6 ft 5 in(1.96 m)
—
Mount Vernon Smyrna, Georgia
C 22Kendall Connor6 ft 8 in(2.03 m)
—
SrBalboa High School Ontario, Canada
G 24Trey Coles6 ft 4 in(1.93 m)
—
Trinity Episcopal Henrico, Virginia
C 25Malchiah Marable6 ft 9 in(2.06 m)
—
Maret Washington, D.C.
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Notable players and coaches

McDonald's All-Americans

NameYear
Korleone Young 1998
James White 2001
Vernon Macklin 2006
PJ Hairston 2011

Postgraduate All-Americans

NameYearTeam
Keon Thompson2022Second Team [15]
Elijah Gray2022Third Team [16]
Leland Walker2022Honorable Mention [17]
Jaden Daughtry2023First Team [18]
Kailon Nicholls2023Second Team [19]
Diovion Famakinde2023Third Team [20]
De'Shayne Montgomery2023Honorable Mention [21]
Shane Pendergrass2025Third Team [22]

Hargrave All-Decade teams

NameDecade
Josh Howard 1990’s [23]
David West 1990’s [24]
Lonny Baxter 1990’s [25]
James Thomas 1990’s [26]
Korleone Young 1990’s [27]
Coach Scott Shepherd1990’s [28]
Joe Alexander 2000’s [29]
James White 2000’s [30]
Mike Scott 2000’s [31]
Vernon Macklin 2000’s [32]
Marreese Speights 2000’s [33]
Coach Kevin Keatts 2000’s [34]
Braxton Beverly2010’s [35]
Naji Marshall 2010’s [36]
PJ Hairston 2010’s [37]
Terry Rozier 2010’s [38]
Montrezl Harrell 2010’s [39]
Coach A.W. Hamilton 2010’s [40]

Hargrave Basketball Hall of Fame

YearPlayer(s)Inducted as
2011 Kevin Keatts Coach [41]
2011 Josh Howard Player [42]
2011 David West Player [43]
2012 Joe Alexander Player
2013Mike GallagherPlayer
2014 Mike Scott Player
2015Jake NessPlayer
2015 Luke Hancock Player
2016Hy CookContributor
2017 A.W. Hamilton Player/Coach [44]
2018 Marreese Speights Player
2021Lee MartinPlayer/Coach
2022Braxton BeverlyPlayer

Members who moved to the NBA

Other notable alumni

Notable former coaches

Records

Results by season (2003–present)

Statistics overview
SeasonTeamOverallConferenceStandingPostseason
Kevin Keatts (Independent)(2003–2011)
2003-04Kevin Keatts 23-2National Champions
2004-05Kevin Keatts 27-1
2005-06Kevin Keatts 28-2
2006-07Kevin Keatts 22-5National Runner Up
2007-08Kevin Keatts 27-0National Champions
2008-09Kevin Keatts 27-2National Runner-Up
2009-10Kevin Keatts 23-1
2010-11Kevin Keatts 28-1
A.W. Hamilton (Independent)(2011–2017)
2011–12A.W. Hamilton 38–1 [47] National Runner-up
2012–13A.W. Hamilton 39–6 [48]
2013–14A.W. Hamilton 32–6 [49]
2014–15A.W. Hamilton 38–6 [50]
2015–16A.W. Hamilton 47–1 [51] National Champions
2016–17A.W. Hamilton 43–2 [52] Final Four
Lee Martin (Independent)(2017–2020)
2017-18Lee Martin 38-4 [53]
2018-19Lee Martin 38-4 [54] Elite Eight
2019-20Lee Martin 37-4 [55] Final Four
Thomas Messinger (Independent)(2020–2023)
2020-21Thomas Messinger 33-1 [56] Elite Eight
2021-22Thomas Messinger 37-5Sweet Sixteen
2022-23Thomas Messinger 44-2Elite Prep League1stSweet Sixteen
Ben Veshi (Independent)(2023–present)
2023-24Ben Veshi 33-10Elite Prep League5thSweet Sixteen
2024-25Ben Veshi 36-10Elite Prep League6thSweet Sixteen
Total:{{{overall}}}

      National champion        Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion        Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion      Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ↑ Hargrave Military Academy. "Team Alumni" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ RealGM. "Decade Look Back on Where to Scout College Basketball Players" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Coaches are watching their every move – CNN Video" . Retrieved 9 November 2018.
  4. ↑ UVA Sports. "Scott Shepherd Named Assistant Men's Basketball Coach at UVA" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  5. ↑ News Advance. "Hargrave Post Grad Basketball Team Achieves Perfect Ending" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  6. ↑ Jeff Goodman (March 27, 2014). "Kevin Keatts accepts job with UNC-Wilmington Seahawks". ESPN. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  7. ↑ Danville Register & Bee. "Hargrave PG Wins First National Prep Championship Since 2008" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  8. ↑ ESPN. "North Carolina State Hires A.W. Hamilton" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  9. ↑ Parker Cotton. "Hargrave head basketball coach Lee Martin accepts position at Ohio University" . Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  10. ↑ Mike Moran. "Fit for a role: Tom Messinger climbs the coaching ladder at Hargrave Military Academy" . Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  11. ↑ Taylor Hicks. "Postgrad Postseason Awards" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  12. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Messinger Picks Up Win #100!" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  13. ↑ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  14. ↑ Elite Prep League. "EPL Coach of the Year - 2023" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  15. ↑ Taylor Hicks. "Postgrad Postseason Awards" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  16. ↑ Taylor Hicks. "Postgrad Postseason Awards" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  17. ↑ Taylor Hicks. "Postgrad Postseason Awards" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  18. ↑ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  19. ↑ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  20. ↑ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  21. ↑ Taylor Hicks. "2022-2023 Post Grad Year End Awards" . Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  22. ↑ Zack Sandberg. "2024-2025 Post Grad Year End Awards" . Retrieved June 30, 2025.
  23. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  24. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  25. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  26. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  27. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  28. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 90's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  29. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  30. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  31. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  32. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  33. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  34. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 00's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  35. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  36. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  37. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  38. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  39. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  40. ↑ Ben Veshi. "Hargrave All Decade Team 10's" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  41. ↑ Danville Register & Bee. "Hargrave Honors Howard, West and Keatts" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  42. ↑ Danville Register & Bee. "Hargrave Honors Howard, West and Keatts" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  43. ↑ Danville Register & Bee. "Hargrave Honors Howard, West and Keatts" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  44. ↑ Alex Tichenor. "Former Coach A.W. Hamilton Inducted Into Hargrave Post-Grad Hall of Fame" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  45. ↑ "Jeff Allen bio". Archived from the original on 2015-09-30. Retrieved 2020-06-16.
  46. ↑ USA Today. "Braxton Beverly's 70 Point Explosion" . Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  47. ↑ "2011-2012 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  48. ↑ "2012-2013 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  49. ↑ "2013-2014 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  50. ↑ "2014-2015 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  51. ↑ "2015-2016 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  52. ↑ "2016-2017 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Archived from the original on April 8, 2018. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  53. ↑ "2017-2018 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  54. ↑ "2018-2019 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  55. ↑ "2019-2020 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
  56. ↑ "2020-2021 Season". Hargrave Military Academy. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
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