Confidence building for Graham’s Hill

By JONATHAN GREENE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD, Va. — Twice in the final minute, Graham found themselves down less than two points against Bland County on Friday night. The G-Men turned to their hottest player for two big three pointers as they left Rocky Gap with a 68-64 win.
Who was their hottest player? A freshman named Colby Hill.
“Colby is far advanced past his years,” Graham head coach Glynn Carlock Jr., said. “We don't like to talk a lot about grades or ages or class here, because if he's good enough to play on the varsity level one or two games into the season, age and grade kind of get thrown out the window. He has phenomenal basketball talent.
“He works on his game. He jumps well and shoots well. He's very active defensively. He has potential to be a total package in the years to come. He has made so many strides since the beginning of this year. It's been fun to watch.”
Hill showed just how far he's come with three big games last week. While helping Graham to a 2-1 mark, the freshman scored 52 points. Those achievements are a big reason why Hill earned Pocahontas Coal Association/ Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week honors.
“I think our practices really helped,” Hill said of how he was able to have a good week. “[We just went] out there and worked hard each day preparing ourselves for the teams and what they do.”
Hill dropped 23 against the Bears while scoring 15 points, grabbing six boards, dishing out three assists and having four steals against Narrows. In Graham's lone loss to Shady Spring, he added 14 points.
“Somebody had to step up,” said Hill of the Bland County game. “My teammates around me really helped me gain confidence and get me the ball when I was open. I was just happy for us to get the win.”
Carlock added, “ It's been a process. He’s stepped up to the occasion as well as some of the other young guys. There is not one person — Colby and any of the other young guys — who we look at, as a staff, and say ‘hey, he's not ready for this.’
“If his number gets called then it's been called for a reason. He has rose to the occasion. There are going to be on nights and off nights, but to this point, he's done well.”
The process Carlock speaks of is the adjustment Hill has made to the varsity level. Few players come straight from middle school to high school and dominate. Hill though has been able to lift his scoring average up thanks to averaging 18.4 points per game in Graham's last four outings. At the start of the season, Hill was close to 10 points per game.
“It's a big leap in the size and the strength,” he said. “I'm definitely not physically where I need to be. It's been fun. It's an experience.
“You definitely have to get use to it. The size is the big part, but it's still basketball.”
Carlock says the biggest change he's seen is Hill's confidence which has allowed him to no longer be hesitant when making a decision.
“I think he was hesitant early on in the year,” Carlock added. “He was hesitant to use his ability. He was hesitant to take a shot. He was hesitant to make a pass. He was hesitant to get up on an offensive player.
“At this point in the season, you don't see that hesitation. When his number is called, he's ready to shoot. He's not afraid to drive, he's not afraid to dish, and he's definitely not been afraid to defend recently. Confidence is one thing gained from it. You just start to feel comfortable.”
Hill has done just that which should be expected of an athlete who is playing the sport he loves. The 6-foot lanky freshman also plays football and baseball, he said basketball is his favorite. Hill has been playing it since he was four or five years old.
“I like getting out here and playing it everyday,” Hill added.
Like Hill, Graham has experienced several peaks and valleys this year. The G-Men started out 3-0 before dropping their next six. They followed that up with four consecutive wins which turned into four straight losses. Since then, they've split their last four games.
“These guys have all gathered and rallied around one another and I think we've got better toward the end,” Carlock said. “There have been a couple of nights were we haven't been able to get over the hump. Colby has been a big part of the reason why we've been able to compete well and be in games and have a chance to win them at the end.”
Hill added, “Staying together. We're a young team. We have a lot of talent. That's helped us a lot, but we've just tried to keep our minds in the right place.”
Their schedule hasn't helped much with facing the top team in Group AA Galax twice and competing in the tough Mountain Empire District.
“It's all a mental game coming into to it,” said Hill who is a 4.0 honor roll student. “If you're not prepared, you're not going to do well on the court. You have to prepare yourself mentally before each game.”
With that preparation, Graham has lost by six points or less in their last three loses. They will look to get over the hump Friday against Grayson County before the postseason begins with the Mountain Empire tournament.
“I'd love to go to States this year,” Hill said. “I think we have the talent to do it. We're going to have to win the key games in the key situations.”
The best part for G-Men fans is Hill will have three more shots at the state tournament after this year.
— Contact Jonathan Greene
at jgreene@bdtonline.com

Honorable Mention
for Jan. 30 - Feb. 4
Ballard Christian (2-1 during the week): Josh Deskins, 47 points including 19 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists vs. Oak Hill “B”; D.J. Deskins, 32 points; Patrick Galford, 27 points.
Bland County (0-1): Asher Dillow, 29 pts vs. Graham, scored 1,000th of career; Chase Hankins, 13 points; Darryl Clark, 12 points.
Bluefield (2-1): Lykel Collier, 26 points, 42 assists including 12, points, 16 assists in win over Summers County; Harley Trimble, 33 points; Michael Yost, 35 points; Anthony Eades, 47 points.
Graham (2-1): Corey Coppola, 30 points, 24 rebounds including 20 points, 10 rebounds in loss to Shady Spring.
Grundy (0-1): Ben Rife, 29 points.
Hurley (2-0): Tyler Cooper, 46 points including 32 vs. Grundy; Dustin Waynick, 22 points; Austin Cooper, 25 points.
James Monroe (1-1): Zach Hatfield, 37 points including 21 in loss to Shady Spring; Wes Jones, 16 points in win over Mount View.
Mercer Christian (0-2): Jonathan Easter, 22 points; James Beckner, 32 points.
Montcalm (0-1): Jacob Lambert, 6 points.
Mount View (0-1): Teddy Hazzard, 17 points; Maurice Brown, 13 points; Antoine Calloway, 10 points.
Narrows (0-2): Chandler Burton, 15 points vs. Graham; Joe Hall, 10 points vs. Ft. Chiswell.
PikeView (2-0): Will Webster, 36 points; David Keen, 24 points; Tyler Ruble, 21 points.
Princeton (1-1); Ryan Meadows, 30 points; Hunter Walters, 19 points in win over Bluefield; Kyle Caron, 15 points in loss to Hurricane.
Richlands (2-0): Devon Johnson, 42 points including 18 pts, 8 reb, 3 steals, 2 blocks vs. Tazewell; Ben Brown, 41 points; Gabe Hunsaker, 38 points.
Summers County (0-2): T.J Smith, 23 points; Scott Hannah, 19 points vs. PikeView.
Tazewell (0-3): John Walker, 68 points; Noah Walker, 42 points; Blake Hash, 20 pts vs. Richlands; Jalen Jordan, 19 pts vs. Richlands.
Twin Valley (0-1): Daniel Hobbs, 17 points vs. Hurley; Chance Moore, 12 points, 7 rebounds.