By JONATHAN GREENE
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD — When the 2010-11 basketball season came to an end for the Bluefield Beavers, Anthony Eades didn't take much time off.
He went back to the gym to continue developing his game throughout the off-season.
His hard work paid off last week when he scored 80 points in Bluefield's opening three games which earned him Pocahontas Coal Association/ Bluefield Daily Telegraph Player of the Week honors for Dec. 12-18.
“I was surprised,” Eades said of his performance. “We've worked hard though. I have to give all the credit to my teammates and coaches.
“I'd like to say thanks to all of them. Coach Large, Coach Webster, Coach Hubbard, Coach Jones and my teammates. I couldn't have done it without them.”
His performance, which included 10 steals, nine rebounds and a perfect 17-for-17 from the foul line, didn't surprise his coach though.
“I really wasn't surprised, because of his work ethic,” Bluefield head coach Buster Large said. “He's a young man that has applied himself for the last nine months getting ready for the season. People are seeing his hard work pay off.
“He's done everything we could of asked. He's a very good young man to be around. The kids like him.”
Eades not only hit the gym, but went to several team camps and spent time in the weight room according to his coach.
“He's grown quite a bit,” Large said. “The off-season conditioning has helped. You can tell by the tone he's developed. That's something a player has to have to develop and get better on the court.”
Eades added, “I'm stronger. I've been able to finish at the basket and take the contact now. I couldn't do that last year.”
With his off-season work and conditioning, Eades averaged 26.7 points in his first three games. He scored 36 against Graham while putting up 22 against both PikeView and Princeton.
“And, it's not just him,” Large said. “We teach the team concept. We are in this thing together. We hope he has good game, but we hope five or six players have a good game.
“We feel like we have a good team core with goals. Our work habits are strong and we feel good about where we're at, but we're not satisfied. We have to work harder and get better at are strengths and weaknesses.
“It's awful nice to have him though. We're fortunate to have him and the other players we have around him.”
Eades, who is just a sophomore, broke into the starting line-up midway through the season last year. He said having that one year of experience has a made a huge difference this year.
“I was learning to play with these guys,” Eades said of last year. “Our chemistry has gotten better. That's the main thing.”
Chemistry was a big focus for Bluefield in the offseason.
“What we fill as a coaching staff is unity within the team,” Large said. “We developed a real close relationship. The more you play, the better you get.
“The more you're around someone, the more court awareness you have. You start to know the strong parts of their game. I feel like, by having guys like Lykel (Collier), Michael Yost, Anthony and KJ Manns - they've played together. They have a good floor awareness.”
Eades commented “I love playing with those guys. We've come a long this summer. In the off-season, we came together as a team.”
All of the hard work and time spent together has been for a good reason. The Beavers want a state title.
“It's been my motivation to win a state championship,” Eades said. “The whole team wants a ring. That's what we've been working for.”
That goal won't distract Eades or his teammates from their games now.
“We're taking it one game at time,” he said. “After the regular season, that's when we'll focus on getting to Charleston.”
— Contact Jonathan Greene
at jgreene@bdtonline.com

Honorable Mention
(Dec. 12-18)
Bland County (3-0): Asher Dillow, 74 pts, added 10 reb, 10 assists combined in 2 of 3 games; Darryl Clark, 49 pts, added 11 ast, 6 reb in 2 of 3 games; Chase Hankins, 47 pts; Tyler White, 10 pts vs. Montcalm; John Robert Miller, drew three key charges in win over Tazewell.
Bluefield (3-0): Lykel Collier 43 points, 14 ast vs. Graham; K.J. Manns, 19 pts vs. Graham, 14 pts vs. PikeView’ Que Amaker, 12 pts vs. Graham.
Giles (2-1): John Shelor, 66 pts; Cody Vaught, 13 pts vs. Bath County, 10 pts vs. James Monroe; Mark Albert, 12 pts vs. BC; Dylan Raymond, 16 pts vs. BC.
Graham (0-2): Colby Hill, 23 points; Spencer Sheets, 15 pts vs. Bluefield; Corey Coppola, 13 pts vs. Tazewell; Gray Baker, 13 pts vs. Tazewell.
Grundy (1-2): Ben Rife, 15 pts vs. Richlands, 10 pts vs. Tazewell; Travis Lester, 16 pts vs. Richlands; Cody Church, 10 pts vs. RL; Tyler Stacy, 7 pts, 12 reb vs. RL.
James Monroe (2-1): Zach Hatfield, 41 pts; Mark Dixon, 19 pts, 6 stls vs. Giles, 12 pts vs. PikeView; Chastin Wickline, 12 pts vs. PV, 11 pts Giles; Wes Jones, 19 pts vs. PV.
Mercer Christian (0-1): Kenny Shrewsbury, 15 pts, Josiah Janning, 12 pts.
Montcalm (1-1): Jacob Howard, 24 pts, 21 reb; Matt Pennington, 21 pts; Michael Blackwell, 13 pts vs. Mercer Christian; Josh Hamblin, 9 pts, 10 reb (9 off) vs. MCA).
Mount View (1-0): Maurice Brown, 18 pts, 13 reb; Teddy Hazzard, 11 pts, 9 reb.
Narrows (1-1): Chandler Burton, 38 pts; Rodney Perdue, 11 pts vs. Giles.
PikeView (0-3): Will Webster, 57 pts; David Keen, 35 pts.
Princeton (1-2): Ryan Meadows, 27 pts vs. Cabell Midland, 13 pts, 9 reb, 4 stls, 3 ast vs. James Monroe; Tre Hopkins, 10 pts vs. JM; Zen Clements, 10 pts vs. JM; Darnell Palmer, 10 pts vs. Bluefield; David Brewster, 10 pts vs. JM; Austin Southcott, 6 pts, 12 reb, 4 ast vs. JM.
Richlands (0-1): Devon Johnson, 22 pts vs. Grundy.
River View (0-1): LeShon Benton, 15 pts vs. Man.
Tazewell (2-1): Jalen Jordan, 65 points; added 8 ast, 6 stls vs. Graham; Noah Walker, 39 pts; added 8 reb, 6 blocks vs. Grundy, 13 reb, 8 blks vs. Graham; John Walker, 50 pts; Ryan Hankins, 31 pts; added 10 reb vs. Graham; Blake Hash, 19 pts, 7 ast, 6 stls vs. Grundy.
Twin Valley (1-1): Daniel Hobbs, 14 pts vs. John Battle, Logan Cantrell, 10 pts vs. JB.
Ballard Christian (2-0): Josh Deskins, 49 pts, 20 reb; D.J. Deskins, 28 pts; Patrick Galford, 11 pts vs. Victory; Gage Bowles, 12 pts vs. Covington Boys Home.
Pipestem Christian (1-0): Austin Peyton, 21 pts vs. Cross Lanes; Zayne Worley, 14 pts, Dylan Kinzer, 11 pts.
NOTE: Statistics included are from games reported to the Daily Telegraph. Coaches are urged to make recommendations for this award.