Avery County High School
This year’s edition of the Avery Men’s Basketball team will feature 3 year starter Deacon Heath and a host of experienced juniors including Evan Krug, Caleb Pritchard, and Chase Kirkpatrick.
Head Coach Scott Grubb is a UNC-Chapel Hill alumnus and was the basketball manager for the Tar Heels in the early 1990’s under Head Coach Dean Smith. He is a long-time coach from the area and knows the game and how to teach it to young players. Avery County High School is known for hard-nosed smaller basketball players that give it their all and work hard. They always find a way to win and playing at their home gym is one of the hardest places to play in the region.
The 1st team All-District Heath led the Vikings and the Western Highlands Conference in scoring last year at 21.2ppg. Heath is a skilled guard that can take over a game with his scoring ability. He plays hard every play and has the will to win. He can take players off the dribble, he can get into the paint and score with a pull-up jumper or a finish at the rim. He has a strong passing ability when in transition and knows where to make the right pass. Hometown school Lees-McRae has offered a scholarship along with Division III school Guilford College out of Greensboro. I see Heath a possible Big South/SoCon guard or a really good Division II prospect at the next level.
The Vikings finished last season with a 24-5 record and will have
to replace the tremendous production provided by 1st Team All-District player Jeffrey Puckett and
the versatile Andy Dominguez.
Avery will continue to play man to man defense and look to score
in transition as much as possible. Although small, head coach Scott Grubb feels that the team can
still be successful with emphasis placed on rebounding and defense. Offensively, the Vikings will
again look to space the floor and utilize cutting and screening as a means to break down defenses.
“Our kids are experienced and we have strong leadership and love the game.” Grubb added.
“We look forward to seeing what that translates into.”