Greater Beckley Christian Boys After year off , Crusaders reload for another title run
By Dave Morrison for the register-herald
6 • WV SOUTH BASKETBALL
Jenny Harnish / The Register-Herald
Greater Beckley Christian ’ s Averyk Woodson drives to the basket around Victory Baptist players .
Greater Beckley Christian is back .
After serving a West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission oneyear postseason ban for using ineligible players , the Crusaders are back in the good graces of the organization , coach Justin Arvon has loaded the schedule back with section , region and area schools and the Crusaders are ready to go . More importantly , Arvon has a returning roster filled with some incoming pieces and the Crusaders are ready to make a run for Charleston again .
The Crusaders will have to replace John Rose , who averaged 27.7 points to lead the state last year .
The last time the Crusaders played in the postseason it raced all the way to the state championship game , losing to James Monroe in 2022 .
Three players dressed for that game , Aaron Hall , Kash Hendrix and Averyk Woodson . Hall was the only one that saw in real time .
Hall had an outstanding season for Greater Beckley , averaging 9.7 points and 11.6 rebounds .
“ Aaron is probably the hardest worker on the team out of season ,” Arvon said . “ He put in a lot of work . He had a great season last year . He is a great rebounder and can finish around the basket .
Hall shot 60 percent from the field , making 83 of 139 shots .
Kash Hendrix was the only player who played in all 22 games last season .
He averaged 10.1 points per game , and he was good to his name , straight Kash from downtown , hit 51 of 138 3s ( 38 percent ) and at one point more than halfway through the season he was shooting 48 percent from 3 .
“ He is an excellent shooter , I think at one point he was leading the state in 3-point percentage and that is a big plus for the team ,” Arvon said .
Averyk Woodson , point guard , was recently rated the 15th best PG in the state in his class , Arvon said .
“ He is very long , a great defender and on offense he can put the ball on the floor and get to the basket ,” Arvon said . Interestingly , he led the team in blocked shots .
Hunter Laxton ( 2.7 ppg , 3.3 rpg ) and Landon Rose ( 7.5 ppg , 1.8 rpg ) are also back from a year ago and will see varsity action .
Josh Garlow and Eli Gunter , a new student , and Isaiah Kincaid could be factors , and Kaden Bolen is back as well .
Which brings up some of the more interesting additions .
One is freshman Keegan Davidson , whose arrival has been awaited since he came on to the local scene in Wyoming County as an elementary player and a decorated travel and AAU performer who excelled at GBC Middle a year ago .
“ He is a born leader , and that is something you don ’ t see often from a freshman ,” Arvon said . “ His work ethic at that age stands out , too . He is a factor with the ball in his hands . He makes passes you don ’ t see , and he gets his teammates the ball in places where they can be successful . He is going to play a lot . He is a freshman , there will be mistakes , but he is at elite player .”
Also on the team is Kellen Heffernan , a shooter who played at Woodrow Wilson last year where he played in 18 games and started 13 . Heffernan averaged 5.4 points and had a high of 17 points twice ( against South Charleston and Capital ). He had 24 3s on the season .
“ He ’ s been an immediate leader for us ,” Arvon said of Heffernan . “ He will be seeing massive minutes .”
The Crusaders did play nine games against WVS- SAC schools , going 4-5 . This year the number jumps to 12 , including James Monroe , one of the great rivalries in Class A Region 3 the last three years .
The excitement is obvious because the goal is back in sight .
“ It ’ s back on the floor you can see it in practice ,” Arvon said . “ We have our goals and our expectations . The vibe is different . From start to finish our goal is to be playing in Charleston the last week of the season . Some of these guys got to experience it and they want to go again and this time they want to be on the floor .”