After a fantastic run by the boys of the fall, it's time for the basketball team to take center stage.

This year's team looks to build on back to back fantastic seasons, as John Manning enters his senior campaign with two other kids greater than 6'10. The only team that will come close in height is Oakton this year. The Chargers are stacked this year and this is their year as Herndon is retooling to be a powerhouse the next several years with a few amazing players entering the mix.

First game... This Friday, 7:30pm @ Madison High School. Don't miss it.

Your team will find out what real HS basketball is like when they play in the Gonzaga holiday tournament. Your tall, stiff players will be in a daze in those games. But, good luck in your district and the Northern Region...

Who is going to fill the 2/3 slot that Kethan Savage vacated? Smallish guards and big bodies are good against mediocre NR teams, but who is going to take the tough shots and slashing drives to open the floor?

The good news with Chantilly is they're always deep. They have a sophmore guard who is very decent, started jv last year as a freshmen, who I can see being very much like Savage (who is a bum for leaving with this team's potential). They also have a freshmen guard who is small but explosive and although I don't know much about him to be a freshmen on varsity at Chantilly he must be a stud. At Chantilly most of the jv players could easily be on varsity rosters at some schools.

WCAC, you're right, we're no Gonzaga, but being a public school you can't recruit all-americans, so no real comparison can be made. The tournament is a great learning experience for the players though, and competion will get no harder than that, so Chantilly happily takes the invitation. I will say in last year's tournament Tilly only lost by 3 to nationally ranked Mater Dei.

westfield all day. fuck chantilly yall are some cheatin bastards. john manning would be somewhere in the cathloc leagues if yall aint payin him like reggie bush.

Been out of the loop for awhile, meaning several years, but is Jim Smith still the coach at Chantilly? He is/was one of the best coaches in the region, IMHO.

Than another question showing my lack of recent history, but what happened to the Chantilly/Pohanka Christmas/Holiday tournament? For years it was one of the best ones in the region.

slubdawg Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Been out of the loop for awhile, meaning several
> years, but is Jim Smith still the coach at
> Chantilly? He is/was one of the best coaches in
> the region, IMHO.
>
> Than another question showing my lack of recent
> history, but what happened to the
> Chantilly/Pohanka Christmas/Holiday tournament?
> For years it was one of the best ones in the
> region.

Jim Smith still is the coach. I would disagree, from the stand point Chantilly has loads of talent every year and in 20 seasons he's won 5 districts and 1 region (which took two of the top fifteen players in the state according to ESPN in Savage and Manning). I was at the state semi's last year and in my honest opinion he cost the team the game by not calling a timeout when Thomas Dale scored 10 unanswered points and the team was clearly confused. He's not a bad guy, I'm just saying a lot of coaches I know would do the same if not better if they were coaching at Chantilly for two decades.

The Pohanka tournament is still around. It is on again this year. They usualy invite a good team or two to play in it.

Thanks for the update. You make a good point, Chantilly has had some outstanding talent, and I'm going back a number of years.

you beat me in creating a forum for tilly basketball damnit!

Too bad Savage left as he was fun to watch. But going to Episcopal for two years prior to college can only increase his likelihood of success in college academically and athletically.

For whoever gets to states, Dorrian Finney-Smith is towering, literally, over the competition.

Chantilly would never pay a player! what the hell are you thinking? He choose to play at Chantilly because all of his friends go to chantilly and he lives 5 mins away from chantilly why would we ever need to pay him? Plus he's not the type of guy to do that stuff anyways so dont say stuff that you dont know

No Bull Here Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Too bad Savage left as he was fun to watch. But
> going to Episcopal for two years prior to college
> can only increase his likelihood of success in
> college academically and athletically.
>
> For whoever gets to states, Dorrian Finney-Smith
> is towering, literally, over the competition.


Kethan Savage left Chantilly for Episcopal because he wanted to increase his eligiblity for a high major program and also since he was a junior this past season VHSL rules wouldn't have allowed him to play this season since he reclassed. If anyone was aware of what happened to T.C Williams last season having to forfeit all victories because of 5th year seniors, This is the case

So yes, by reclassifying as junior at private school that plays schedule that allows 5th year players, Savage can play two years prior to college.

If he had stayed at Chantilly, he would not have been able to reclassify, he would have been a senior. If he wanted to subsequently play and study another year prior to college, he would have had to go to prep school for one year and play and study as post grad/5th year player there. This would have been similar to what Chuckie Ivey did, following his graduation from Chantilly he went to Maine Central prep for one year. Or what another Chantilly football kid did, Jimmie Martin, who went to Fork Union for a year prior to going to Va Tech.

So, the advantage of going to Episcopal is to spend two years in one spot prior to going to a college, rather than another one at Chantilly and then one at a prep.

I'm sure this was not an easy decision, and its tough on his Chantilly teammates, fans, and friends, but two years at Episcopal is going to be great preparation for Kethan for any college down the road.

Although Coach Smith did not want to see Kethan leave, he (and his staff) have been very supportive. Coach Smith is a class act and we love him dearly. If basketball was the primary reason for him leaving, he could have gone to some BKB powerhouses that had recruited him. Although CHS is a great academic school, going from 25 kids in a class to 8 - 10 kids makes a huge difference. EHS has been a true blessing from God.

We know that people who truly cares about more than what he can do on the court (like Coach Smith) understands and will always be there to support him.

CHS has a Kethan look and play alike this year that is going to be fun to watch. AND BTW, Jake (most underrated athlete in the USA) is going to dunk on Dorian Finney-Smith and have him on lock down this year. John will be swatting everything that comes down the lane. (smile) Devin is going to have a break out year, this kid can be amazing. We are so excited for the CHARGERS! Good luck to all the kids!! (I will root for Dorian next year, GO HOKIES!!!)

Resides in a small playground. Swinging, swinging, swinging.

woah there, someone's taking things a bit far....

The hell with people like that, this is strictly about Chantilly Basketball.

First game tomorrow! Very pumped.

Chantilly is 1-0 heading to face a very talented Yorktown team tomorrow.

tall goofy uncoordinated, stiff white dudes.. ughhh. chantilly blows dude.

Recap of Yorktown game? 5 point win is a win, but how do they look

So Chantilly 49, Yorktown 44 in ot. Not a bad win, Yorktown does have a lot of talent at the guard posistion.

Chantilly though, is so big, they look like they should blow everyone out. They only beat Madison by 8, who lost to O'Connel by over 40 and Forest Park by 13. This Chantilly team is not the same without Savage and they are not the best team in the northern region.

The fact that Chantilly is the only northern region team ranked in the Post top 20 is very questionable. The sky is the limit for them and no complaining when they're winning. But I expected more dominance. This is John Manning's senior year and he hasn't had a 10 point game, 2 games in. Let's go Chargers.

Thanks....Yes, Savage is a big loss and they don't have an outside threat like Fridy either that helped open up Manning inside. They have a whole season to develop some other offensive options and learn to work with what they have. Also, Savage was one of their better defenders, even though with Manning, he could cheat a lot. The smaller guards they have are fundamental, but not that quick, so defensively, their perimeter defense needs to improve.

Congratulations to the boys on winning the Pohanka Tournament! Still undefeated against northern region foes.

Tuesday's game will be HUGE. The best two teams in the region square off as it will be a battle to control tempo as perenial power house TC Williams comes into Chantilly.

TC Williams will easily beat Chantilly. Chantilly has a fantasic point guard but the team as a whole does not handle pressure well and TC Williams is all about ball pressure and team defense. Chantilly's bigs won't be able to turn to the basket and score at will like they've been doing to this point and no Kethan Savage will be exposed more than ever this game.

Prediction: TC Williams 51, Chantilly 41

This game should be packed. These are the undisputed top two teams in the region, which is usually very hard to determine this early in the season.

Are there any good freshman players?seems like they will be rebuilding in a few years

Chantilly goes 16-0 or 15-1 every year in Freshmen and JV. Not saying they'll be a state favorite the next couple of years after this amazing class graduates, but they'll be above average forever.

I know they have a freshmen guard who is starting on JV and was called up to varsity for the Pohanka tournament and then they have a couple great point guards on jv and freshmen. If Cameron Vaughn comes in they have one of the top players in the state after a couple years of development. But after looking at Manning's lack of development and Savage transfering he may be better off going to a private school as he likely will.

im talking about the freshman class of 2014 here.idc about the jv kids except for that freshman.my arguement is that one freshman player doesnt make a difference.As I saw the freshman team already lost to a team.And they havent even started concorde play.So,that point guard wont make a difference.who can replace john manning and jake wiegand?doesnt seem like any freshman will replace them.i went to one game against wakefield.There highest point scorer had 10.So who will take there place?

Manning lack of development, what are you talking about? He has developed for the physical talents he has. People want him to score 20 points a game, but he's not that kind of offensive talent. His career, staying in his local high school and playing AAU at the highest level, shows that this is how it can be done in today's basketball game. There is no reason to drive 1.5 hours each way to go to a Gonzaga or a DeMatha, just for sports reasons.

Trust me, Manning would have been a much better player had he gone to a private school. There was a reason major programs were looking at him as a freshmen and to be quite frank the kids he was playing against were too small which hindered his development.

When you're 7 feet tall and a fourth year varsity player, don't give me that garbage you shouldn't be able to score 20. Wiegand which was very suprising to me, is a much better player than Manning in most facets of the game.

As to John Doll, the loss Chantilly had in freshmen was without the point guard playing. They will have the giant asian kid for another year, but look around, there aren't three giants on most teams and Chantilly does not appear to have anyone that big coming up. They're solid at all posistions in the program and will always be good. But they're not going to be as good as this year for a while so enjoy.

Manning's negatives are small hands and limited verticle leaping ability. Private school vs public school won't overcome these physical limitations to develop a big time offensive game. He has made most of ability as a stay on the ground defender, using his wide frame, and positional rebounder. His offense is situational. He has very good outlet pass and shoots free throws well. A-10 is a good fit for him. If you think going to Gonzaga he was going to end up as Big East or ACC player, you don't know much about basketbal at that level.

Wiegand always had better overall basketball skills (ie, ball handling, movement, mid range shooting).

From what I've seen, he looks LESS athletic now as compared to earlier in his HS career. May have done him some good to have had to have battled Ian Hummer in practice every day for a couple of years.

Manning is a soso free throw shooter 25-40 which is 62.5%.
Wish him luck w/rest of the season Go Billikens

The place to be tomorrow night is at Chantilly High School.

As the consensus top two teams from the northern region fight it out in a rare regular season matchup.

I see Kethan Savage is having All Met quality season at Epischopal. Congrats to him. Hope the classroom work is going well too.

Yes Savage is destroying at Episcopal, would have loved to see him make a run at the state title with Chantilly this year, without him they don't stand a chance anymore.

They did call a freshman up to varsity though, the first since John Manning. Him and Sydnor will be one of the best back courts in the region in the next couple of years.

Only question with Chantilly is they will be losing almost all there size next year and have a surplus of guards. They'll still be real good as always, but it'll be interesting to see how they transistion as they'll essentially be a new team.

is this freshman as good as the two Herndon freshman who got lots of varsity playing time in the defeat of Chantilly? Those two looked really good.

I hope whoever this freshman is he grows more as a player than the current senior 4 year starting guard. He may not be asked to score much, but his inability to keep defenses honest on the offensive end is a weakness.

Ballam has been a disappointment for sure. Lots of turnovers and just can't shoot. Not a lot of improvement over the years. Plays great defense at least. He is only a 3-year starter, by the way. His freshman year he backed up Jake Nolan.

Harris and Sydnor are good. Harris can play. Caslavka and Rodenas will also start next year. The 8th grade class is excellent. Lots of talent so they will be really good again in a few years.

Rodenas will probably be decent. Caslavka is average, although he shows pretty good hustle.

No Bull Here Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> is this freshman as good as the two Herndon
> freshman who got lots of varsity playing time in
> the defeat of Chantilly? Those two looked really
> good.

Not as good as Deandre Thomas at Herndon.

Hows their other freshman kids?anyone who will be able to help out this freshman Harris?

This is a pretty weak freshmen class for Chantilly, but there are a couple I see being good varsity players. Next year's freshmen class is supposed to be one of the deepest Chantilly has ever seen with or without Cameron Vaughn.

The JV team has several decent players that can play at the varsity level though, so they're fine looking into the future.

freshman are now 12-2.on a huge winning streak.they got revenge on oakton.went to the game.was great.two power houses.they already have a kid who could dunk to.I wonder if there going to win the district.Place to be on tuesday. Is at Chantilly for all levels. If each level wins the rest of their games they win their district.

3 DISTRICT TITLES.DAMN!!!!!

HU Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> freshman are now 12-2.on a huge winning
> streak.they got revenge on oakton.went to the
> game.was great.two power houses.they already have
> a kid who could dunk to.I wonder if there going to
> win the district.Place to be on tuesday. Is at
> Chantilly for all levels. If each level wins the
> rest of their games they win their district.
>
> 3 DISTRICT TITLES.DAMN!!!!!


Who cares about Freshmen and JV at Chantilly? they win the district almost every year because they're so damn talented at the younger levels. I can't recall the last time the freshmen or jv even lost more than 3 games in a season. If anything Chantilly's jv season was a let down, because that is one of the most talented jv teams I've ever seen and they should have run the table.

If varsity wins on Tuesday that will be a hell of a showdown on Friday for the district crown, but varsity was supposed to dominate this year too. I'll give them a little bit of slack because there is no Herndon type varsity, to go against at JV or Freshmen. States or bust for varsity though.

JV records don't mean a thing. How JV is handled from school to school is not consistent. Some schools, like Chantilly, have several juniors on their JV squad, whereas other schools, like Oakton, don't allow juniors on JV.

-SBS-_ Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> JV records don't mean a thing. How JV is handled
> from school to school is not consistent. Some
> schools, like Chantilly, have several juniors on
> their JV squad, whereas other schools, like
> Oakton, don't allow juniors on JV.


Well this is the first year Chantilly has ever had more than one junior on the team in a long time, with 4 of them. The sophmores on the team are better though, and I don't believe one junior starts on that team.

steve k2 is right.Ya but just think.
Freshman wins district
Jv wins district
Varsity wins district


You can not tell me that is hell of a accomplishment.looks like their gonna be a power house for years.Chantilly has great coaches

df Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> steve k2 is right.Ya but just think.
> Freshman wins district
> Jv wins district
> Varsity wins district
>
>
> You can not tell me that is hell of a
> accomplishment.looks like their gonna be a power
> house for years.Chantilly has great coaches


Chantilly has great players, most of the coaches are mediocre in my opinion. I respect Jim Smith, but am not impressed at all with the freshmen or jv coaches. Chantilly freshmen and jv win the district almost every year, as they get extremely gifted athletes with years and years of playing expereince.

When you're 20-30 points better than all your opponents from the start, it's hard to look bad. If you have players with issues, theres another great athlete to put in his place.

There is no "district championship" for Freshman or JV, only for Varsity. Every year, people try to say their Freshman or JV boys or girls "won the District title", and it just ain't so. Maybe they beat everyone in the district, and that definitely gives them bragging rights, but you can't win something that doesn't exist.

There have been numerous boys that played varsity as freshmen.

What seems at issue to me is that while Chantilly has a lot of quality kids who have played lots of travel basketball entering the school -- which results in high performing Freshman and JV teams, they seem to have fewer kids, given that broad pool to begin with (on a relative basis) who grow into high level varsity performers. By this I mean consistent double figure scorers at the varsity level, legit 4th quarter scoring threats. Maybe it's the emphasis on defense and rebounding, maybe it's that many of the basketball players are multi-sport athletes, also playing football, lacrosse, soccer, baseball, etc, not just AAU basketball, so they are not working on shooting and offensive skills.

Is this just my perception or reality?

I think it's your perception. Hard to complain about a program that is 80-17 the last 4 years. In the 4 years before this one, they have won a region title, a district title, been to 3 district title games, won a state game, and have been to 2 region final fours.

A lot of kids play travel. That doesn't mean they develop into really good high school varsity players. I think it comes down to a numbers game. Lots of good players come through, but with 14 or so varsity spots and lots of younger kids constantly pushing the older kids, that's what happens.

Your point about other sports is definitely valid. Lots of multi sport players who eventually see the writing on the wall and decide to play football or baseball because they may see their basketball minutes go down.

Really good programs have many kids who play freshman and JV basketball, but then either stop playing because they know they aren't good enough, or they get cut.

Average programs like Oakton, Centreville and Robinson (please don't try to argue this) don't have that kind of depth. Things change though but that is the cycle we are in right now.

5 years from now it all will change I'm sure.

Did Chantilly actually get held SCORELESS in the 3rd quarter of last night's game? I can't remember ever seeing a boys varsity team held scoreless in an entire quarter, let alone a defending regional champion. Looks like they are very beatable if this is true.

Yes it's true. They looked awful in the 3rd quarter, but give some credit to the Westfield defense.

Chantilly is not the same team as last year without Kethan Savage. That's well established. Unfortunately, what's left is a very strong defensive team but offensively, they are a team of role players without a #1 scoring option that can create in any one on one situations. Pass the ball around the perimeter looking to go inside to their big men. That essentially is their offensive scheme. They still haven't figured out how to integrate the soph, Sydnor into their game plan. Take away the 8 points he scored in about a minute in the 2nd quarter and Chantilly loses last night. Games last year in the 60's and 70 point range have been replaced by games in the low 50's.

Since they have limited outside shooting and no slashing type players,if the ball goes inside doesn't come out. That makes it much easier for defenders to play them straight up and help on the inside.

First time I saw their freshman Harris last night. He should get more time as he showed some offensive versatility, but that's not likely.

They're definitely not as strong as last year. Chances are they won't win the district regular season. They are hosting the later rounds of the district playoffs though, so their odds of winning the district title are pretty good.

Where can I find the Concorde District standings? Or can someone post them...?

CONCORDE DISTRICT STANDINGS

1. Herndon 9-0
2. Chantilly 8-1
3. Westfield 4-5
4. Oakton 3-6
5. Robinson 2-7
6. Centreville 1-8

NorthernRegion Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> CONCORDE DISTRICT STANDINGS
>
> 1. Herndon 9-0
> 2. Chantilly 8-1
> 3. Westfield 4-5
> 4. Oakton 3-6
> 5. Robinson 2-7
> 6. Centreville 1-8

If Chantilly beats Herndon on Friday, #1 seed is determined by coin toss.
If Oakton beats Westfield on Friday, Oakton gets #3 seed.

HOLY SHIT.THEY WERE A TOTAL BUST.THEY SUCK SHIT!!!!WTF!!!!!LOSING TO LAKE BRADDOCK.THERE WERE SUPPOSE TO GO TO STATES.PISS THE SHIT OUT OF ME.ALL THEY LOST WAS SAVAGE.AT LEAST MAKE IT TO THE REGION FINALS.DIDNT EVEN GET TO THE REGION QUATERFINALS.PISSED AS ANYTHING

fgd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> HOLY SHIT.THEY WERE A TOTAL BUST.THEY SUCK
> SHIT!!!!WTF!!!!!LOSING TO LAKE BRADDOCK.THERE WERE
> SUPPOSE TO GO TO STATES.PISS THE SHIT OUT OF
> ME.ALL THEY LOST WAS SAVAGE.AT LEAST MAKE IT TO
> THE REGION FINALS.DIDNT EVEN GET TO THE REGION
> QUATERFINALS.PISSED AS ANYTHING


Agreed. They played with no heart last night. Wake the hell up, it was a region playoff game. Sad to see the team crumble and its seniors go out like that because they were way more talented than Lake Braddock.

Any given night. Talent doesn't always win, especially when they don't play together. LB was scrappy and did the right things at the right time. Great coaching by LB.

No way Manning does anything St. Louis. He is not Division I material.

Pround Purple Bruin Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Any given night. Talent doesn't always win,
> especially when they don't play together. LB was
> scrappy and did the right things at the right
> time. Great coaching by LB.
>
> No way Manning does anything St. Louis. He is not
> Division I material.


I'll tell you what though, Lake Braddock got bailed out by stupid Chantilly fouls. The refs called a lot of weak calls, but were consistent throughout the game so can't blame them. 9 points off freethrows Lake Braddock got, without advancing the ball past half court in the 4th quarter because they were constantly bailed out.

I didn't see much coaching out of LB, man the entire game, and they ran two plays I saw, but props to the coaches, they did get the big win. I don't blame this much on the Chantilly coaches, the team just came out flat as hell which they have to be able to wake themselves up for a playoff game and think in the 4th quarter. I will say as mentioned in the other thread though, less than a second left, it is an obvious tip in situation, why Chantilly didn't put in their three 7 footers is beyond me, because that pass would not have got in, if the middle was closed.

There is no way with that height should Chantilly lose to LB. What a joke. Smith always has talent, its what he doesnt do with them that is sad. 3 kids 6'8 or above and your best athlete is 6'7 --- in public school!!!! Really???? Did the senior class ever win the Concorde?

anyone heard from steve k2?? didn't think so.....

Not much to say this time, its been summed up. Ofcourse I'm disappointed and agree with reality dose and charger. They just didn't deserve to win last night.

This senior class went to four district championships in four years
lost to westfield
beat westfield
lost to oakton
lost to herndon

I felt they should have won the last two, it's just disappointing for the senior class to go out like that.

Northern region champ favorite has to be Herndon at this point. TC Williams dis not look all that spectacular against Oakton. Oakton simply had NO offense.

I'd put my money on TC Williams at this point. Oakton is still pretty good and a 52-32 win is convincing enough for me.

Herndon has one amazing player, and several good role players with great heart. TC Williams just has more players that can light you up and more talent on the bench than anyone. I don't think Herndon has a big man capable of stopping TC Williams' quickness down low.

Langley is playing great and runs their systems better than anyone in the region, they won't make the same mistake Chantilly made and they will crush Lake Braddock tomorrow, but I have to think Herndon or TC Williams will beat them with their athleticism.

In addition to this senior class winning districts only once, how many times did they lose in the first round of the region. At least two of the four, correct?

No Bull Here Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> In addition to this senior class winning districts
> only once, how many times did they lose in the
> first round of the region. At least two of the
> four, correct?


Yeah.
freshmen year they lost in the first round to Annandale (Chantilly had a very good team, and it was kind of like Monday's loss, but the only freshman that played significant minutes that game was John Manning)

sophmore year they were a 1 seed, and lost to Hayfield in the second round.

junior year they won the region.

senior year out in the first round.

All region losses occured at home with them being a higher seed.

steve k2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'd put my money on TC Williams at this point.
> Oakton is still pretty good and a 52-32 win is
> convincing enough for me.
>
> Herndon has one amazing player, and several good
> role players with great heart. TC Williams just
> has more players that can light you up and more
> talent on the bench than anyone. I don't think
> Herndon has a big man capable of stopping TC
> Williams' quickness down low.
>
> Langley is playing great and runs their systems
> better than anyone in the region, they won't make
> the same mistake Chantilly made and they will
> crush Lake Braddock tomorrow, but I have to think
> Herndon or TC Williams will beat them with their
> athleticism.

Herndon vs. TC Williams should be a good game. I have to disagree though about Oakton being pretty good. Oakton is only competent on a good day, and on their best day, they STILL have only 2 real offensive threats. Against TC Williams, one of those 2 had 1 point for the game. Oakton didn't have a prayer, but TC Williams did not look that impressive.

devon westermans gay.

Our rising freshman are good. I bet we win atleast 1states

If Smith could coach! KEthan Savage wouldnt have left!

You will never win a state title cause he runs off the best players just like the girls coach of chantilly.
How do you let the leading scorer Zoe Beard Fails leave chantilly?

How do you let Kethan Savage leave chantilly?

This players are gonna go big time..

Fire the coaches and the AD!

ALL LIES!

Although Coach Smith did not want to see Kethan leave, he (and his staff) have been very supportive. Coach Smith is a class act and we love him dearly. If basketball was the primary reason for him leaving, he could have gone to some BKB powerhouses that had recruited him. Although CHS is a great academic school, going from 25 kids in a class to 8 - 10 kids makes a huge difference. EHS has been a true blessing from God.

We know that people who truly cares about more than what he can do on the court (like Coach Smith) understands and will always be there to support him.

CHS has a Kethan look and play alike this year that is going to be fun to watch. AND BTW, Jake (most underrated athlete in the USA) is going to dunk on Dorian Finney-Smith and have him on lock down this year. John will be swatting everything that comes down the lane. (smile) Devin is going to have a break out year, this kid can be amazing. We are so excited for the CHARGERS! Good luck to all the kids!! (I will root for Dorian next year, GO HOKIES!!!)

Let me get this straight, some people think this kid left Chantilly to go to Edison because he didn't like Coach Smith?

That's insane! I don't know the kid or any of the people involved. But, I do know this, I saw Edison play this year and have seen Chantilly play many times. Jim Smith coaches circles around the guy at Edison.

Savage went to Episcopal which has a great coach. Personally I think Smith is a great coach too. But I have heard the real good players feel they don't get the opportunity to be stars if that makes any sense. Justin May's senior year, him and coach butted heads from what I heard, but I don't know much about Savage and Smith's relationship.

I will say Savage got the opportunity to do a lot more at Episcopal, scored like 25 a game and led them to their first league championship, that sounds like that coach got the most out of him by letting him shoot a lot more.

Northern VA bball is a joke. How have the past state tourneys panned out? Ok, great.

Smith and May got along just fine, as did he and Kethan. Coaches would get on Justin about defense and decision making at times (which should be what good coaches do), but they liked him and May helped them win a District Championship. Savage helped them win a region title. Kethan and his parents even came to games this year and stayed after to talk to Smith, so it's not like there was a bad relationship there. Savage would have been a force for them and one of the top guards in the region. He would have given them a slasher who could break down defenses, as well as a 3 point threat -- two things they did not have this year. They lost Adam Fridy and Kethan Savage. It should be no mystery why they didn't win the region again.

People should realize that a big reason for that transfer was because of the opportunity to get a 5th year without losing college eligibility. It is a shame that public school basketball has to suffer because of different rules for the privates, but Kethan gets another "senior" year and, then will have another 5 years to play 4 in college. Could mean the difference between a major D I and a mid major opportunity.

This idea that Smith holds people back is ridiculous. They run a motion offense and if you are good and your team is smart and sets guys up, you get your shots. Ask the Franklins, ask Chris Clarke, ask Ben Wheeler. All played Division I and had great careers at Chantilly.

Thanks "The Man" I'm glad to get some real insight, it kind of affirms what I thought about Jim Smith. I went to a private shcool, albeit many years ago, and there were quite few 5th year seniors that came there to get another year of experience and to get their grade point average up. We even had football players that would come for the first semester, play ball, then leave and enroll at the school that was recruiting them in time for spring ball. Maybe there are NCAA rules against that now, I have no idea.

The Man Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Smith and May got along just fine, as did he and
> Kethan. Coaches would get on Justin about defense
> and decision making at times (which should be what
> good coaches do), but they liked him and May
> helped them win a District Championship. Savage
> helped them win a region title. Kethan and his
> parents even came to games this year and stayed
> after to talk to Smith, so it's not like there was
> a bad relationship there. Savage would have been a
> force for them and one of the top guards in the
> region. He would have given them a slasher who
> could break down defenses, as well as a 3 point
> threat -- two things they did not have this year.
> They lost Adam Fridy and Kethan Savage. It should
> be no mystery why they didn't win the region
> again.
>
> People should realize that a big reason for that
> transfer was because of the opportunity to get a
> 5th year without losing college eligibility. It
> is a shame that public school basketball has to
> suffer because of different rules for the
> privates, but Kethan gets another "senior" year
> and, then will have another 5 years to play 4 in
> college. Could mean the difference between a
> major D I and a mid major opportunity.
>
> This idea that Smith holds people back is
> ridiculous. They run a motion offense and if you
> are good and your team is smart and sets guys up,
> you get your shots. Ask the Franklins, ask Chris
> Clarke, ask Ben Wheeler. All played Division I
> and had great careers at Chantilly.


Talk to Justin May himself, the issues were a lot bigger than what you said, to the point he almost quit the team. Then I was at the district championship last year and Savage's parents were absolutely disgusted when Chantilly started playing stall ball with 4 minutes left and a 4 point lead, which didn't work out against an inferior team. Even their region title was tainted as the best two teams TC Williams and Hayfield weren't in the region tournament, all-be-it for proper reasons.

As for losing Savage and Friday, they still had one of the best upcoming senior classes in the school's history and got big man Wiegand back who was better than anyone expected. Everyone aknowledged this was Chantilly's year to make that run at state because it's not in the cards for a good while now. They started the season as the only northern region team in the Washington Post rankings, with 4 starting seniors, and in every coaches top 20 area poll.

Ofcourse Chantilly will have division 1 talent every once in a while, but most schools in the region have that, that doesn't necesarily mean anything with regards to coaching. This team underachieved and got worse as the season went along, I'm not saying at all Smith is a bad coach, but didn't do a good job with this team, and the points about the team making so many stupid mistakes kind of proves the point as that should be corrected as the year goes along.

This team played with no heart against Lake Braddock who they were MUCH better than. If they had played to their ability they would have steam-rolled Langley which was a good matchup for them, slow and played Chantilly's game, would have easily taken down Annandale and would have had an opportunity to win that region championship. They were just as good as any team in the region this year.

Dude, you bought into the hype and so did the seniors on that team. They didn't play hard enough and they played like everything should have been given to them.

As I said before, they had no guard that could break a defense down and they had absolutely no 3-point threat. The difference in guard play between them and Herndon was evident.

It was a nice team that won 18 games and had a great inside game. But you need good guard play to get you to the top. They had it last year, they didn't have it this year.

Case in point: In the 2 regular season games, Herndon took 10 charges. Chantilly too zero. Guess who won those two games?

Sometimes coaches take WAY too much heat for kids not playing hard or smart. These kids were coached up but they have very low basketball IQ. When you don't play hard all the time, you don't always play smart, you have no guards who can shoot or slash, you aren't a region elite team. Sorry. Ballam made the same mistakes as a senior as he did as a freshman backup point guard. Sooner or later, you have to look in the mirror and not at the coaching.

By the way, Justin May is already unhappy at Delaware State and wants to transfer. The family has asked Coach Smith to help him find another place to play. Does this sound like a kid who was miserable playing for him? He started varsity for 3 years, won a district title and got a Division I scholarship. He will likely get a banner hung in the rafters. I think you overblow any negative feelings there.

I agree with disappointed Charger Fan -Smith is a nice guy and a decent coach but this was not one of his better seasons - with the size that his team had and the skill set he did not win any fans this year with his style of play . I think you also have to look at Mannings lack of major improvment from Freshmen year to this year? and put some of that on the coaching staff . 3 players 6 feet 8 inches or taller with adequate talent and a motion offense that ends up with players shooting 15-18 feet jump shots? - could be time for a change ?

No guard play!!!!! When you don't have guards, you aren't a contender. And they didn't have guards. Manning improved just fine. His defensive presence increased every year and his shooting got better all around, as did his FT shooting. This team had a lot of flaws. It wasn't a coaching issue. No outside shooting and no slasher.

They had plenty of outside shooting, and despite your bashing of Ballam he was a fantastic guard. None of them were developed correctly, sure Manning got better from year to year, but know where near the progression he should have shown.

No one had the post play Chantilly had, and although they may have not had a Austin Hamilton or someone, their guards were on par with most of the top teams in the region. Caslavka could shoot the ball, Danehower could shoot (sadly he played his best game of the year in that last game). Stop defending them because I can name a lot of schools that would want their guards and Brian Sydnor was a stud, I find it alarming that none of the players are developing aquedately and your dismissing it off as stupid players.

Sydnor could be a star and I hope he is but he didn't get better as the season wore on. Huelskamp got worse the last month. Danehower was not a consistent shooter or scoring threat. His last game was his best offensive game ever. Ballam was great in a lot of ways, but he's not the sharpest tool in the shed and couldn't shoot to save his life.

The film don't lie......

Caslavka was a one-trick pony when it went in. But you don't want him to put the ball on the floor or it's trouble.....The team was flawed. They didn't play hard enough or smart enough. Too much coach bashing.

LET ME EDUCATE YOU ABOUT WHAT COACH SMITH DID FOR KETHAN SAVAGE!

1) Entered the team in the Gonzaga Classic - the game against Mater Dei really got Kethan's name out there. Who do we have to thank for that-Coach Smith
2) Put the ball in his hands - Kethan got his opportunity to play point guard at CHS>>help setting him up for a college career. Who do we have to than for that - Coach Smith
3) Proactive in promoting to college coaches - swarms of D1 college coaches came to open gyms to watch John Manning - but several coaches have told us that Coach Smith was the one to put the bug in their ear "to watch that kid"
4) Coach Smith made additional copies of his games at our request after Kethan had gone to EHS

The Savage family were at several games this year and it ripped my heart to not see Kethan on that team. Did I imagine seeing my son's jersey in the Chantilly gym rafters one day, sure.

> 1) Entered the team in the Gonzaga Classic - the
> game against Mater Dei really got Kethan's name
> out there. Who do we have to thank for that-Coach
> Smith

They got invited to the elite tournament for being one of the top teams in the area. They weren't in the tournament for Kethan Savage. Guess what they went back to the same tournament this year.


> 2) Put the ball in his hands - Kethan got his
> opportunity to play point guard at CHS>>help
> setting him up for a college career. Who do we
> have to than for that - Coach Smith

Who wouldn't put the bacll in Kethan's hands? Episcopal did a lot more.


> 3) Proactive in promoting to college coaches -
> swarms of D1 college coaches came to open gyms to
> watch John Manning - but several coaches have
> told us that Coach Smith was the one to put the
> bug in their ear "to watch that kid"

Any coach will help their kids get noticed and field questions as they come.


Just saying that argument is flawed. No knock on Coach Smith, I'm sure they got a long fine but these points were absurd.

The real question is... what will the 11'-12' chantilly chargers basketball team be?

The first option is them being a total bust. Losing all 5 starters including two 4-year varsity players in Devin Ballem and St. Louis commit John Manning. Losing tons of size and experience may damage the chargers both on and off the court.

But the result that I personally expect the chargers to reach is an overall great team. I would not be surprised to see the Chargers winning the Concorde District even over a talented Westfield team. The Chargers fill their lineup with 6'9 Center Aaron Rodenas, Shooter Brady Caslavka, D1 prospect Brian Sydnor, true play-making point guard Casey Gittings, and young Deante Harris who has a lot of potential. Though this team loses a lot of talent, they also have a lot returning.

Don't overlook these Chantilly Chargers

We'll worry about this in November after football season... Keep drinking the Koolaid

Never mention Casey Gittings again. He's not any good and will play few, if any, significant minutes this season. Freshman Tyler Femi runs circles around him, DeAndre Harris and Raeshawn Smith are MUCH better athletes and players. Gittings is not good.

I've heard from several sources that Aaron Rodenas transferred to Middleburg to play (sit on the bench) for Gary Hall. I don't have a lockdown confirmation on that, but it's been around. That would be something of a blow to their inside presence, though I've believed for a while that Chris Shuping is the more aggressive and solid option on the block.

Chantilly could struggle to finish third this year behind Herndon and a much improved Westfield squad. Rest of the district shouldn't be much to talk about, I wouldn't think.

I can't imagine that someone would leave Chantilly to go play for Gary Hall. Jim Smith is 10 times the coach Gary Hall is.

NorthernRegion Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...though I've believed for a while that
> Chris Shuping is the more aggressive and solid
> option on the block.
>

Wow, kidding right? Shuping is not tall enough, and not big enough to make up for lack of said height.

If going to Middleburge, maybe Rodenas is reclassifying? It would make sense from a college development standpoint.

Shuping may not even make the team. He is unskilled and cannot play. GREAT kid but just lacks skills. Rodenas transferring is the dumbest thing he could do. He needs to toughen up or a fifth year won't matter. Gary Hall is no longer at Middleburg anyway. Rodenas will be the man in the middle this year for CHS. He'd be dumb to leave. They will still have a decent team, albeit a young one at some places. Watch out for Femi and Harris. They are better than any 1 or 2 guard currently in the program by leaps and bounds. If kids like Gittings and Shuping are playing a lot, they are in trouble. But they won't be. Trust me.

Lets focus on football for the time being.

Rodenas would be smart to reclassify if he can elsewhere, Chantilly struggles to develop post players as evidence by Manning and his own development the past 3 years. That being said Rodenas does not appear to be much of a player regardless of his height, so a transfer maybe a waste of time.

There is plenty of talent on that roster for Chantilly to still win the district, that much is certain. They lose a lot but they always get a lot to work with.