Wednesday, April 9, 2008

Preston Hartman named first team All Area

CUMBERLAND — Jordan Brooks, who led Fort Hill to a perfect league season and a return trip to the Maryland state tournament, was selected the Appalachian Mountain Athletic Conference Player of the Year by the head coaches of the eight-team league.

Brooks, who edged Northern’s Kory Gibson in the player of the year voting, is joined on the first AMAC team by league scoring champion Gibson, teammate Darren Graham, Allegany’s Travis Dordevic, Mountain Ridge’s David Hobel and Keyser’s Preston Hartman.

Named to the second team were Cameron Butler of Allegany, Jeff Stem and Jordan Pacella of Southern and Jeremy Green and Matt Wilmer of Keyser.

Honorable mention went to Garrett Gulledge and Jeff Smith of Northern, Casey Roberts of Allegany, Ryan Brooks and Cory McCarty of Fort Hill, Jeremy Shingler and Sammy Brackett of Mountain Ridge, Drew Proudfoot of Southern, Nathan Gillespie and Steven Whitacre of Frankfort, and Robbie Miller and Will Hughes of Hampshire.

* Brooks, a 6-foot guard, led Fort Hill to a 14-0 record in the conference’s inaugural season, and to a 23-3 overall record that also included the Cumberland City League and Class 1A West Region championships.

Brooks finished second in the conference in scoring with 22.2 points per game. He was third in three-point goals, hitting 29 in the 14 games for just over two per game, and ranked sixth in foul shooting by making 62 of 83 tries for 74.6 percent.

For the season, Brooks averaged 22 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game, shot 76 percent from the foul line (118 for 155) and made 43 three-point goals.

* Gibson, a 6-5 senior, nearly pulled off a conference triple-crown of sorts. He led the conference in scoring with a 25.2 average, and in three-point goals with 50 for 3.5 per game. He finished second in foul shooting, making 68 of 86 chances for 79 percent.

For the 23-game season, Gibson led the area in scoring with a 27.3 average and in three-point goals with 87, or 3.7 per game. He was fifth in foul shooting at 77 percent (111 for 144), and also averaged 7.5 rebounds, nearly two steals and one blocked shot per game.

* Graham, a 6-3 senior, was a solid all-around performer at Fort Hill, where he was effective inside and out on offense and defense.

He finished eighth in the conference in scoring with a 14.2 average and was among the top three-point shooters with 18 in 14 games, for 1.2 per game. He excelled defensively with strong rebounding and shot-blocking ability.

For the 26-game season, Graham averaged a double-double with 11.6 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.

* Dordevic, a 6-3 senior, helped lead a young Allegany team to a 19-5 season and second place in the league at 11-3.

Dordevic averaged 13.4 points per game and shot 68 percent from the foul line, making 36 of 53 attempts. Also an exceptional defender and rebounder, Dordevic averaged 13 points and 8.1 rebounds per game over the 24-game season. He shot 68 percent from the foul line and 54 percent from the field.

* Hobel, a junior guard at Mountain Ridge, led the Miners to a 15-9 overall mark and third place in the league with a 9-5 record.

Hobel ranked among the league’s best in scoring, foul shooting and three-point shooting. He was third in scoring with a 19.2 average, and third in foul shooting, making 105 of 135 shots for 78 percent. His 105 free throws made and 135 attempted were easily the conference highs. He was fifth in three-point goals with 25, or 1.7 per game.

For the season, Hobel averaged 18.2 points, shot 82 percent from the foul line (155 for 188) and made 43 three-point shots.

* Hartman, a 6-2 junior, led Keyser to a 13-11 season and a trip to the West Virginia Class AA state tournament. The Golden Tornado finished fifth in the conference with a 6-8 record.

Hartman was the conference’s fourth-leading scorer with an 18.2 average, and tied for third in three-point goals with 29.

For the season, Hartman averaged a double-double with 18.1 points, 11.8 rebounds and nearly two steals per game. He made 51 three-point goals.