JWilson

One terrific basketball player to come out of Southwest Virginia was the recently deceased Gregg Belcher of Chilhowie. Played at Carson-Newman and also at ETSU, although I'm not sure how he did. But in high school, he was silk. Missed 2,000 points by just a few. Also, Ronnie Edwards of Graham (Virginia Tech) and Calvin Cockrell of Tazewell (LMU) -- both the class of 1975 -- were outstanding.... Edwards because of his game, Cockrell because of his physical gifts. And let's not forget Clarence Hanley of Marion, a 6-10 pure shooter who played four years at ODU. And the late Mike Keith, a fabulous athlete from Rich Valley who gained most of his fame on the gridiron. In recent years there is the three-headed 2,000-point machine at Gate City -- McClung, Zac Ervin and Bradley Dean.