BDT-Pocy Coal POW Award - Boys

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Floor general

 

Ponder is Player of the Week

 

By TOM BONE

Bluefield Daily Telegraph

 

BLUEFIELD — Last week, Craig Ponder and other Bluefield Beavers basketball players helped assist with gift distribution at the annual Community Christmas Tree program in Bluefield.

 

Assisting is something Ponder likes to do, especially on the basketball court.

 

“Getting an assist is the best feeling — especially, as a point guard, where you’re trying to control the game at all times,” he said. “The assist is the best part of the game.”

 

The floor general for the Beavers was the key to a 2-0 week consisting of wins over county rivals Princeton and PikeView, and ending with the championship of the First Community Bank Holiday Tournament.

 

Ponder’s selection as the Pocahontas Coal Association-Bluefield Daily Telegraph player of the week was easy.

 

“What a wonderful kid,” said Bluefield head coach Buster Large on Monday. “He practices hard every day. He’s a tremendous all-around student athlete. He enjoys the game (and) he is such a competitor. ... I know our kids look up to him as our leader.”

 

Ponder’s consistency, unselfishness and basketball intelligence have helped him earn that role, Large said.

 

As Princeton head coach Ernie Gilliard told Jed Lockett of the Daily Telegraph, “He can shoot. He passes well. He plays defense. He’s their ultimate leader. And as Craig goes, so goes Bluefield.”

 

Against the Tigers last Friday, the junior scored 28 points with three assists, two blocks and a steal. In the tournament championship with PikeView, he had 25 points, four steals and four rebounds, and three more assists.

 

At the foul line he was 8-for-9 on Friday and 7-for-11 on Saturday.

 

He has scored 115 points already this season, averaging 28.75 per game.

 

That doesn’t begin to tell the whole story, he insisted. As a “pass-first” point guard, he said after Friday night’s game, “I try to get everyone involved.”

 

“Even though other teams may concentrate on me, they don’t realize there are plenty of other people on the team who can make big plays,” he said.

 

“I can drop the ball off to others, and once they start hitting their shots, the defense will sag off of me — and they can swing the ball right back to me.”

 

Large said, “We tried to stress how important it is for the others to pick up their games — and they did.”

 

Ponder fouled out of Saturday’s game with 2:46 left, but even then his leadership wasn’t over. Large said, “When he came out, he told our players, ‘Just hang in there, guys. It’ll be all right.’ ”

 

To reach their potential, Ponder said, “We’ve just got to sit our butts down and play hard-nosed defense. That’s what it takes. You can’t be half a player with all of your game being offense. You’ve got to come fully prepared to play all parts of the game.”

 

He said that he wants that desire to be prominent when coaches evaluate his game. “I’d rather them say I can play defense, than offense,” he said.

 

Much like the Beavers’ football team, the hoops season started 0-2, beginning with a loss to cross-town neighbor Graham.

 

Ponder said he and his teammates were “shocked” at that start. The only thing they could do at that point was to try to turn it into a positive.

 

Ponder said, “I was surprised, but I think it did us good, because we came out more motivated to win the next games coming up.

 

“We just love the game, so we can’t wait to get started. ... We love competition.”

 

Ponder’s older brother Ansel made first-team all-state last spring, and the point guard received honorable mention. Now that Ansel has graduated, the spotlight and more leadership duties have settled on Craig.

 

But don’t think that has altered his attitude about taking to the court.

 

“I don’t think it’s changed at all,” Craig Ponder said. “Ever since I’ve played, I came into game focused. Whatever we need to do to win, that’s what we’ll do and that’s how I play.”

 

This Friday at Bluefield State College, the Beavers host Scott High School, which defeated them 72-59 on Dec. 19.

 

Asked what Bluefield learned from that game, Ponder said, “Defense. When we went up there we didn’t have that. We didn’t communicate well on the floor.”

 

He said communication “means a lot.” From the point guard’s perspective, he said, “You’re just guiding the team to do right.”

 

Ponder emphasized that communication is not a one-way street. “Everybody needs some direction. We get it from our coaches. It’s not all me. We help each other. Some others on the team give me direction on my game.”

 

Ponder’s game is definitely moving the Beavers in the right direction.

 

— Contact Tom Bone at

 

tbone@bdtonline.com

 

 

 

Honorable Mention

 

Bluefield (2-0): R.J. Wilson, 20 points; Devon Crawford, 18 points,

 

Bland County (1-2): Kris Kennedy, 40 points; Kyle Kennedy, 36 points; Aaron Blankenship, 24 points.

 

Council (0-1): Otto Fletcher, 31 points, 11 rebounds; Travis Viers, 12 points, 6 assists; Issac Viers, 11 points.

 

Haysi (1-0): Chris Fleming, 18 points; Jordan Sullivan, 11 points; Dannon O’Quinn, 10 points.

 

Iaeger (0-1): Cody Jackson, 19 points, 8 rebounds; Lawrence Morgan, 10 points; 5 rebounds.

 

James Monroe (0-3): Taylor Robertson, 42 points; Brian Belcher, 35 points; Tyler Franklin, 30 points; Layton Hefner, 26 points.

 

Montcalm (0-2): Donald White, 32 points; David Kolb, 24 points.

 

PikeView (1-1): Jordan Weitzel, 29 points; Ben Nester, 29 points; Tommy Symns, 28 points; Tanner Ratcliff, 20 points.

 

Princeton (1-2): Nick Branson, 47 points; Austin Harris, 23 points; Brandon Lafferty, 20 points.

 

Richlands (1-0): Gunner McGee, 15 points; Ethain Keene, 14 points.

 

Summers County (1-0): Ryne Nahodil, 26 points; Cameron Mann, 22 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals; Matt Yancey, 7 points, 11 rebounds.

 

Tazewell (1-0): Brandon Pauley, 21 points; T.J. Taxley, 21 points; Jon Corner, 8 points, Jarrod Angles, 8 points.

 

Twin Valley (2-1): Hunter Simpson, 46 points, 1,000 for career; Josh Smith, 40 points, 50 rebounds, 15 points, 23 rebounds vs. St. Paul; Lucas Shortridge, 24 points.

 

Wyoming East (1-0): Gentry Shrewsbury, 19 points; Travis Smith, 12 points, 16 rebounds, 4 steals; Evan Muscari, 12 points; Kody McCracken, 10 points.

 

NOTE: Coaches are urged to make recommendations for this award. Call (304) 327-2813 or (800) 763-2459. Fax to (304) 327-6179 or e-mail to sports@bdtonline.com

 

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