Chilhowie's G.O.A.T. passes away today at 56

[Liam McPoyle 1,863]

Gregg Belcher, right, accepts a game ball from Chilhowie coach John A. Goodwin after scoring his 1,000th career point.

Courtesy of Chilhowie High School

 

 

History with Hayes

Tim Hayes, Bristol Herald Courier

February 1, 2018

 

Dylan Catron’s 43-point performance last week in a win over Patrick Henry put Chilhowie High School’s 6-foot-8 junior in elite company.

Catron’s point production tied the Smyth County school’s single-game record held by 1981 graduate Gregg Belcher, the greatest basketball player to ever put on a jersey for the Warriors.

“It’s a great honor to share a record with a Chilhowie legend like Gregg Belcher,” Catron said. “A lot of credit goes to my teammates for getting me the ball when I had the hot hand.”

 

Gregg Belcher often had the hot hand.

The two-time Hogoheegee District player of the year finished his career at Chilhowie with 1,958 points and the Warriors compiled a 68-15 record in games that the 6-foot-1 dynamo started.

He scored 43 points against Honaker on Jan. 11, 1980, as the Warriors rolled to a 94-66 victory.

“We were ahead 58-18 at halftime and if I remember correctly Gregg was 18-for-18 from the field and 4-for-4 from the foul line,” said Mike Sturgill, a former teammate of Belcher’s. “He had 40 points at the half and didn't play much in the second half.”

The following year Belcher went for 43 points and again the opponent was Honaker. The Warriors needed every bucket this time as they survived for an 82-80 overtime win.

“I remember in warm-ups there were some elementary school boys sitting on the front row on the end where we were shooting layups,” said Mike Davidson, Belcher’s teammate at the time. “We were talking to them and they were saying things like, ‘There is Belcher,’ ‘He is their best player,’ ‘How many do you think he’ll score tonight?’ I remember hearing them and realizing how good high school players were well known throughout Southwest Virginia.

“It was funny because I told them that he looked like he was hot and they might be in trouble. They countered that they were going to beat us. It was all in fun and the kids ate it up. The way it turned out I was right. There were times when I wondered why we even ran down the court because when he shot it, it was going in.”

Belcher had 40 points in a game against Rich Valley during the 1980-81 season.

The guy was a scoring machine.

He averaged 23 points as a sophomore, 23.6 points as a junior and 25.7 points as a senior, when he shot 57 percent from the field and also averaged 7.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game.

“Gregg was a very, very good player,” said Sam Blevins, a standout at Chilhowie alongside Belcher. “The thing that stood out the most about Gregg was he played the game so well, but it seemed to come so easy to him; he was such a smooth player. … He was a pure shooter, but could create his own shot and scored well off the dribble. It is a shame he didn't play with the 3-point line.”

Like all the great ones, Belcher had that clutch trait.

The Warriors reached the Region C tournament four times during his playing days.

Chilhowie and Holston were tied for first place in the Hogoheegee District entering the final game of the regular season in 1981. Belcher scored 22 points as the Warriors claimed the crown with a 65-62 overtime victory.

A week later, he torched the nets to the tune of 39 points as the Warriors earned a 79-76 win over Holston in the finals of the district tournament.

“He was a winner, not just a scorer,” Blevins said. “He always showed up big in the tough games.”

Those who tried to defend him could vouch for that.

“During my days, Gregg was the absolute best, without a doubt,” said Mark Puckett, who played for rival R.B. Worthy High School in Saltville. “He played as a freshman like a senior. He was just so smooth, like a robot. You just knew when we played them he was going to dump 20 to 30 on us. Well, he did that to most teams. I remember when we were playing I would talk trash to him and try to get in his head. Never happened. He would be grinning at me as he would rise up for his shot.

“In my mind, from a freshman to a senior he was the best I ever saw. You see some players as freshmen and you say. ‘He will be special in a few years.’ Not Gregg. He was special from day one.”

Belcher was also an all-state football player and a four-time all-district baseball player.

“Gregg and I were close friends all through school,” Blevins said. “He was a smart guy with a great personality. He was good at everything he did. “

Belcher become the first NCAA Division I hoops signee from Chilhowie when he chose to play at East Tennessee State University.

Belcher played in 17 games for ETSU as a freshman, averaging 1.3 points and shooting 41.7 percent from the field. He transferred to Carson-Newman after his one season in Johnson City.

“I remember a member of Carson-Newman’s basketball team telling me that he was the best pure shooter they had ever seen play,” Sturgill said.

Dylan Catron has heard plenty of stories of his own about his co-record holder.

His father, P.J., was a star for the Rich Valley Steers and played against Belcher in high school.

“My dad told me Belcher was in range as soon as he pulled in the parking lot,” Catron said. “He also said he was the smoothest shooter he ever played against.”

 

[rabidbeaver 90]

Sad to hear...we came in together as freshman at ETSU.  Never understood why he transferred from ETSU when he, out of all three of us incoming freshman accumulated the most playing time. He never hinted what so ever to us that he was going to transfer...there one day, gone the next. One hell of basketball player and over all good guy.