Nelson County’s Brown leads 2008 All-Group A boys team

The Associated Press
Published: May 5, 2008

RICHMOND — For the first time, the Virginia High School League split Group A into two divisions in basketball this season, producing two boys state champions.
But only one of them had Thomas Brown. The Nelson County senior averaged 24 points, seven rebounds, 6.5 assists and three steals as the Governors went 30-1 and won the first Group A, Division 1 state championship in school history. Brown had 16 points in the championship game and was selected the AP’s Group A player of the year by sports writers around the state.
The 6-foot-2 Brown had plenty of company in a dazzling season.
Tennis Simon averaged 17.7 points for George Wythe, which went 28-2 and won the Division 2 championship. Maroons’ coach Al Copenhaver was the writers’ choice as coach of the year.
Simon, a 6-3 senior, got into early foul trouble, then scored 21 of his 23 points in the second half of the championship game, helping the Maroons beat Gate City 68-53.
He and Brown are joined on the first team by seniors Isiah Hill of King William and Chandler Rhoads of Clarke County, and junior Andrew Adkins of Coeburn.
Copenhaver, the coach at George Wythe for more than two decades, won his first state championship. The Maroons’ only losses both came against Group AA Pulaski County.
Hill, 6-9, averaged 25 points, 16 rebounds and five assists as his team went 20-6.
Rhoads, 6-1, averaged 25.8 points to lead a young Eagles squad to a 20-6 record. He scored a career-high 39 against Stonewall Jackson and finished with 1,638 career points.
Adkins, 5-11, averaged 24.1 points and shot 51.7 percent from the field.
The six-player second team includes seniors Jeremy Heizer of Riverheads, Mark Baker of Appomattox Regional Governors School and Patrick Fisher of Castlewood, juniors Tihlee Anderson of Gate City and T.T. Carey of Colonial Beach and sophomore Josh Smith of Twin Valley.