John Rose has been nothing short of a coach’s dream over his basketball career at Greater Beckley Christian.
Rose has not only displayed the ability to be a proficient scorer and lock-down defender, most of all, he has been the consummate team player.
That trait was never more evident than during his senior campaign.
Coming off of a season where the Crusaders made an incredible run to the Class A state championship game, Rose knew the 2022-23 season for Greater Beckley was going to be vastly different.
Rose was the only returning player with serious varsity experience and Greater Beckley faced a one-year ban from postseason play by the WVSSAC.
With transfer options on the table, Rose instead chose to stay with the Crusaders for his final year and also help develop the younger players on the roster.
“John was a big part in helping those guys develop,” Greater Beckley head coach Justin Arvon said. “He is unselfish and he wants the team to win. That is is first and foremost goal for him.”
The decision to stay turned out to be a good one for Rose and his talents did not go unrecognized.
Just over a week removed from being named as a member of the Class A all-state second team, Rose has now been chosen to play in the 33rd annual Scott Brown/Little General Classic.
The prestigious all-star event will be played April 15 at Shady Spring High School.
The boys all-star game is scheduled for 4:30 p.m., while the girls game is set for 2:30 p.m. The 3-point contest for the girls will be at 2 p.m. and the boys will battle from behind the arc at 4 p.m.
“I was excited, especially when I saw the list. To be on a list with all those good players is a really cool thing,” Rose said. “Obviously it is going to be cool to play with all of those guys. They are all big names and are big talents.”
While Rose has always been a talented basketball player, over his senior season, he was afforded the opportunity to better show his full range of skills.
“John is an efficient player and a proficient guard. He has a mid-range game that you don’t really see much anymore,” Arvon said. “He can knock down a 3, but he can beat you off of the dribble and get all the way to rim, or he can stop and pop as well.”
Rose understood going into the season that the bulk of the scoring each night was going to fall on his shoulders until his young and inexperienced teammates developed.
Although that constant pressure can weigh on a player, Rose was rock-solid averaging nearly 28 points per game.
“I didn’t think much of it because I knew that was just how it was going to be this year. I wasn’t intimidated or nervous, I just wanted to win games,” Rose said. “I didn’t go out trying to score a bunch of points, but if that is what we needed to win, then that is what would happen.”
Playing alongside some prolific point guards over his career, this year it Was Rose’s turn to step into the facilitator role.
“This year where I was the primary ball-handler. It was more about me attacking and getting looks for my teammates,” Rose said. “Those catch and shoot opportunities for 3 weren’t as open as they had been the last couple of years.”
Rose tallied 582 points and joined the elite 1,000 point club this year. The interesting part of his journey was the fact that 172 of his field goals came inside the 3-point line.
“I don’t want to be a one-dimensional player. I want to score from everywhere. I practice mid-range shooting and moving inside,” Rose said.
Arvon pointed out that while the scoring numbers jump out, Rose is much more than just a shooter.
“He adjusted to his new role with this team really well. We wanted him getting downhill into the lane and forcing the defense to collapse. He was a willing passer,” Arvon said. “Halfway through the season, we had the highest percentage 3-point shooter in Kash Hendrix at 48 percent. That was in large part to defenses having to collapse around John and him willing to make the extra pass. He also averaged nine rebounds per game.”
Arvon also afforded Rose arguably the greatest compliment an athlete can receive from his coach.
“We always knew John was going to give effort every time he stepped on the court as well,” Arvon emphasized.
Clearly proud of the work and dedication from his talented senior, Arvon admitted Rose would be greatly missed going forward.
“I have been around John as a coach since he was in sixth grade. He will be sorely missed, not only as a basketball player, but I will miss having him in the school and around the program every day,” Arvon said. “He was valedictorian of his class and had a great score on his ACT. He will do great things on and off the court moving forward. I am really excited for him.”
