Arguably, no team has had to bear the burden of expectation like the James Monroe boys basketball team has this season.
Returning several players, including a pair of first-team all-staters, from a team that made the Region 3 co-final championship game last year, many felt like the Mavericks were a shoe-in to take the next step this season.
Earning a trip to the big dance is never that simple.
With that in mind, it is easy to understand why James Monroe was as much relieved as excited when the horn sounded last Wednesday and the Mavs raised the regional championship plaque for just the second time in school history.
“Going into the season about everybody you talked too was saying we wouldn’t lose more than two or three games. I told them I just wanted to win that first game and get that under our belt,” James Monroe head coach Matt Sauvage said. “The coaches decided that would be the same approach we would take with the players also.”
“First of all, I told them we were not good until we proved we were good. I told them lets take the first game, then the second and then the third,” Sauvage went on to say. “That has been our mindset all year. We have called it, ‘enjoying the journey.’ Sometimes you get too focused in on the destination. If you don’t end up at the spot you thought you should be, then you forgot to enjoy the journey. The boys have bought into it, 100 percent. I think that is the biggest thing that has helped us.”
While the 25-0 record may indicate otherwise, the Mavericks did experience their fair share of adversity on their journey through the regular season.
A hard fall against Narrows, Va. in just the second game of the season took Sauvage’s best defender, Josh Burks, off the floor for awhile with a wrist injury.
In the next game against Greater Beckley Christian the Mavericks’ biggest post threat, Cameron Thomas, got off balance on a rebound and went down hard on his back.
At the time of both injuries, it was unclear how long both players would be out of action. In Thomas’ case, the concern was not only could he play again, but could he walk again.
“At first, I thought (Cameron) just had the breath knocked out of him. Then when I saw there was not a lot of movement, I ran out there,” Sauvage explained. “At that time, basketball took a backseat. All I was worried about was Cameron the young man.”
Fortunately for James Monroe, both players returned to action healthy and even more motivated. The positive side of the bad situation was that it afforded other players valuable minutes.
“The way the season started out was hard. We had to do it shorthanded,” Sauvage said. “We had to battle through that. The good part about it was some of our players who weren’t getting many minutes were able to step up and that has really helped us now.”
Players like Cooper Ridgeway, A.J. Walker and Haiden Huffman all benefited from the extra game time.
In the regional championship game, Ridgeway was called upon when Thomas battled foul trouble. The young sophomore came in and battled down low, scoring nine key points in the win.
“That is what it takes this time of year. You need a player or two to step up that normally doesn’t step up. That is what separates you,” Sauvage said.
The Mavericks are led by a dynamic duo that would make even Batman and Robin a little envious.
Eli Allen is a walking triple-double, while Shad Sauvage routinely drops 3-pointers from deep downtown. Both players average over 20 points per game.
Thomas averages 11.6 points and just under seven rebounds a night. Burks and Collin Fox combine for 15 points.
As a player at Peterstown, Sauvage knows the feeling of playing inside the now named Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center.
“I have been to the states a couple of times, but for me, as a coach, it is nice to know that these players will experience that too,” Sauvage said. “The state tournament is a whole different vibe. It is going to be fun for them to experience that and have those memories for a lifetime.”
Sauvage admitted having played in more of an “old school” period, he had to make some adjustments when he took over as head coach at the high school.
“When I was in high school, you couldn’t talk on the bus and things like that. Everything was focus, focus, focus,” Sauvage said. “With this group, you can get them to focus and understand the game plan, but if they aren’t having a little bit of fun mixed in, they don’t perform well. It has changed our concept of coaching a little bit. We have had to figure out how to incorporate the fun with the focus each night, as well as from practice to games. I think they have done that.”
James Monroe was voted the No. 1 seed for Class A and will open quarterfinal action against Madonna at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Sauvage admitted not know a lot about the Blue Dons but would be pouring through film all weekend to come up with a game plan.
“They are big and they will matchup with us size-wise. They are also long, so I am hoping our size can match up with them and our guards can take over from there,” Sauvage said.
While it may be the No. 8 seed, Madonna has proven itself worthy of a state tournament berth. After falling three times to top-5 ranked Cameron in the regular season, the Blue Dons stunned the Dragons in the sectional championship game.
If James Monroe can handle Madonna in the opening round, the Mavs will battle the winner of St. Joseph and Cameron, Thursday at 7:15 p.m. in the semifinals.
The championship game in Class A will be played at 10 a.m. Saturday.
