All-Kanawha Valley prep boys basketball: Lewis, Billanti claim top billing

Lewis' efforts in this year's state tournament cemented his name among George Washington legends.

He concluded his final state tournament averaging 31 points and 13 rebounds per game. He shot 31 of 58 (53%) from the floor overall, then 29 of 37 (78%) from the free-throw line.

Lewis' accomplishments stretched back to the regular season, when he became the Patriots' all-time leading scorer. Lewis finished his career on the Hill with 1,737 points and 832 rebounds.

Lewis becomes the first GW player to win consecutive Kanawha Valley Player of the Year honors since Luke Eddy in 2012 and 2013.

"This means a lot, especially when you play for such a prestigious program like GW," Lewis said. "There's such a rich culture with great players who have come through. Knowing the talent level and being able to do it with some of my best friends has been a blessing."

Lewis is also the first player to repeat as Kanawha Valley Player of the Year since Poca's Isaac McKneely from 2020-22.

The GW forward closed his senior season averaging 30 points and 10 rebounds on 62% shooting.

"Kanawha County is one of the basketball counties in West Virginia," Lewis said. "There's a lot of great competition with great players, so winning is twice as hard. Growing up in the Kanawha Valley and playing middle school in a county championship against other good local talent [and] being able to play against some of your best friends certainly means a lot."

Veteran GW coach Rick Greene is no stranger to coaching talented players at his alma mater, and he's coached the Patriots to four state titles, all since 2010.

Lewis is one of seven George Washington players to be named Kanawha Valley Player of the Year on Greene's watch, joining Ben Nicol, Brendan Hoffman, Mason Pinkett, Bunky Brown, Jon Elmore and Luke Eddy.

"When [Lewis] was a freshman, Ben was here. Ben was a great example of showing the expectations, what's expected, how we carry ourselves and how we play basketball here," Greene said. "It's part of building off the tradition. Noah, obviously, grasped it and embraced it 100%. He is one of the best leaders to ever go through here, and he's in a class with a bunch of other good leaders.

"The main thing with Noah is that he has the ability to be a fierce competitor with great confidence but is not arrogant or cocky."

Lewis signed to play college basketball at Wright State, which made the NCAA tournament this season, a few months ago.

When he looks back on his time at George Washington, all the materialistic things he's earned will mean something, but it's the lasting relationships with his teammates and coaches that'll stick with him.

"The relationships that I've built with the guys are something I'll miss," Lewis said. "Coach Greene was talking to me the other day about his team in 1971. He said that some of his teammates are his doctors or surgeons. So, no matter what my teammates go and do, they're still going to be a brother to me. Those relationships will be special to me."

Lewis made the All-Kanawha Valley first team, while Patriots guard Dominic Sprouse checked in on the second team.

Other first team All-Kanawha Valley members are Brody Ilderton from Winfield (15 points per game), De'Shad Williams from Capital (12 ppg), Zaden Ranson from ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic (13 ppg) and Malcolm Brown from South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä (23 ppg).

Ranson and Ilderton each averaged a double-double this season, with Ranson pulling down 11 rebounds per game, while Ilderton recorded 10 rebounds per game.

Billanti revives Upper Kanawha hoops

Riverside had one of its best seasons ever this year.

The Warriors' record of 13-11 wasn't the most appealing, but after a difficult schedule in and out of Mountain State Athletic Conference play, they proved the best was yet to come.

A 75-71 double-overtime victory over Hurricane in a Class AAAA South Region tournament winner-to-state game solidified Riverside's second-ever state tournament appearance and first since 2002.

The efforts of third-year Warriors coach Jacob Billanti earned him the All-Kanawha Valley Coach of the Year nod.

Billanti is the first Riverside coach to take home these honors since Jim Fout in 2002.

"This past season meant everything," Billanti said. "It's been a part of my vision since I took the position to be where we're at. It was the coolest thing to see something you envision and play for actually unfold. It didn't come without the struggles, right? You hear people preach all the time about overcoming adversity, and good things can come from that. Well, to actually live that and get to watch the players live it too was awesome."

Early in January, the Warriors dropped three straight games by an average of 14 points.

Riverside then got back on the right side of things after that stretch, winning 10 of its final 16 games, including a four-game winning streak leading into the state tournament.

"We had a serious talk, and we made sure that we weren't going to listen to any noise that was outside of the locker room," Billanti said. "We just stayed focused on what the ultimate goal was, which was making the state tournament. We understood that there were some things that we needed to tighten up on. When we got on the right path, it was great to see."

Riverside's Josh Brock earned All-Valley third-team honors. Brock made all eight of his shots and finished with 20 points in Riverside's state tournament quarterfinal against Morgantown.

While Brock led the Warriors in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game, Isaiah Coles chipped in 11.7 points. Coles was named to the All-Kanawha Valley Defensive Team.

Coles averaged 2.7 steals per game.

"The legacy that Isaiah leaves is how to be a true point guard, how to be selfless, how to do the dirty work and how to get the job done when it matters most," Billanti said. "That, for the younger generation that got to watch him play, was a big deal. It inspired a lot of these younger kids to play like him.

"If you look at Josh, he came in and was just phenomenal. He showed you what it's all about to put the ball in the hole. He did it the right way. He never wanted to isolate anyone. He, too, leaves a great legacy behind."

Freshman Rocco Terry also represented Riverside on the All-Kanawha Valley rookie team. He finished his first season averaging 12 points and eight rebounds per game.

Orcutt impressive in first season

Five South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä players have received Kanawha Valley Rookie of the Year honors since 2008 -- Duane Harris (2021), E.J. Phillips (2016), Jon Elmore (2011), Pierria Henry (2008) and now Brycen Orcutt.

Orcutt averaged 17.4 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game as a freshman.

He shot 42% from the floor, connecting on 36% of his 3-point attempts. He made 80 treys.

"We knew going into this year that he was going to take on a scoring role for us," Black Eagles coach Josh Daniel said. "I didn't know that he would be as good as what he ended up being. We knew he had the skill set to do it. He just plays with such confidence that you don't see from a lot of 14-year-olds. A lot of it is that he puts in a lot of work. He works as hard as any player that I've coached. He's benefiting from the work that he's put in the offseason."

By season's end, Orcutt started garnering significant defensive attention from opponents, seeing multiple defenders on him in one possession.

Daniel was pleased with how Orcutt responded to how defenses adjusted to his game to create his own shots.

"After people realized how good he was, he started getting face-guarded and getting teams' best defenders sometimes," Daniel said. "The biggest thing with him was learning how to get open. He made tough shots for us and wasn't just standing there in the corner or waiting to catch and shoot, which he is good at. He really grew his game, especially by getting to the rim, shooting off the dribble and getting to the mid-range."

Orcutt was also named to the All-Kanawha Valley Rookie Team.

His teammate Brown earned All-Kanawha Valley first-team honors after averaging 23 points per game on 45% shooting.

Lovejoy, Mullen share defensive honors

Nitro's Timmy Lovejoy and George Washington's Matthew Mullen share this year's Kanawha Valley Defensive Player of the Year honors.

Mullen is the first Patriot to receive this honor since Taran Fitzpatrick in 2022, while Lovejoy joins Joseph Udoh among Wildcats to win the area's defensive honors since 2020.

Mullen drew six charges, deflected 42 balls and swiped away 17 steals.

Lovejoy averaged two steals and two blocks per game. He totaled 38 steals and 50 blocks in 21 games for Nitro this season. Lovejoy also grabbed five defensive rebounds per game.

All-Kanawha Valley Team

• First team: Noah Lewis (George Washington), Brody Ilderton (Winfield), De'Shad Williams (Capital), Malcolm Brown (South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä) and Zaden Ranson (ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic)
• Second team: Brogan Samms (St. Albans), Dominic Sprouse (George Washington), Jojo Greene (Capital), Asher Flannery (Buffalo) and Josh Brock (Riverside)
• Third team: Carson O'Dell (Hurricane), Wilkes Aliff (ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä Catholic), Owen Taylor (Winfield), Ty Stephens (Nitro) and Riley Johnson (Herbert Hoover)
• All-Rookie Team: Brycen Orcutt (South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä), Rocco Terry (Riverside), Brayden Browning (George Washington), Cameren Burkes (Winfield) and Owen Jones (Winfield)
• All-Defensive Team: Matthew Mullen (George Washington), Chuck Kelley (George Washington), Timmy Lovejoy (Nitro), Zay Hall (St. Albans) and Isaiah Coles (Riverside)