Chargers' Ford, McCarter, Jones and Perry bring home top awards

By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports on February 22, 2010 1:46 PM

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WILSON -- Wayne Country Day hauled home quite a load of individual hardware after the season-ending, Coastal Plains Independent 1-A basketball tournaments concluded Saturday evening at Greenfield School.

The Chargers' Catherine Ford was named the league's female player of the year, while Reco McCarter shared male player-of-the-year accolades with Greenfield's Brian Richardson. McCarter has signed with Virginia Commonwealth and Richardson inked with South Carolina.

Joining McCarter on the All-CPIC squad were teammates Tim Hobbs and Josh Gregory. Rashid Williams earned honorable mention status for the Chargers, who shared the CPIC regular-season championship with long-time nemesis Greenfield.

"Reco and Tim have been the pillars of our program," said third-year WCDS head coach Terry Jones. "They have stepped up and taken the program to the highest level it's ever been. They are quality leaders and set the tone every night for us on the court.

"Josh knows the system and he is me out there on the court. I trust him ... makes great decisions and I can either live or die with that. Rashid has done a little bit of everything, and gets in where he fits in. He never complains."

Jones was named the CPIC coach of the year. The Eastern Wayne alum guided the Chargers to a share of their first regular-season crown since 2002 and just their fifth overall since 1985.

"It was a pleasure to receive that honor and to be recognized by your peers," said Jones. "I have learned a lot from the guys around me and the teams who have beaten us the past three years. They've made strive to be at our best."

Ford, along with McCarter, eclipsed the 1,000-point scoring mark this season. A sophomore, Ford helped the Chargers record a runner-up finish in CPIC play after the team lost three starters off the 2009 squad which won the NCISAA 1-A state title.

"Without her, there is no way we would have gotten second place in the conference without her leadership and dedication, and the hard work she put in during the offseason," said WCDS head coach Eric Perry.

Junior Kim Martell repeated as an All-CPIC selection and was joined by teammates Sarah Best and Mack Thompson. All three also played on last year's state title team.

"It was a big transition for them, even though they are returning players," said Perry. "Kim was all-conference last year, but in a secondary role. She had growing pains and had to be one of the players we depended on this year, and she couldn't have any off nights.

"She grew as a player and developed into a leader. Mack came off the bench last season and stepped into a role as a defensive stopper (this season)."

Perry was named coach of the year.

"I like the fact more that my players got recognized and that's more important to me," said Perry. "The players make me look good, and we've still got some work left to do."