The story below is a preview from our May/June 2018 issue. For the full story Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!
Identifying the elite Roanoke Valley high school athletes from 1993 to 2018 is a challenge. But we’re giving it a shot.
The Top 20 was selected in consultation with coaches, sports writers, officials and athletes from the Roanoke Valley.
All-star teams by their very nature are argument-starters. The one we’re presenting here could start some fist fights. Below are 20 of the best athletes in the past 25 years in the Roanoke Valley, listed in alphabetical order, and the first response many of you will have is, “Why in the world didn’t (insert name) make it?!?”
We’ll immediately go on defense and tell you that former pro basketball player George Lynch and former international track star Monica Cabbler (Patrick Henry and William Fleming High respectively) were too old by a year or so.
People like football players Mike Hamlar (Cave Spring) and Chance Hall (Northside) and track star Brittany Cabbler were just outside the 20. There are quite a few others who could arguably have been included. However, what you see—as the late comedian Flip Wilson would contend—is what you get.
Examples: Catherine White won a remarkable 15 state championships and five all-state designations in track. Dennis Haley won state titles in football and basketball and Brandon Semones, an all-state football player, won three Virginia wrestling titles. Carrie O’Keeffe played six different varsity sports in high school, lettering in all of them. Thirteen of the 20 played a professional sport. Three played in men’s college basketball’s Final Four and one played in the English Soccer League. Three have written books.
Many of these athletes weren’t just good on the field, they were and are contributing members of their communities. Luke Hancock, for example, has worked extensively with autistic kids; the J.J. Redick Youth Foundation benefits the Children’s Miracle Network and CHIP of the Roanoke Valley; and Tiki and Ronde Barber have made a $1 million gift to the University of Virginia. Several members have become college coaches. One was a convicted criminal, but bounced back and redeemed himself.
It’s a good group, though you are invited to disagree and tell us who you believe we left out and why. Argue your case well. Here are our Top 20.
1/2. Barber Twins
The Barbers, inseparable twins Tiki and Ronde, count as two here. The Barbers played football at Cave Spring High (class of 1993) and the University of Virginia before finally being split up by professional football (Tiki with the Giants, Ronde with the Tampa Bay Bucs). They were outstanding track athletes, still holding Cave Spring records (Tiki broke the UVa long jump record on his first jump in college). Tiki was an All-American high school running back; Ronde, an all-star defensive back. Both were all-state at Cave Spring and All-ACC at UVa. Tiki ranks 26th in NFL career rushing yardage. Ronde is the only player in NFL history (he played 16 years) with at least 25 sacks and 40 interceptions. Both have had successful TV careers (both as football analysts, Tiki with the “Today Show,” among several TV and radio gigs), following retirement. Tiki is host today of “Tiki & Tierney” on CBS radio. Ronde is a likely first-ballot hall of fame pro player. The Barbers have written 12 children’s books.
3. Mark Byington
Mark Byington of Salem High was an all-state player on the 1994 state champion basketball team and was Virginia player of the year as a senior. He was honorable mention All-America and was a two-time first-team all-state selection. He was named MVP of the Virginia High School League All-Star Game. He was on the All-CAA defensive team his senior year at UNC-W and was a two-time all-academic selection, scoring more than 1,000 points in college. As Georgia Southern’s coach he was selected 2015 District 24 and Georgia state coach of the year. Formerly with programs at Virginia Tech and UVa.
4. Troy Daniels
Troy Daniels, William Fleming High School (class of 2009) and VCU basketball. His No. 30 jersey has been retired by Fleming. Northwest Region and Timesland Player of the Year and all-state. He led Fleming to three straight state tournaments, winning as a sophomore and senior. With Daniels at guard, VCU made the Final Four in 2011, and in 2012-13 he won the college 3-point shooting championship. He holds the Atlantic-10 record for 3-pointers in a game (11). Daniels played for five NBA teams, debuting with the Houston Rockets in 2014 and he split the 2015 season among Houston, Minnesota and Charlotte. He is now with Phoenix. Once scored eight 3-pointers in a pro game.
5. Dennis Haley
Dennis Haley was a Salem High multi-sport athlete class of 2000 and scholarship football player at UVa. He led Salem to three Group AA state football championships, rushing for 3,762 yards and 63 touchdowns during his four-year career. He lettered three times in basketball and once each in baseball and soccer. Haley played on Salem’s 1999 state champion basketball team, earning All-District honors. He played linebacker for UVa (starting one year) and was with the NFL Jets and Ravens and played in the Canadian Football League. He is a senior manufacturing manager of the Gatorade Plant for Pepsi in Christiansburg.
6. Luke Hancock
Luke Hancock was a basketball star at Hidden Valley High School (2008) and Hargrave Military Academy (class of 2009). He was an all-state high school player, but received little notice from colleges. Played for George Mason University two years, then transferred to the University of Louisville. He was named a captain of the team before ever playing a game. Selected as the Most Outstanding player in the NCAA Final 4 during Louisville’s now vacated national championship season, 2013. He was drafted and waived by Memphis Grizzlies, played briefly for Panionios in the Greek basketball league. Works for Lamkin Wealth Management as a financial advisor in Louisville.
7. Danny Karbassiyoon
Danny Karbassiyoon was a member of the Roanoke Stars soccer team while in high school. He played one year at Northside High and was in the class of 2003. Generally, the best soccer players play on traveling teams and not for their high schools. He was part of the Olympic Development team and the U.S. National Under 18 team. He won the Golden Boot Award as the top offensive player at the Adidas Elite Soccer Program. Karbassiyoon was offered college scholarships by Duke and Virginia (top-tier programs) but signed with Arsenal of the English Soccer League, the first American to do so out of high school. At 20, he became the youngest American to score a goal in an English soccer match, a winner against Manchester City. He played for Ipswich Town and Burnley in English Premier League. A knee injury cut short his pro career. He is an Arsenal scout in the U.S. now, and recently published his memoir “The Arsenal Yankee” about his years with Arsenal.
8. Amy Layman
Amy Layman made her reputation as an all-state softball pitcher and outfielder at Glenvar High School (class of 1997) in Roanoke County, then became Roanoke College’s first All-American in the sport. She was a noted golfer, as well. As a softball player, she was a three-time ODAC Player of the Year (the only player designated thus three times) and led Roanoke to four conference titles, four trips to NCAA playoffs and two trips to the Division III College World Series.
9. Carrie Moore O’Keeffe
Carrie Moore O’Keeffe was a Patrick Henry High (class of 1996), William and Mary and pro soccer player (Washington Freedom) and a member of the athletic halls of fame at each school. She was captain and MVP of championship soccer teams at PH and also played volleyball and basketball, and she ran cross country and indoor/outdoor track and basketball. Her senior volleyball team was a state runner-up. At W&M O’Keeffe helped to lead the soccer team to four straight conference championships and NCAA tournament appearances. She was first or second team all-conference each year, as well as MVP in 1999. She was named to the CAA Silver Anniversary Team. She played and coached six years for the Washington Freedom Soccer Club (teammates included Olympians Mia Hamm and Abby Wambach). She was a WUSA All-Star in 2002 and named to the 2003 Soccer America all-WUSA team. Named Hollins University soccer coach in 2007 and also coached at Patrick Henry.
10. Abby Oliver
Abby Oliver, Hidden Valley High School (class of 2008) and the University Richmond basketball. Was a key player for the Titans’ 2007 and 2008 state titles, runner-up in 2006. She was River Ridge District Player of the Year in 2007 and 2008, a two-time All-Timesland Player of the Year and a two-time all-state choice. At Richmond she was the 7th leading all-time scorer (1,488 points), the A-10 Conference Sixth Player of the year 2009-2010 and first team all-conference in 2012. She led the nation free throw percentage. Oliver played professionally for Elizur Netanya in Israel, where war disrupted her career. Oliver was named director of basketball operations at Radford University in 2013 and moved to Foot Levelers in Roanoke as a sales rep after a little more than two years at Radford. She is a personal trainer at Carilion Wellness.
11. Grayson Overstreet
Grayson Overstreet of Staunton River High School in Moneta (class of 2018) is a football player who broke O.J. Thomason’s “unbreakable” rushing record during his last season (2017) with more than 2,900 yards. He passed Thomason, ironically, against Thomason’s alma mater, William Byrd. He also smashed the state record for touchdowns in a career. Overstreet was Virginia’s Player of the Year in 2017 and has signed to play in college at the University of Richmond.
12. J.J. Redick
J.J Redick, Cave Spring basketball player (class of 2002) and consensus All-American and All-ACC at Duke. All-state at Cave Spring, a McDonald’s All-American and MVP in the 2002 McDonald’s All-American game. Was a Scout.com 5-star recruit, the No. 2 shooting guard in the U.S. Led Cave Spring to a state title as senior when he missed most of the first half of the season, leaving the Knights as an average team. Upon his return, CS dominated. He holds the NCAA 3-point record and is Duke’s all-time leading scorer. Broke Roanoker Curtis Staples’ NCAA 3-point record (set in 1998). He was drafted as the 11th pick in the 2006 draft by the Orlando Magic. He has since played with Milwaukee, the L.A. Clippers and Philadelphia (now).
13. Brandon Semones
Brandon Semones of Glenvar High (class of 1993) and outstanding Virginia Tech football player holds most of Glenvar’s rushing (5,000 yards) and scoring records and was also an outstanding defensive player with 500 career tackles. He finished a close second to Tiki Barber as Timesland Player of the Year. He was Virginia’s defensive player of the year as a senior. Semones started three years on Virginia Tech’s defense and was second team All-Big East twice, All-Academic three times. He won three state wrestling championships. He made the All-Beamer (Tech coach Frank Beamer, his uncle) third team when Beamer retired after 33 years. He’s an insurance agent in Blacksburg these days.
14. Curtis Staples
Curtis Staples, Patrick Henry High class of 1994, led PH to a Virginia state basketball title as sophomore. His University of Virginia jersey was retired in the first John Paul Jones Arena game. He has coached basketball at Virginia Episcopal School in Lynchburg, winning state titles in 2011 and 2014. He resigned at the end of the 2017-2018 season to seek a college coaching position. Staples set the NCAA 3-point record in 1998 (later broken by Roanoker J.J. Redick of Duke. Redick, who attended a Staples basketball camp at one point, called himself “a big Curtis Staples fan”). Scored 1,757 points at Virginia, ninth all-time. He played in the National Basketball Association Developmental League two seasons for the Roanoke Dazzle. He was drafted initially by the Chicago Bulls and played in Lebanon, Europe and the Philippines.
15. Lee Suggs
Lee Suggs was a William Fleming (class of 1998), and Virginia Tech football player and pro player for the Cleveland Browns. During his senior year in high school, he rushed for 2,918 yards and 30 touchdowns. He was ranked as the No. 19 high school running back in the nation by a major scouting service. At Virginia Tech, he became its all-time touchdown-scorer (53 total, 27 in one season). He was co-Big East player of the year in 2000 and set several rushing records at Tech. Suggs was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2003 draft. Injuries cut his career short. Most recently, he has been running back coach at Oberlin College and Catholic University.
16. Tay Taylor
Ataijah “Tay” Taylor was a notable Salem High (class of 2013) basketball player. She played for Wake Forest, graduating in three years. Taylor made the Virginia high school girls’ all-state team, was Group AA state Player of the Year and Timesland’s Player of the Year. Her team went to the state semifinals her sophomore and junior seasons at Salem. Taylor scored 1,000 points in three high school seasons and was an ESPN HoopGurlz Top-150 player. She was a three-year starter at Wake.
17. O.J. Thomason
O.J. Thomason of William Byrd High School (class of 2000) accumulated a Virginia career high school rushing record 7,536 yards by his senior year, 1999. Thomason dropped out of Butler Community College in Kansas and was later convicted on drug charges. Thomason lives in Texas and installs transformers for a living.
18. Angela Tincher O’Brien
Angela Tincher O’Brien of James River High (class of 2004) was a two-time all-state softball player at James River High (Buchanan), striking out every batter she faced on several occasions. She became an All-American at Virginia Tech ACC Player of the Year and an Academic All-American, and after playing professionally for the Akron Racers for two years, she became a Tech softball pitching coach in 2013, where she remains. In 2008 while at Tech she pitched a no-hitter against the U.S. Olympic team, ending a 12-year, 185-game winning streak by the Olympians. She was a member of the gold medal U.S. team in the 2006 World University Games in Taiwan. She was one of five college pitchers to achieve 100 wins, 1,000 strikeouts, an earned run average under 1.00 and average double-digit strikeouts per game for her career. She was a 2008 finalist for an ESPY award, which goes to the college athlete of the year. O’Brien was third pick in the 2008 National Pro Softball draft. She had 157 strikeouts as a rookie, four short of the league record and made the 2008 All-NPF Team. She married Tech baseball player Sean O’Brien in 2012.
19. Catherine White
Catherine White was a nationally-noted runner at Northside High School (class of 2007), University of Virginia and University of Arkansas. She was a five-time high school All-American; won 15 Virginia state championships; was a two-time Gatorade Virginia Female Track & Field Athlete of the Year. White won back-to-back 800-meter, 1,600-meter and 3,200-meter titles; won three-straight 1,500-meter and 3,200-meter indoor titles. She was the Milestat.com cross country runner of the year (2005), Milestat.com outdoor runner of the year (2007) and Milestat.com All-Decade team. She was a two-time Timesland Female Athlete of the Year (2006-2007), and a USA Junior National 5k champion. She is the holder of many records in the Southeastern and Atlantic Coast Conferences and was All-ACC and All-SEC, All-ACC academic. She joined Roanoke College as assistant track coach in 2013. She graduated from Georgetown University Nursing School in 2015 and is an RN at Georgetown University Hospital’s intensive care unit.
20. Josh Woodrum
Josh Woodrum, Cave Spring High School (class of 2011) and Liberty University football quarterback, was a phenom as a passing quarterback in high school and college, though he was only ranked the 1,219th best QB in the country as a senior by Maxpreps. At Liberty, he passed for 10,000 yards (5.6 miles) and led the Flames to three Big South titles. He was a three-year starter at Cave Spring and ranked the No. 3 quarterback in Virginia as a senior. He passed for 5,303 yards at CS and tossed 41 touchdown passes. He was a good runner, as well. Woodrum has been with six NFL teams in two years (Giants, Colts, Bears, Bills, Ravens, Browns) since going un-drafted in 2016. He is now with the Baltimore Ravens. Woodrum weighed 185 pounds in high school, 230 as a pro.
... for more from our May/June 2018 issue, Subscribe today, view our FREE interactive digital edition or download our FREE iOS app!