Paint Valley’s 1000-Point Scorers: A Rundown

This is not a ranking, so everyone settle down. I’m not that dumb. It’s merely my observations regarding some of the best players in Paint Valley basketball history.

I was lucky enough to coach five of these guys, was AD when another played and I was on the same team with the last, so I think I have a pretty unique insight into their play. And by the way, I didn’t include the 1000-point scorers who played before the consolidation of Twin and Bainbridge High Schools (Ronnie Shoemaker and Vernard Knapp) since they played before I was born.

And so, in no particular order because there’s no way I’m going there, a rundown of Paint Valley’s all-time leading scorers:

Craig Kerns (1993) – 1047 points

• Craig was a triple-double waiting to happen. He was undoubtedly one of the best players in the history of the Scioto Valley Conference and could do it all – score, rebound, and pass. A 3-year starter, Craig played every position on the floor, and he played them well. He could guard any position too. He was a First Team All-Ohio player and earned a full scholarship to play basketball at the University of Rio Grande. My favorite story about Craig took place in a game against Adena. We were undefeated and Adena wasn’t very good, but we were trailing by 7-points with about 5-minutes to go. It was one of those games where we just could not get rolling. At that point I called Craig over and simply said, “You have to do something. Take over the game.” He did, and we won. That’s pretty much all you need to know about Craig Kerns. He was a player who could’ve score 2000-points had he not been so unselfish and had he not had an unrelenting will to win, which included sharing the ball with his talented teammates. Craig led us to two sectional titles and two district tournament appearances at The Convo.

Clay Stratton (2015) – 1303 points

• In my opinion Clay is the best player never to make 1st Team All-SVC, and I’m not 100% sure why since he was All-Ohio as a senior. He had a great mid-range game and an unlimited motor. He did what I asked without question and never, ever had a doubt regarding our game plan. He was the ultimate team player. He could penetrate all the way to the basket, shoot a mid-range jump shot or bury a three-pointer. Clay holds the career record for 3-pointers at Paint Valley. He also often defended our opponent’s best offensive player.  Clay led us to two sectional titles and two district championship appearances and is currently playing at the University of Rio Grande.

Mason McCloy (2015) – 1079 points

• Mason McCloy was a rebounding machine.  He holds virtually every PV rebounding record – game, season, and career. He once grabbed 32-rebounds in a game, breaking a record that stood for 40-years. I have video of Mason going after balls that no other player would dream of going after. Despite missing 8-games due to a broken hand, Mason scored 1079-points on a variety of putbacks, tip-ins and short range jumpers. He was a leaper and a dunker and I’ve never had a player that competed harder. Unlimited energy. An All-Ohioan, Mason led us to two sectional titles and two district championship appearances.

Jeff Everhart (1996) – 1025 points

• Jeff Everhart had unlimited range. He was a threat to score as soon as he  crossed mid-court. Jeff has the PV record of 59 3-pointers in a season. He had a great mid-range game as well, and he often guarded our opponent’s best player. Jeff was a born shooting guard but came to me and offered to move to the point guard position his senior season. Why? Because he thought it would help the team. My favorite Jeff Everhart story is this one – he was at 999 points and everyone in the gym was waiting for his next basket. Soon he had a breakaway layup, but to everyone’s surprise he threw it hard off the backboard, missing badly. Next thing we knew Christian Newsome came flying in, grabbed the basketball, and threw down a vicious two-handed dunk. You see, Jeff’s missed layup was actually a pass. When he had a chance to score his 1000th point, he chose to assist a teammate instead. ‘Nuff said.

Anthony McFadden (2016) – 1037 points and counting

• Anthony is undoubtedly one of the top 5 all-around athletes in Paint Valley history. A 4-year starter, he holds the all-time PV record for points in the Convocation Center and had a high of 31 against South Webster there in 2014. Deceptively quick, Anthony has started more tournament games than any player in Paint Valley history. He has hit many clutch shots and free throws in his PV career. When I was asked to return to coach at Paint Valley, I made sure Anthony, an 8th grader at the time, would be my point guard. If not for an injury this year he would be the all-time leading 3-point shooter in our school’s history. Want proof that Anthony is a great all-around athlete? Despite all you just read, basketball is probably Anthony’s third best sport behind baseball and football, sports in which he’s been our league’s Player of the Year.

Mick Shoemaker (1975) – 1520 points

• Mick Shoemaker was the Pete Maravich of the SVC from 1973 to 1975. A First Team All-Ohioan, he holds the Paint Valley record with 1520-points and was a threat to score from anywhere on the court. He could shoot from long-range or drive to the basket, and he scored his points before the 3-point line was a part of the game. As a senior he averaged 31.4 points per game, also a Paint Valley record. Mick earned a full scholarship to the University of Cincinnati, where he played for 4-years. Here’s my favorite story regarding Mick – We were playing Huntington and they started out with a Box and 1 on me. I was thinking “Hey, they’ve figured they’ll let Mick get his points and stop me. They appreciate my contributions to the team.” It was about then that Huntington’s coach yelled at the player guarding me for all the gym to hear, “Not him! The OTHER Shoemaker!” True story.

Matt Workman (2009) – 1104 points

• Unfortunately I never got to see Matt play much. He played in the mid-00’s and that was between my involvement with PV Athletics. I do know that Matt was a 3 1/2 year starter who did whatever his coach asked him to do. He was a consistent scorer and had an all-around game that included slashing to the basket, posting up and shooting mid-range jumpers, a lost art in the modern game. Matt could also knock down a 3-pointer when needed. He was probably one of the most underrated basketball players in Paint Valley history.

Jeff Leeth (1982) – 1058 points

• Jeff was virtually unstoppable around the rim. He wasn’t a great leaper but he had a great touch and a variety of post moves. Jeff was an unselfish player who had a great mid-range game as well. He was a high percentage shooter and was an outstanding rebounder, particularly on the offensive end. He was also named to the All-Ohio team. Jeff was a great baseball player as well and played college ball at the University of Rio Grande.

Drew Bobb (2004) – 1125

• Drew was a pure, all-around athlete. He was a 4-year starter and held the career rebounding record until it was broken by Mason McCloy. He was a great leaper with a soft touch despite being 6-5, 225 and one of the strongest players ever to play at Paint Valley. Drew was a 4-year starter in football, basketball and baseball, a rarity at Paint Valley and high school sports in general. An All-Ohioan, He led the Bearcats to a sectional title and district tournament appearance, and has to be considered on of Paint Valley’s top five all-around athletes in history.

So there ya go. My thoughts on Paint Valley’s 1000-point scorers. As I said, I feel lucky to have coached five of these guys, including Kerns, Everhart, Stratton, McCloy and McFadden. These five had this in common – dedication, work ethic and supportive parents.

Oh, and Craig Kerns, Mick Shoemaker and Drew Bobb are all in Paint Valley’s Hall of Fame. Craig and Mick were in the inaugural class. I’m sure more of these guys will be elected later.

I hope you enjoyed this retrospective, and GO CATS!

Note: If anyone has any information to add on any of these players please let me know and I’ll include it. Oh, and I’ll update Anthony’s bio after the season.