Petersburg has no shortage of size or talent

By Fred Jeter

Published: January 8, 2009

-- The highest point in Virginia is Mt. Rogers in Grayson County, 5,729 feet above sea level.

The tallest peak in Virginia high school basketball might be the Petersburg gym on Johnson Street.

The Crimson Wave's front line measures 6-9, 6-6, 6-6. That's above "see level" - meaning an opponent's ability to see over them.

"It's weird," Petersburg coach William Lawson III said. "This is my seventh year, and it used to be my big man was 6-3, 6-4, at best."

The tripod of 6-9 Virginia Tech signee Cadarian Raines and 6-6 transfers Chris Evans and Du'Vaughn Maxwell places the Wave (No. 1 in the T-D Top 10) in high standing physically and in wins and losses (8-0).

"I'm happy to have them," Raines said of his new teammates. "It takes the double teams and some of the pressure off me."

Returnees: Petersburg was 28-4 last winter and advanced to the Group AAA semifinals. Three starters return: Raines, plus guards Drejon Scott and Chris Moore.

An already rosy outlook brightened when Evans (from Deep Creek in Chesapeake) and Maxwell (from Hopewell) came aboard.

Most of Petersburg's players, including Maxwell and Evans, began choreographing their talents last summer with Petersburg Elite. The travel team finished in the top 16 at the Reebok Big-Time tournament in Las Vegas.

Maxwell: Averaging 11 points, six rebounds and three blocked shots, Maxwell played at Hopewell as a freshman but sat out last year.

"It was immaturity," the junior said. "I wasn't mature enough to play varsity."

He enrolled at Petersburg during the spring semester of 2008.

"I just want to add some energy," he said.

The bouncy forward had three dunks in the fourth quarter of Petersburg's rout of Hopewell in the Fort Lee tournament final.

Maxwell is a double bonus. His brother, Edmund, is a star on the Petersburg JV team.

Evans: A high-flying 190-pound senior, he moved to Petersburg last summer. He averages 12 points, eight rebounds and two blocks.

With Raines occupying the post, Evans said, "I just want to contribute. I'm a second or third guy . . . happy rebounding and blocking shots."

Hampton University is among the schools courting Evans, though Lawson suggests he may travel the junior college route.

Long time ago: This may be Petersburg's tallest team since 1973, when the Wave won its first of consecutive Group AAA titles.

That front line had 6-10 Moses Malone, 6-7 Morris Fultz and 6-5 Michael Howard.

Petersburg then was on Washington Street, in an older part of the city. The new school opened in '74, a few miles away on Johnson.

A popular Petersburg attraction is historic Old Towne, a cluster of shops/eateries overlooking the Appomattox River.

That would be an apt meeting place for the Wave frontcourt - a trio gazing down upon the Central Region, hoping to dust off old memories.