Dogwood Boys BB Games moved to Thursday

Altavista at Dan River has been moved from Friday night to Thursday night. Same time, same place (6:00 JV Start in Ringgold). Also, the Chatham at Appomattox game has also moved their game from Friday to Thursday at the same time.

Tuesday High School Boys Basketball Scores

DOGWOOD
Dan River 60 Gretna 54
Appomattox 67 Nelson County 22
Chatham 61 William Campbell 57

SEMINOLE
Brookville 59 Heritage 46
Jefferson Forest 61 Rustburg 56 OT

Carl Koenig's Career from Randolph Macon

Carl Koenig (61’)

Originally from Springfield, Illinois, Koenig served in the United States Army at Fort Lee in Petersburg, Virginia, just south of Richmond, before coming to Randolph-Macon College as a student in 1957. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from R-MC in 1961, and went on to earn a Master of Science degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

As a forward on the men’s basketball team, Koenig was a four-year letterwinner and two-year captain. He was named Honorable Mention All-American as a senior in 1960-61 as the Yellow Jackets won the Little 8 conference. R-MC also won the Little 8 in Koenig’s sophomore season, and was second his freshman year. For his career, Koenig finished with 1,294 points, which are 20th on the R-MC all-time career list, and a free throw percentage of 81.5%, which is tied for 10th in R-MC history.

Koenig was active at R-MC off the court, as he served as Varsity Club president and was a member of the Omicron Delta Kappa national leadership honor society. He went on to have a successful career as a history teacher and coach for 36 years at St. Christopher’s School in Richmond. Koenig also had coaching stints at Henrico High School and Douglas Freeman High School, both in Richmond, as well as Mount Vernon High School in Alexandria.

A father of three, Koenig’s adult children include sons C.J. Koenig and Lon Koenig and daughter Becky Mason. He also has seven grandchildren. Koenig lives in Bedford, Virginia.

More Thoughts on Carl Koenig

Former Minutemen player Caleb Tomlin chimed in with these thoughts on Coach Carl Koenig.
"I don't know that one email can capture all the wonderful things that can be said about him. To me he was more than a coach but a friend. He was somebody who always wanted to better the lives of young men and he certainly did that. He taught lessons in so many facets of life, whether it be the class room or life in general. He knew that a majority of the guys he coached would not be going on to play college ball so he wanted to allow them to have fun and be prepared for the next step. He was a coach who loved every aspect of basketball. He was a fundamentals coach, always stressing the fundamentals to his players. He worked hard and it made us want to work hard for him. But I won't remember him as just being a good coach but being a good friend."

You can also check out articles from the Roanoke Times and Lynchburg News & Advance.

More Remembrances of Carl Koenig

Earlier today, I captured just some of the thoughts and such of Carl Koenig. The Head junior varsity boys basketball coach of the Liberty Minutemen passed away at the age of 75 on Wednesday. In searching for people to comment on Coach K, I found no shortage of participants.

According to former Minutemen head coach, Derek Elmore, Coach K had contacted him about coaching at Liberty in 2002, but Elmore took another job and it never came to fruition. But, the next coach that came into Liberty did take Koenig in as an assistant. John Patterson coached the Minutemen from 2002-2005. Patterson told me that Koenig read about him in the Bedford Bulletin and met with him about the job. From there Koenig became a member of the Minutemen coaching staff. To prove what a small world we live in, Patterson and Koenig were both from the same town in Illinois; Springfield.

Two men who have had great success as varsity head coaches in the area, Mike Cartolaro and Dan Stephens, each had their own take on Koenig. Cartolaro said, "He loved working with the players and coaching. More importantly, he was good for the kids."

Stephens commented, "I never got the chance to know Carl well, but I know he was always quick with a smile and a handshake when we crossed paths. He was very unassuming, always introduced himself as if I wouldn't remember him from before. Carl was a throwback in all the right ways. He obviously believed in the coaching fraternity, something that's kind of been lost to some extent in recent years. He was a hard-worker. I often saw him out scouting when Liberty wasn't playing. Just seemed to be a guy that loved to coach and to help the kids he was given responsibility for. We'll miss him in our profession."

Coach Hamill Jones of St.Christopher, stopped by to share his thoughts on his coach and friend, Coach Carl Koenig.

"I first got to know Coach Koenig as a 6th grade middle school student at St. Christopher's here in Richmond. He might have noticed me because I was a big Duke fan and he liked UNC. He was my 7th grade history teacher and 8th grade basketball coach. By that time he had stepped down from coaching the Varsity team after twenty years. He loved the game of basketball, and he liked to see it played correctly. He taught me about the fundamentals of defense, he demanded maximum effort and he loved to fast break with our 8th grade team. When I went on to play basketball at Washington and Lee University, I remember thinking that some of the players on our college team didn't know the important parts of the game like help-side defense that Coach Koenig had taught me as an 8th grader.

A couple of stories stand out to me

First, we always knew that we should not mess around during one of Coach Koenig's practices. If we did, it would be time for a "Bulldog Shuffle", which is what he called the traditional "suicide" sprint. He wasn't afraid to make us run a lot of them.

During my 8th grade season with Coach Koenig, our team lost one game, to a team called Queens Lake Middle School out of Williamsburg. Their best players were Bryan Randall and Brandon Randall who went onto play quarterback at Virginia Tech and basketball at Hampden Sydney, respectively. We were down 1 (point) with about 5 seconds left and Queens Lake was at the free throw line. The shot went in, and we ran a sideline break off a free throw that Coach Koenig had drilled in us to perfection. However, I missed the shot that would have won the game. I remember feeling bad, because I really wanted Coach Koenig to have an undefeated season, and I remember he was more concerned about how I felt. That story will always serve as a reminder that Coach cared about me, and I cared about him.

He is one of the best people that I have ever known and I will miss him.

As I mentioned in an earlier blog, flowers were to be placed on his seat tonight as well as other things (team room being named after him and all players wearing a patch with Coach Koenig's college number on it, 21.)

I am a believer in playing for a coach, playing for a cause and things like that. I wasn't able to attend tonight's game in Bedford between the Heritage Pioneers and the Liberty Minutemen, so I can't describe the atmosphere, but I can tell you I am sure Liberty had a 6th man on the court, on the bench and in the locker room with them at all times. I live in my grandparents old house and even though they are both gone, I feel that they are in my heart at all times. When you are in a house and a big influence and a steady presence, i.e. Coach Carl Koenig has always been a part of that house, they are always going to be in that house, so I believe Coach Koenig will always be with the Minutemen. Because memories never go leave you, and from everyone I have spoken with via e-mail, all the memories they have of Coach Koenig won't go away, they will live forever. The Minutemen won both, the junior varsity and varsity, contests on Thursday night.

I am sorry I never got to interview or talk at length to Coach Carl Koenig. The lesson that I take from this (if there is a lesson to be learned) is always greet as many people as you can. Be outgoing, shake hands (their is enough hand sanitizer in the world to where those of you who are germaphobic will be okay) and greet those around us. Because even though a lot of people knew Coach Carl Koenig and can tell us the great stories about him, there are many of us who unfortunately don't have those stories to share.

When I think of Liberty Basketball, you think of the great teams coached by Mark Hanks, and great players like Raymond "Peanut" Arrington, Robert Carson and many others. But I think you can add Carl Koenig to that list as a figure that will be remembered in the lore of Bedford basketball. RIP Coach Koenig, you will be missed.

Remembering Carl Koenig

Carl Koenig, Liberty High School Junior Varsity Boys Basketball coach, died on Wednesday at his home. He was 75 years old. When I started "Talking High School Sports" back in 2003, Carl was an assistant to John Patterson at Liberty High School on the varsity staff. I never had the opportunity to speak to Coach Koenig, other then the standard "How are you doing", or "Hey coach". Others though had great memories and opportunities to know him.

I set out on Thursday to get thoughts from competitors and coaches who served on staff's with him. Chris Young (Head Boys Basketball Coach at Brookville) and Paul Redgate (Head Girls Basketball Coach at Jefferson Forest, and former boys Junior Varsity Head Coach at Jefferson Forest) only knew him through handshakes. Paul Smith (current Head Boys Basketball Coach at Jefferson Forest) also commented that he did not know him well, but had heard nothing but good things about him.

Koenig joined the Minutemen when John Patterson became the head coach in the early 2000s as his assistant coach on the Varsity staff. When Jeff Monroe joined the Minutemen, he had Coach Koenig coach his Junior Varsity squad. I talked to Coach Monroe via e-mail this morning and here were his comments.

"Yesterday was really tough, and tonight probably will be even tougher when we take the court against Heritage. Coach K, was one of the smartest people I have ever met. Not only was he a good coach, but an excellent teacher. Coach K, probably forgot more basketball then I will ever know. I don't think Coach K ever met a stranger, he always introduced himself and gave a firm hand shake. I have been fortunate to work with some really good coaches over the years (Paul Wheeler, Dean Hubbard, Mike Cartolaro, Stu Richardson) and Coach K, ranks up there with all them. Our basketball program and, me personally will miss him dearly."

John Patterson, former Head Boys Basketball Coach at Liberty High School and current LCA Head Boys Basketball coach chimed in with the following.

I am a better coach, man, and father for having known Carl Koenig. As I began my high school coaching career at Liberty High School, he was my assistant, my mentor and my best friend. He never missed my daughter’s birthday parties no matter what he was doing. His attitude and love for the game was infectious. Here at LCA, I have a quote in my locker room. It says this:

“There is a right way to do everything.”

-Carl Koenig

That was what Carl believed and lived. I know that as my career at LCA comes and goes, Carl Koenig’s legacy of “doing right” will live on forever. I am sorry to see him go as I lost one of my life-lines, but his spirit will live with me forever."

Tonight at Liberty they will be honoring Coach Koenig at Liberty, when the Minutemen meet the Pioneers, by having a moment of silence tonight before both the varsity and jv game tonight. The players will be wearing a patch with the number 21 (Coach K's College Basketball Number) on both varsity and jv uniforms. Also, there are plans to put flowers on his seat tonight during the game and also dedicate the Liberty basketball team room to him

Look for more on Carl Koenig on further blog posts.

Dogwood District Boys Basketball Notes, Standings and More

Heading into this week, we have a couple of big showdowns in the district, including a battle between the two undefeated teams on Tuesday.

Here are the standings and schedule (Overall record listed in parantheses)

Appomattox 2-0 (9-2)

Altavista 2-0 (3-2)

William Campbell 2-1 (5-5)

Dan River 1-1 (7-3)

Nelson County 1-1 (1-5)

Gretna 0-2 (0-5)

Chatham 0-3 (4-7)

This Week's Schedule

Tuesday

Altavista at Appomattox

William Campbell at Dan River

Nelson County at Gretna

Thursday

Chatham at William Campbell

Friday

Nelson County at Altavista

Dan River at Appomattox

Gretna at Chatham

Interview withthe Head Coach of the Appomattox Raiders, Brantley Shields

Bob Alvis: You guys are 9-2 right now, what's going good for the Raiders?

Brantley Shields: Probably one of the best things that happened to us were the games against Hayfield and LCA. They were really good teams and we had a chance to win both games, but didn't execute in the last 3 minutes of each game. It was a great learning experience for us and hopefully prepared us for a tough Dogwood schedule. Defensively we are playing really well. Most of these guys have been playing together for 4 years and know each other really well. They are all great kids and I have really enjoyed coaching them.

BA: You got some guys late due to football, how long did you feel it would take to get a good chemistry and has your team gelled quicker then you thought?

BS: The majority of these guys have been playing together all of their lives, which is one of the benefits of being in a small school system. Coming into the season, I wasn't as concerned with chemistry as much as I was conditioning. We aren't completely there yet, but we are close.

BA: You have an undefeated (district record) team coming in on Tuesday in Altavista, what worries you about the Colonels?

BS: Jerrell Jordan concerns us more than anything. Any big man that averages a double-double will drive opposing coaches crazy. We have to find a way to control him and keep him off the boards. If we don't, it will be a long night for us.

BA: If you had to give a "player of the week" award last week (from your team), who do you give it to and why?

BS: It would be a tri-player of the week. Kenny Scott, Rico Rose, and Neal Thomas do so many good things for us and have been playing really well. If I had to give a most improved it would be Devanti Perkins, he is averaging close to a double-double and if he could stay out of foul trouble probably would have those numbers (double-double).

BA: Some people have said that you guys are as good as Nelson was the year they won the state, but you don't have a player like Thomas Brown. With that being said, you guys have lots of great options, but do you have that one player you consider the guy? Why or why does it not worry you that you have that one guy that can be called the guy?

BS: I don't like to compare past and present teams, but these guys only lost to that Nelson team by 3 points and 7 points as sophomores and beat them as freshman by 5 and 16. I think we have three guys, maybe 4 that I would have no problem taking the last shot. We have had that guy before in Michael St. John, and I think I would prefer to have it the way we do now. As a coach, it is always easier to prepare for a team that has one dynamic player than it is a team full of good players. I think out of our top 8, there is not one guy a coach can tell his defenders to back off of, or help off of. They are all able to score from different areas of the floor and they all are really good defenders.

Altavista and Appomattox, you can hear all the action Tuesday night on 105.5 KD Country, or at KD Country.com