Hess guided Langley deep into playoffs
By Jason Devaney
The true essence of the Langley boys basketball program was on display last Saturday evening.After entering the locker room trailing by 18 points to Bethel in the opening round of the state tournament, coach Travis Hess rallied his players and drew up a plan.
"Our kids came out, we manned up in the second half and said, 'We're not gonna play this game to get blown out; we're gonna play this game to win,'" Hess said afterward. "We executed much better on the offensive end, we got a lot of good things out of our offense, got some back-door cuts, got some easy baskets and were able to crawl back in."
Langley's second-half comeback fell a few points short of a victory, but the Saxons' marvelous season cannot be overlooked. A 24-6 final record. A Liberty District title. A second-place finish in the Northern Region tournament. The first-ever appearance in the state tournament.
It is for these reasons and more that Hess is the 2007-08 Times Boys Basketball Coach of the Year.
"I think I'll always remember a lot of moments where he really gets us inspired," said Langley senior Ryan Davenport of his coach. "I think he's a really fun guy to hang out with, off the court and on the court. I think his ability to balance being a person you want to look up to and a friend, and being a great role model as a coach ... I think he does a good job of balancing that and I think he's extremely loyal to his players."
Langley battled with Woodson and Madison all season for the top spot in the district race and entered the Liberty tournament as the No. 2 seed. Three wins later, the Saxons were champions and the district's top seed for the region dance. The understudies of Hess settled for second place after a loss to T.C. Williams in the region final, but Hess was extremely proud of his team for advancing to the Virginia AAA state tournament.
"We told our kids that they're the most successful team in the history of Langley basketball, and that's something that no one can ever take away from them," Hess said. "It's obviously been a great season. We have a really, really good group of kids that get along really, really well, that really care about each other, and that's what made the whole season so much fun, in addition to all the wins."
If Davenport was the team's leader (he finished his three-year career with a school-record 1,349 points), players like Ahmed Malik, Barrett Hunter, Thomas Kody and Derek Baker were the glue that held the squad together. Baker, a junior, transferred to Langley from Bishop O'Connell this year and had a huge impact on the hardwood.
"He's been a major addition. He's one of the reasons that we're here [at the state tournament]," Hess said of Baker. "He does so many things. He takes charges, he rebounds as a guard, he gets to the basket. A lot of times he guards the other team's best player or sometimes best athlete. He can do all those things ... he's a complete player and he's certainly helped us."
Davenport was asked to summarize this season and speak about what Langley basketball really is.
"I think it's really great to know that we took the Langley tradition and took it to another level," Davenport said. "Kids that come to our camp look up to us, and they see us play on the big floor and hopefully they can take it to an even greater level. I think that's our goal, to inspire younger kids in the community."