Rocky Mount trio headed to All-Star Games

Over the last decade, Rocky Mount's basketball programs have been well represented at postseason all-star games.

This year will be no different.

It was announced at last night's Nash Central-Rocky Mount varsity games that three more Gryphons will be playing after their senior varsity seasons are over.

Senior Terrill Hilliard, Tia Hudgins and Alexus Cooper will be headed to Myrtle Beach, S.C. for the annual Carolinas All-Star Basketball Classic All-Star Games to be played on Saturday, March 18 at Socastee High School. Since the inception of the Classic, RMHS has never had more than one player attend in one season.

The Classic, co-sponsored by the N.C. Coaches Association, will also have Rocky Mount boys head coach Mike Gainey on the N.C. boys coaching staff as an assistant. Gainey's appointment was announced last summer. 

He led Rocky Mount to a NCHSAA 3-A state title in 2010 and is working his way to his 300th career win. In his 15th season as head coach, he is 268-117 (.696 winning percentage) with five conference titles, seven conference tournament crowns, four 20-win seasons and has had the Gryphons in the playoffs each of his previous 14 seasons.

Hilliard, a 6-foot-6 forward, has helped guide the Gryphons to a 15-3 record and first place in the Big East Conference (6-0). Hilliard leads the team in scoring (18.8 ppg.) and rebounding (8.7 reb.). He also dishes out 1.9 assists a game and records 1.4 steals a contest.

Hudgins, who topped the 1,000-point scoring mark for her career earlier this season, is second on the RM girls team with 14.7 points a game in helping RMHS to a 16-2 record and also a first-place slot in the Big East. She leads the Gryphons in rebounding (8.4) and steals (2.9).

Cooper, a guard who transfered from Nash Central two seasons ago, has gotten into the groove of things after missing last season with a knee injury. She is third on the team in scoring (10.7) and is grabbing 4 rebounds a game. She's second on the team in assists (2.6) and steals (2.8) a contest.

Don't be surprised if two or all three of these players also gets an invite to the NCCA's East-West All-Star Basketball Games in Greensboro this July.