The 31^st Annual Little General Scott Brown Memorial Classic basketball tournament that was postponed in April is coming back – at least for now.

 

Bridgeport Coach Dave Marshall confirmed that senior Nick Stalnaker, already a selection for the annual North-South Basketball Classic, will be part of the event. The game will feature a state all-star team of Class AAA players battling a squad composed of Class AA-A players.

 

Stalnaker will be part of the Mid-State Automotive AA-A All Stars. Marshall said he could not be happier for Stalnaker.

 

“I actually talked to Nick about it (Monday),” said Marshall, who said seniors came to the school to drop off items and pick up items for graduation. “He was really excited, and he should be. He not only deserves to be there, but that game is a pretty big deal.”

 

The game will now be played July 18 at the Beckley-Raleigh County Convention Center. The first game was played in 1990 in honor of Brown, a long-time sports journalist who was widely respected for his work with the Beckley Register-Herald.

 

The game is set to begin at 7 p.m.

 

Marshall said he was reached out to by tournament director Bob Bolen about Stalnaker’s interest in playing in the tournament. Stalnaker was interested and the rest – if it goes on as planned – looks like it could be history.

 

“Bob Bolen being involved tells you it’s going to be a special event,” said Marshall. “He’s a great guy who has coached everywhere and knows the game.”

 

Stalnaker showed he knows how to play the game. During the prematurely ended 2019-20 season he earned Class AA second-team all-state honors. He led the team with an average of 18.2 points per game and a team-high 27 3-point field goals. Stalnaker also hit on 81 percent of his free throws by canning 121-of-150 attempts.

 

“I think his being selected speaks volumes about what people that know about basketball in the state think about Nick,” said Marshall. “I’m still certain had we been fortunate enough to beat Lewis County in the regional and get to Charleston that Nick would have been able to show his game to a lot of people unaware of him in the media and he would have been a first-team selection. I think he’s one of the best.”

Stalnaker will be joined by Obinna Anochili-Killen of Chapmanville, the 6’9 big man who will play for Marshall. Logan’s David Early, who stands 6’4 like Stalnaker, will also be on the Class AA-A team and will be playing for the Thundering Herd.

 

The rest of the squad consists of Shady Spring’s Tommy Williams, Bluefield’s Braeden Crews, Shady Springs’s Luke LeRose, Braxton County’s Jayden Stewart, Chapmanville’s Andrew Shull, Greater Beckley Christian’s Elijah Edwards and Isaiah Hairston, Chapmanville’s Phillip Mullins, and Greater Beckley’s Thaddeus Jordan.

 

Members of the Employees’ Innovative Network AAA All-Stars include University’s Kaden Matheny who is going to Bowling Green, Wheeling Parks’ Alex Vargo, University’s K.J. McClung, Parkersburg’s South’s Malaki Sylvia, Marshall signee and Spring Valley senior C.J. Meredith, St. Albans’ Rodney Toler, Parkersburg’s Sam Potts, Woodrow Wilson’s Richard Law, Hurricane’s Austin Dearing, Ripley’s Ty Johnson, George Washington’s Gus Eddy, and Capital’s Karrington Hill.

 

Editor's Note: Photos of Nick Stalnaker from his junior (above) and senior year by Ben Queen Photography.