Wildcats host alumni basketball game

KING — Coach Carter Phillips and the West Stokes men’s basketball team hosted the first-ever alumni game on Friday, June 28, in the school’s gymnasium.

“I came up with the idea by noticing the great culture and bond between the West Stokes basketball players and coaches from the past,” said Phillips. “I wanted to give these guys the opportunity to not only get to see each other again but to be on the court together as well.”

Sixteen players and past head coaches Dan Spainhour and Nick Frye along with Spainhour’s long-time assistant Forrest Munden enjoyed a time of reminiscing and competitive basketball.

The past players divided into two teams and played two 25-minute running-clock halves with the last two minutes stopping play for fouls and free throws.

The team of Andy Edmonds (’02), Brandon Starnes (’13), Gavin Parker (’16), Grayson Merritt (’19), Elan Muniz (’20), Kelin Parsons (’20), Tyler Moran (’24), Eli Spainhour (’24), and Coach Frye (2005-07) beat the squad of Joshua Shelton (’00), Nick Hammond (’00), Alston Furr (’13), Reid Goodson (’13), Brock Reynolds (’13), Hampton Cook (’14), Keyshawn Rawley (’15), Caleb Brewster (’17) and Coaches Spainhour and Munden 109-97.

“I hope to improve my relationships with the past West Stokes basketball players and coaches,” added Phillips. “I hope to gain their respect and support for our program now and into the future. I believe that is crucial when trying to build back the culture of a basketball program that has had such a rich history like West Stokes has had.”

Phillips was please with the turn out and said it was great to see the players and coaches happy to see each other and to see that bond they had with one another exposed once again.

Phillips has not set an exact date for next year, but the first annual alumni game will be played in June of 2025.

“We are going to set the date earlier in hopes of getting more alumni to participate next year,” Phillips said. “I want to make it even bigger next season and then continue to build on that. Ideally, I would like to have so many players that we need to play two games.”