Marion Harris and I share a first-hand knowledge of Mr Camp and his family, as does anyone else who has spent time in the area surrounding the town of Franklin, Virginia.

Philanthropist is a SAT word, and it is a label used for someone who is trying to take some of the money 💰 that they have made and put it to great use.

Paul D Camp made a great deal of money over the years and did more than his fair share to make a difference in the lives of others. One example is that he donated the land for a college near his home, and in 1970, Paul D Camp Community College opened its doors in Suffolk. The other branch sits in Franklin.

It’s a great story, but there is still no connection to The Hill, our community that sits almost five hours west of Suffolk. Both places share US-58 as their main source of travel, but now there will be a second connection as our Bryce Smoot is preparing to lace up his sneakers 👟 for the Hurricanes 🌀.

Smoot, the All-Time scoring leader in the history of Boys Basketball is preparing for a second run at playing at the next level and will do so in Suffolk, Virginia.

The team photo 📸 above is one of the cornerstones of the Anthony Barnes – Kris Richardson Era of Cavalier Hoops, and it is full of success stories, both on and off the court. I was very fortunate that Barnes gave me access to the group, beginning with Elijah Cox and running through the class that graduated 🎓 Isiah Easter and friends.

Cox, our 6’5 big man, became the first member of the group to sign a letter of intent to play college ball. The lovable Cox needed two stops ✋️ to find his home in Lynchburg and just completed his third season.

The fascinating thing about the Barnes – Richardson Era was the fact that they found success through playing the game as a team. They fought for each other and shared the basketball as well as they did their love for playing defense.

Davis Reitzel and Ethan Richardson were two examples of well-rounded student athletes who are both enjoying life on a college campus, but their basketball is limited to pick up games. Both are flourishing in life just the same.

Cody Reece ( Baseball ) , Brayden Smoot ( basketball ), and Jabin Talley (Tennis) each played under Barnes and spent time at the next level. Reece is currently a part of a red-hot CC Baseball program that just completed the most successful season in the schools history !

Bryce Smoot left The Hill as the number one scorer in fifty ➕️ years and played in the same era as his girls’ counterpart, Alyssa Ervin. Ervin is currently enjoying life down at Furman University in Travelers Rest, preparing for her junior season. It is worth noting 📝 that Ervin didn’t just sneak by Erin Gibson in breaking the record, and she has quite possibly taken the overall scoring mark for the school and locked 🔒 it into a vault.

This brings us back to Bryce Smoot and the challenge he faces, and the fact that this impressive young man simply refuses to give up.

While Cox stands at 6’5, let’s just say that Bryce doesn’t have that luxury. Fortunately for him, he plays with a great deal of heart ❤️ and has the endurance of the energizer bunny.

Easter turned out to be one of the most well-rounded athletes on The Hill, and he, too, is now enjoying college life with the focus on education.

The next portion of the basketball history is about to be written on the Boys’ side, and it is a great time to reflect on what transpired under the scowling but lovable Coach Barnes.

The program produced some top-shelf student athletes over the years, and as the college season is right around the corner, we have both Cox and Smoot to cheer on !