66 years ago, Highland Springs went on a magic run for its first boys basketball state title

Some moments, you never forget.

They’re just that meaningful, that impactful, and sometimes, that magical.

They remain in your consciousness as a joyous freeze-frame, and while the passage of years might blur the precise recollection, the memory lingers, and your sense of pride endures.

You move on, of course, for you come to understand that time and opportunity create new experiences and dwelling in bygone days and celebrating long-ago glories leave little room to enjoy the present.

That said, singular moments from the past are part of life’s narrative, and, truth be told, they’re much more poignant when you share them with fellow travelers who accompany you on your personal journey.

Rewind, if you will then, to the night of March 12, 1960.

The venue was Memorial Gymnasium on the campus of the University of Virginia.

The event was the championship game of the Virginia High School League, Group I (as it was known in those days) basketball tournament pitting Virginia High School (Bristol) and Highland Springs.

The Springers, coached by the legendary Grant Hudson, prevailed 37-35 in overtime before an overflow crowd estimated at 3,800.

The victory sent the Highland Springs faithful, many of whom had ridden the train to Charlottesville for the game, into a state of sheer ecstasy.

It was an incredible community moment, to be sure, but to put it into proper context, you have to go back to the previous season to see the fits, starts, ups, and downs that evolved into the Springers’ very own version of One Shining Moment.

Hudson’s underclassman-heavy 1958-59 squad finished its regular season with an unspectacular 9-9 record and placed seventh in the Central District.

Then, against all odds, it defeated (in order) No. 2 Hermitage 43-30, No. 3 John Marshall 62-52, and No. 1 and unbeaten Hopewell 47-46 to claim the district title.

Though they lost 55-44 to E.C. Glass, the eventual state champion, in the VHSL quarterfinals, their late-season success fueled hopes and dreams that they carried excitedly into the next season.

This time, with four experienced seniors (Guy Davis, Jake Adams, Don Redford, and Ronnie Price) and one junior (Doug Hunt) in the starting lineup and seniors Tommy Slayton and Bob Sizemore the first two off the bench, Hudson’s guys were the district favorite, and they lived up to their billing by rolling undefeated through their regular season and winning the tournament title.

Next up was a return trip to Charlottesville. 

In the quarterfinals the first night, they defeated Gate City (Southwest Virginia) 91-36, but their next two games would push them to perform under pressure as the previous 22 had not.

Simply put, if they were to achieve their goal in the unforgiving, survive-and-advance world of tournament play, they would have to compete with poise, precision, and prowess.

They welcomed the challenge. 

After all, Hudson, who served in the Marine Corps, had challenged them aplenty. 

“Grant Hudson was an excellent coach,” said Hunt. “He coached us like Marines. He had this thing called a skin drill where we’d line up, and he’d roll the ball on the floor, and you had to dive to get the ball. It could be pretty brutal.”

Nothing, then, intimidated the Springers, and while Hudson, the consummate motivator, stressed fundamentals, conditioning, and toughness, he put equal emphasis on one-for-all, all-for-one teamwork.

“It didn’t matter to us who scored,” Hunt added. “It didn’t matter who got the rebound. It was always a team effort.”

In the semifinal, the Springers squeaked past Wakefield (Arlington) 25-24 when Redford, who scored a game-high 13 points, alertly converted a steal into a layup to thwart the Warriors’ attempt at slow-down basketball. 

“Wakefield held the ball, and we were lucky to win the game,” Hunt said. “Donald Redford, incidentally, was as good an athlete as we played with. He was the quarterback on the football team and point guard on the basketball team. And he went to Alabama on a baseball scholarship. That’s the kind of athlete he was.”

As the Springers took the court against the Virginia High Bearcats for the state title that Saturday night, little could they imagine that they would create a memory for the ages for the entire close-knit Highland Springs community.

Two minutes into the fourth quarter, though, the Springers trailed 33-27 and their undefeated season and title hopes were slipping away.  That’s when Hudson directed them to a 1-3-1 full court press.

In short order, Price, who scored 21 points before fouling out, hit a jumper to cut their deficit to four. 

He drew a foul and missed the and-one, but Adams, always a force in the paint, scored on a put-back.  

The Springers were energized. It was a new game. 

Regulation ended with the teams tied at 35 after Davis’s shot at the buzzer bounded away.

The first overtime (three minutes back then) went quickly. Adams controlled the tap, as he often did, the Springers ran their patented five-man weave, their primary offense against a man-to-man, but never found an opening. The Warriors never touched the ball.

In those days, the second overtime followed the sudden-victory format. The first team to score two points, either from the field or the free-throw line, triumphed.

Davis was the team’s leading scorer (13 points per game). Although Wakefield shut him out and he had only two points so far against the Bearcats, Hudson designated him to take the decisive shot in the final overtime. His teammates heartily concurred.

Adams, who stood 6-5 and was the selected tournament most valuable player for his mighty presence as a rebounder and defender, tapped to Davis on the side, and the Springers launched into the weave that they’d perfected through repetition.

Twenty-eight seconds into the flurry of action, Redford set a screen for Davis near the foul line. Davis, now free, spotted up at the top of the key, eyed the basket, and let it rip.

“I wasn’t having a very good shooting night, so I wasn’t sure anything would go in,” said Davis, who’s humble to a fault. “But the shot was open, and I thought, ‘I’ve got to shoot this.’ So I did, and fortunately it went in.”

When it did, the state champion Springers exulted. The crowd stormed jubilantly onto the court. Teammates hoisted Davis upon their shoulders and paraded him around the arena. 

The celebration lasted well into the night and continued once the newly crowned victors returned home. 

For the players, now octogenarians, that team experience, culminating with Davis’s shot for the ages, remains a cherished memory of the halcyon days of their youth.

For those who shared the moment from the stands, it became ingrained in the lore of Highland Springs basketball and still generates conversation among old timers 66 years later.

“We had a great time,” said Adams. “I played with some wonderful guys, and Grant Hudson was a fine individual and an excellent coach. The early ‘60’s were just wonderful years. It was such a wonderful experience for all of us.”

Where are they now?

Hunt, a University of Richmond graduate, returned to his alma mater as a math teacher and track, cross country, and basketball coach (on Hudson’s staff) before moving into administration. He served as principal at Highland Springs for six years and at Hermitage for 11 before moving into the Central Office as director of technical and continuing education.  After a two-year retirement, he accepted an interim position as director of Maggie L. Walker Governor’s School. His two-month stint lasted seven years, during which he lured Guy Davis out of retirement to coach the Dragons’ boys basketball team.

Davis, also a UR alumnus, coached basketball at Henrico High School for 26 years. The court in the Warriors’ gymnasium is named in his honor. For many years, he also served as an athletic director, first at Henrico, then at Varina, and finally at Trinity Episcopal before accepting Hunt’s invitation to join him on Lombardy Street, where he coached from 2007 until his retirement in 2010. 

Adams, a multi-sport star (football, basketball, and track) who won the VHSL decathlon championship as a senior, went to Virginia Tech on a football scholarship where he played both ways: tight end on offense and defensive end and linebacker on defense. He was the 1963 recipient of the prestigious Southern Conference Jacobs Blocking Award and played in both the Senior Bowl and Blue-Gray Game following his senior year.  From 1983 until his retirement in 2010, he owned Jacob L. Adams Inc., a commercial construction company.

Al Blackburn, Charles England, Vic Kreiter, Buster Lammay, Johnny Moss, and Norris Strickland also played on the Springers’ 1959-60 state championship team. Gene Mosby served as manager.