Basketball Students and Coach Garner State Honors

March 24, 2022 / Andrea Wenger
Trey Gillenwater '22, VISAA DIII Player of the Year
Trey Gillenwater '22, VISAA DIII Player of the Year

This article, by Cody Eliott, appeared in the Daily News-Record, March 23, 2022.

A historic season came to a fitting end on Tuesday for Eastern Mennonite.

Trey Gillenwater, a 6-foot-2 senior guard for the Flames, was named the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division III boys basketball co-player of the year after guiding the program to its first-ever state championship in school history.

EMS battled through an up-and-down regular season that included injuries, illness and other forms of adversity to win three straight games in the state tournament and capture the VISAA Division III title with a 64-56 upset win over Fairfax Christian.

Gillenwater was electric in his final year with the Flames, averaging 21.1 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game as an off-the-ball guard with a smooth game.

While Gillenwater and fellow co-player of the year Ryan Blakey of Fairfax Christian both headlined the all-state first team, EMS senior point guard Adam Hatter also earned a spot on the second team after a strong cap to his impressive prep career.

Hatter, who has played the most games in program history for the Flames, averaged 11.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game as a senior.

More importantly than his ability to be a strong all-around point guard for Eastern Mennonite was the leadership and guidance he brought to his younger teammates.

Coach of the Year: Eli Crawford

EMS first-year coach Eli Crawford, a former standout player at R.E. Lee High School and Eastern Mennonite University, also earned recognition for the historic season.

Crawford, a former EMS assistant, was named the VISAA Division III coach of the year after guiding the Flames to a 16-10 overall record and championship this year.

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