One of the most celebrated high school basketball players to ever come out of the Roanoke Valley has been selected for the Virginia High School League Hall of Fame Class of 2021.
J.J. Redick, who led Cave Spring to the 2002 VHSL Group AAA state championship, will be inducted at the 32nd annual enshrinement on Sunday, February 6 at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in Charlottesville, Va.
In a release by the VHSL on Monday, it was noted few VHSL athletes ever became a household name as much as J.J. Redick and he remains one of the greatest boys basketball players in VHSL history, and the most highly decorated player in Roanoke prep basketball history.
Redick ended his career at Cave Spring as the leading scorer in Group AAA history with 2,214 points and scored a state tournament record 43-points in leading the Knights to their first-ever state championship in 2002. He also set state tournament records with 111 points, 20 made three-pointers, and a single-game record eight made threes as part of his 43-point game in the final, a 70-62 win over George Wythe-Richmond played at Liberty University’s Vine Center.
Redick burst on the high school scene as a freshman, scoring 32 points against Group AAA champion George Washington at a sold-out Salem Civic Center. Fans would line up an hour before tipoff, often in frigid temperatures at Cave Spring High School looking for the opportunity to get a seat or be a part of the standing-room-only crowd to watch Redick play.
He would go on to be named a McDonald’s All-American in 2002, the 2002 Associated Press Virginia Player of the Year, three-time Gatorade Virginia Player of the Year, 2002 Mr. Basketball Winner, second-team 2002 Parade All-American and second-team USA Today 2002 All-American.
During his years at Cave Spring, Redick averaged 17.1 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists as a freshman; 23.3 points, 3 rebounds and 4 assists as a sophomore; 28 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4 assists as a junior; 28.3 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists as a senior. He had 99 three-point field goals in 22 games played as a senior. He connected on 61 consecutive free throws during his junior season.
Redick went on to play for Duke University, and left as one of the greatest college basketball players of all time. While at Duke he was 2-time recipient of the ACC Player of the Year, a Naismith Player of the Year and had received the John Wooden Award.
Taken 11th overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic, Redick would go on to play for the Magic, Milwaukee Bucks, L.A. Clippers, Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks in his 15-year NBA career. He averaged 12.8 points in 940 regular season games, and his 1,950 career makes from three-point range rank him 15th in NBA history.
Redick, since his NBA retirement in September, is currently an NBA analyst for ESPN and podcast host on “The Old Man and The Three.”
Bill Turner
