Roanoke, Va. – Hoops slides into the spotlight at the Roanoke Valley Sports Club this month. Area basketball coaching legends Woody Deans, Burrall Paye, Ed Greene and Troy Wells were all recognized.
The guest speaker was ACC crew chief Roger Ayers. The Roanoke native climbed the ladder from refereeing AAU games all the way to the NCAA final four. His message? When opportunity knocks, answer the door.
“It’s something I was passionate about and wanted to do and I had worked really hard at it. But sometimes in life you need a little help. I was fortunate enought to be hired by the ACC in 1998 and still humbled and blessed,” Ayers says.
“We’ve had some very great coaches. I learned an awful lot from every one of them. There wasn’t a single one that I didn’t love to play against and love to go home and think ‘Here’s what he did. He’s a smart fella,” Paye explained.
Class 3 Boys state champion Cave Spring was also recognized.
