After a turbulent 2023, Charlottesville High School basketball team is regaining Black Knight pride

As a safety measure, CHS canceled classes for two days until Thanksgiving break after a series of school-wide brawls broke out on school grounds in November, prompting teachers to take off work and demand that administrators address the violence. has been discontinued.

“Morale was a little low,” Charlottesville athletic director Andy Jones said.

“A lot of things are up in the air,” Black Knights women's basketball head coach Jim Daly said. She said, “A lot of the questions were, 'What's going to happen next?'”

Many of the school division's messages to the community emphasized that the majority of students were attending class, studying hard and through no fault of their own. “We have great kids here every day,” Daly said. “Yes, there were some kids who weren't doing the right thing, but there were 1,200 kids who came here every day doing the right thing. So I think that was the focus.”

In the midst of hardship, the Black Knights basketball team intended to set an example for their peers, community, and city.

Rakel Allen, a senior guard on the CHS girls team, also spoke after Charlottesville's win in the season opener against Waynesboro on Nov. 29, the school's first athletic day since students and staff returned. I sympathized with that sentiment.

“All the girls on the team know what it means to be a Black Knight,” Allen said after the win. “And we show it in the classroom and on the court.”

Both basketball teams took that message to the court and gave the CHS community something to rally around during the 2023-24 season, including regional championships for each team. It's more than a victory. The team’s positive energy was contagious.

“The success was good, but I think the people who came to the basketball games this year and experienced this kind of environment were pretty amazing,” Jones said. “Winning helps, but the environment these kids have created is a big help as well.”

On Dec. 8, morale at Charlottesville High School was high as the 2001 Black Knights girls basketball team received its coveted championship rings. Even before the presentation, the CHS community knew it would add to the atmosphere of the school.

“I think this is desperately needed,” Jessica Carter, a 2001 CHS graduate, said a week before the ceremony. “It shows unity, it shows community, it shows how resilient we are.”

“When we had a great group of adults who were here and they brought their families, it felt like it brought people back to school,” Jones added. “A lot of people read books about Charlottesville, and there's a lot of prejudice out there about Charlottesville, but once they get inside these walls, they're like, 'Oh, this is pretty cool.' . –

The ring presentation preceded the first of three regular-season doubleheaders between the school's boys and girls, with both varsity teams playing back-to-back games against the same Albemarle County opponent.

Charlottesville, Monticello, Albemarle and Western Albemarle all hosted matches against each other at various times of the year, but the circumstances were always different when games were played at CHS.

“When you walk into the Charlottesville High School gymnasium for a basketball game, you can feel the energy. I think you can feel the energy more than any other gym in the area,” Jones said. Ta.

That energy was further amplified in the postseason. Both the men's and women's teams were the highest-ranked teams in the region, which led to more matinee matches being played. Each regional final doubleheader was sold out, and when playing in the state quarterfinals, they had to move to a larger gym to accommodate the crowds coming to the games.

“The energy this year’s students brought to every game, both near and far, was perfect,” Allen said after the Region 4D Championship game. “We don’t want to have another student section.”

Coaches and administrators agreed.

“Our students are really great and we love them,” said CHS boys basketball head coach Mitch Miner. “I'm so proud of our student body and the support we receive from them. I can't say enough about them. They're here every night.”

“I always think, [with] The kids [in] “The key to success in any sport is having great support – both student support and community support,” said Charlottesville Interim Superintendent Kenny Leatherwood, who worked for Charlottesville City Schools for many years. I think we had both,” he added. He was appointed to the post last year after Rashad Pitt abruptly resigned.

The school rallied around the team, he said, but the reverse was also true.

“This is a very exciting time for our players, students and fans,” Leatherwood said. “It gives us all something to collectively support.”

The Black Knights attract fans beyond the halls of CHS. In Charlottesville, after CHS closed for several days during a “reset” period, many people, including alumni, friends and neighbors, as well as supportive community members not affiliated with the school in any way, lost their lives. began showing up at school and subsequent games to cheer on the students. € in November after the outbreak of violence.

“After the reset, so many community members, so many alumni came out to support the school in transition, and that support translated into support for these teams as well,” Leatherwood said. said.

Daly said it's important for the community to know that the Black Knights are no different and they represent the school.

“I'm really proud of these girls and who they are,” Daly said. “They do all the right things and little things every day, so I hope they reflect the great kids who do all the right things at CHS.”

The team was a reminder of the togetherness a school can be and what we can strive for in the future.

“As far as I'm concerned, we're all one,” Miner said. “Our basketball team, our Charlottesville schools and our community, it’s all of us.”