Coleman Receives Male Gamer of the Week Honors
Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc. and The Putnam Herald are pleased to present this week’s male Gamer of the Week to junior, Ben Coleman of the Calvary Baptist Academy basketball team.
As the COVID pandemic continues to interrupt high school sports, it did not stop junior captain, Ben Coleman at Calvary Baptist Academy from leading his team to a 46-44 victory over Greater Beckley Christian School resulting in back-to-back West Virginia Christian Athletic Tournament (WVCAT) champions! “It means a lot just to be able to win it back-to-back especially knowing that everybody contributed. Everyone stepped up and gave it 110%,” remarked Coleman.
Coleman started playing basketball when he was in the sixth grade. He loves playing with his teammates and the passion and energy they bring to the court. Ben also enjoys watching the NBA and watching his role model, Seth Curry, play which is what really got him into basketball to begin with.
After the conclusion of the WVCAT championship game, Ben was named All-Tournament Team for the second year in a row. During the tournament, Ben averaged 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 assists per game. “On the offensive end of things, Ben is one of our leading scorers on the team. We have several guys that can score, but he’s the kind of leader we look for if we need a basket,” comments head coach David Spencer.
Calvary Baptist Academy’s basketball team went 16-4 this season with Ben averaging 16 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists per game. The team’s success started back in April of 2020 right before COVID hit. Coach Spencer comments, “After winning the WVCAT championship last year, we took a couple weeks off to rest and then tried to do what we could. We could not practice together as a team, but we were still able to open the gym and let kids come in and shoot individually, and Ben was always there whenever it was his turn. He was there putting in the work, so when we started to have actual practices, things came together for us which led to a good season.” “We are like a momentum team. Once we start hitting our shots, we are on a roll. When we hit our shots, I feel like nobody can beat us and that is our mindset,” says Coleman.
Coach Spencer pointed out what it has been like to coach Ben at Calvary Baptist Academy. “Ben is an easy player to coach because I know he is going to be in the gym all summer long. He already has the work ethic that you want. He is very coachable, listens well and it has been a privilege to coach him.”
In preparation for his senior year, Coleman continues to play on his AAU team and continues working out at Power Up gym focusing on building his strength and working on his basketball skills at the local YMCA.
Please look for other local high school athletes to be named in next week’s male Gamer of the Week Sponsored by Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc., and The Putnam Herald.