James Monroe boys’ basketball coach Matt Sauvage stays in the limelight year-round.
Not only did he just get done leading the Mavericks to their second consecutive Class A state basketball championship, but he also coaches the Greenbrier East girls’ volleyball team every fall and led them to the regional finals this past season.
So, for Sauvage there is never an offseason and hardly enough time to just sit back and relax, but that is okay with him because he loves coaching. His Maverick team brings him joy, and even after they won the championship in 2022, Sauvage had a feeling that he and his team were not quite finished.
“We knew the team had the potential to repeat (the state championship), but we came into the season stressing to the players to make this season their own. You never know what other teams will have, but we knew we had a pretty good team. We definitely took one game at a time,” Sauvage said.
One thing that makes Sauvage’s job much easier is the talent he had on his roster, as he had three first team all-state selections. From top to bottom, the roster was filled with talent, but none more so than senior Eli Allen. Allen won the Gatorade Player of the Year in West Virginia then took home the Evans Award, which is given to the best overall player in the state, regardless of class.
“Eli is a special player,” Sauvage said.
“Having him on the court is similar to having another coach. His abilities are great, but his vision, basketball IQ, etc. is really what separates him. Awards for him so far are 1st Team All-State, MaxPreps West Virginia Player of the Year, Gatorade Player of the Year and Evans Awards Player of the Year. It has been my pleasure to coach him,” Sauvage said.
So, is Sauvage a great coach or is he just extremely lucky to have the players he has had?
“Extremely lucky,” he joked.
“When a team is winning, it is great players; when a team is losing, it has bad coaches,” he added.
Something that has been on the mind of many since the basketball season ended, is that with several top seniors set to graduate, will Sauvage return next season or hand the job over to someone else? According to the head man, that decision will come later.
“Day by day,” Sauvage said while laughing.
“Us three coaches are going to sit down in the next month and work out everything. I would love to come back and coach these younger players again; but we’ll see, so can’t really give a solid answer,” he continued.
What is definite is that he will be back on the sidelines this fall once Spartan volleyball starts, but honestly, work has already started in the weight room.
“We started morning workouts for volleyball back in December. Not really an off-season, but that is more in the weight room focus. Not sure my focus ever switches from volleyball or vice versa,” Sauvage explained.
East volleyball returns most of their team this season, and they too could be set up for a special run if things fall into place.
“I’m really excited for volleyball. This group of young ladies have a chance to make a run,” Sauvage concluded.
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