The boys’ basketball coaches of the Ironclad Conference recently recognized one of their peers, King’s Fork High School’s Josh Worrell, as the conference boys’ basketball Coach of the Year. All three Suffolk public schools were also represented on the all-conference first team.

Worrell received his award after helping his team finish 14-8 in the regular season.

“It’s a great honor,” he said of the accolade.

He deflected praise to his coaching staff, then to his players for “executing what they have to do each day,” he said.

Currently in his 11th season at King’s Fork, Worrell has coached the Bulldogs since the school opened and led them to a 191-100 record so far. He adds this coaching prize to his 2006-07 district and 2008-09 regional and state Coach of the Year awards.

The challenge he was faced with this season as a coach was “just having all the kids buy in at the right time and trusting in each other,” he said.

As the year progressed, he added in different alignments and adjustments and praised his players for responding successfully.

King’s Fork junior guard Keith Stagg and junior center Chris Roscoe made the all-conference first team.

“I think it was an honor well-deserved by both of them,” Worrell said. “They played hard all year long and were consistent.”

He said he thought conference coaches selected Stagg due to his versatility, playing multiple positions this year. Stagg averaged 18.5 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals during the regular season.

He received a conference honorable mention last year.

Roscoe is a first-time conference honoree, after averaging 12 points, nine boards, two assists and two blocks during the regular season.

“I think he’s our most improved player” since last year, Worrell said, adding he thinks coaches “saw the growth in him.”

Nansemond River High School junior guard Josh Covington was the third-best scorer in the conference, making his inaugural conference honor a first team selection.

“I didn’t have to sell Josh to the coaches,” Warriors coach Ed Young said. “They knew who he was. They mentioned his number right off the bat.”

He was the main scoring threat on a weaker Nansemond River team this year, and opposing coaches were impressed that he was still tough to guard.

“He was getting his points, no matter if they concentrated on him or not,” Young said. “He was determined.”

For the entire season, Covington averaged 18.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game, shooting 47 percent from the field and 40 percent from three-point range. He also shot 77 percent from the foul line in 184 attempts.

Lakeland High School junior forward Deonta Knight made the all-conference first team for the second consecutive year.

“I felt that he was one of the top five, six players of the conference,” Cavaliers coach Clint Wright said, later noting he made the team always a threat to win ballgames.

For the entire season, including the conference tournament, Knight averaged 16.3 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. Wright said opposing coaches “saw that consistent play throughout the whole season.”

Knight fell a little more than 60 points shy of a thousand for his high school career this season, but Wright said, “Hopefully with a successful campaign next year, he will be able to eclipse that.”

Knight made the All-Southeastern District second team as a freshman.

Making all-conference second team this year were Bulldogs junior guard Deshaun Wethington, Warriors senior forward/guard Matt Allmond and Cavaliers senior guard Kenya Latham.

King’s Fork senior guard Tyese Pressley and Nansemond River senior guard Aaron Parker earned honorable mention.