Coaches of the boys’ basketball teams in Conference 17 recognized three King’s Fork High School Bulldog players with all-conference selections, including sophomore guard Rontre Pope, who made the first team.

Sophomore guard James Hatton and junior center Raemaad Wright made the all-conference second team.

Bulldogs coach Josh Worrell noted that Pope was the third-leading vote-getter out of all the players considered at the voting meeting.

“I was pleased with the votes for Rontre,” he said. “I was curious to see if we’d get anybody on first team, and I think the other coaches realized how big of a piece of the puzzle he is for us.”

Worrell said Pope is a not a vocal leader on the team but indicated his example is one to follow, adding, “he works hard every day.”

“He had to handle the ball and do a lot of things in that realm, very active in our press, he rebounds the ball well,” Worrell said. “He has a lot of intangibles that coaches look at.”

Pope averaged 11 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists and two steals per game this season.

“With James and Raemaad, it’s just good accolades for them,” Worrell said of their second-team nods. “I think it’s a good outlook for our young group of kids that are progressing well in our program.”

The coach praised Hatton for shooting the ball quite well and being vocal defensively.

As for Wright, “He played really well in the conference games, which got him quite a few votes,” Worrell said.

Hatton and Wright were each in their first season of playing significant varsity minutes.

“I think both of them stood up to the test through the long haul of the season,” Worrell said.