Zach Joachim
Feb 7, 2023
Chris Fields Jr. likes to work out at the local YMCA not far from Petersburg High, where it’s not uncommon for nervous kids to ask if they can meet him and take a picture.
The reigning Class 3 player of the year is averaging 26 points and 10 rebounds in his senior campaign for the Crimson Wave (13-6), last year’s state runners-up.
And Fields, a 6-foot-7, 215-pound point-forward with standout court vision and touch around the basket who made a name for himself locally at a young age starring in the city’s rec league, has always cherished the support from a community that tends to rally around its student-athletes.
“It’s great, it keeps me locked in and focused knowing that there’s younger people looking up to me,” Fields said last Thursday, sitting in the Crimson Wave’s home locker room as the din of bouncing balls echoed from the historic gym next door.
“I want to set a great example knowing I’m a leader, want to set the right tone.”
Petersburg coach Ryan Massenburg has looked forward to coaching Fields since he first saw him play at about 5 years old in rec ball. The coach called Fields “a diamond in the rough,” with a special feel for the game that Massenburg identified very early on.
“He could pass the ball, great court vision, he could score, he could dribble, he could do it all,” Massenburg said of Fields, who remembers raucous gyms exploding as he sank game-winning 3-pointers in rec ball.
Said Fields of those early days: “A couple people around the city had started talking about me, everybody came out to see what I was working with.”
The connection between Petersburg’s basketball programs and its community was never more evident than in last year’s run to the Class 3 championship.
The Crimson Wave beat fierce rival Hopewell in the Region 3A title game before falling to Cave Spring (Roanoke) 76-75 in the state championship.
Massenburg said a rash of violence had marred the Petersburg community leading up to the playoff run. But as his Crimson Wave drew sellout crowds and plenty of local chatter, “it kind of brought the city together.”
The Petersburg police chief and a couple officers even visited the team prior to the state title game, to bring them food, drinks and words of encouragement.
“They were just telling the guys how much they’d changed the culture in the city with us playing, some of the violence had stopped. It just brought the city together more, made it a big family,” Massenburg said, adding that there was a big gathering at Lee Park on a day the team visited City Council.
“There are so many negative words spoke about Petersburg. And to see something positive happen and these kids doing great things, it means droves to the city.”
Fields, for one, has certainly meant that to his hometown. His father, Chris Fields Sr., played at both Petersburg and Hopewell, and has been his son’s biggest supporter through his basketball journey, coaching him at some junctures and always attending his games and driving him to practice.
“He’s never doubted me, he’s been behind me every step of the way,” Fields Jr. sad of his dad, while admitting that he dealt with ample self-doubt along the way, sometimes contemplating the idea of leaving basketball behind in his life.
But he never did quit, and in hindsight, he finds pride in the persistence. As Fields’ high school playing days dwindle, he’s trying to stay in the moment and not think about the final time he dons the crimson and gold which he grew up dreaming of wearing.
He’s taken on a heightened leadership role this season for a relatively inexperienced team around him in terms of varsity minutes. He’s gotten lots of Division II recruiting interest and looks from some Division I programs.
But Fields is evaluating all options and doesn’t plan on committing until after season’s end. For now, he’s got one goal and one goal alone in mind.
Petersburg last won a state championship in boys basketball in 1974, when the Crimson Wave were led by future 12-time NBA All-Star Moses Malone.
Fields, a 1,000-point scorer who loves chase-down blocks and had a career-high 49 points in a 75-54 win over Dinwiddie on Jan. 6, hopes to follow in those footsteps.
“I just really want to see how it would affect [the Petersburg community] getting them a state championship,” he said, flashing a wide smile, the shadow of which never appears to leave his visage.
“It’s been so long since they’ve seen one. ... This is where I made my name, this is where people realized who I was. So I just want to finish strong here.”