Cave Spring High School head basketball coach Jacob Gruse has another feather in his cap.
In an announcement Wednesday, Gruse has been selected for induction into the Pittsylvania County Sports Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will take place on Sunday, November 13 at the Tuscarora Country Club in Danville.
Formed in 2013, the Hall of Fame works to promote civic excellence by recognizing the achievement of former or current individuals or groups who have been involved in or contributed to the success of sports programs from amateur to professional.
Gruse, a former basketball coach at Dan River High School who moved to Cave Spring in 2014, has achieved a long list of accomplishments in his lengthy resume. While at Dan River he led teams to four straight state tournament appearances, one state runner-up finish, one state final four, two state final eight appearances, a Region B championship in 2012 and three regular season Dogwood District championships. Gruse was named Dogwood District Coach of the Year three times, Region B Coach of the Year in 2012, and All-Metro Coach of the Year four times by the Danville Register & Bee.
Gruse has also served in the college ranks as an assistant coach at West Virginia University Institute of Technology and as assistant coach at Averett University.
Since arriving at Cave Spring, Gruse has guided the Knights to Class-3 state championships in 2020 and 2022, and was named State Class-3 Coach of the Year in both seasons. His 2022 Cave Spring squad finished with an all-time school record of 29-1, defeating Petersburg High School in the title game at VCU in Richmond this past March.
Bill Turner