Greenbrier West waited 27 agonizing years to get back to the boys state basketball tournament after winning the title in 1992.
Lately however, the odd years have been good to the Cavaliers with state tournament berths in 2019 and 2021.
While odd and even years have nothing to do with state tournament berths, the fact that Greenbrier West returns a strong core of experienced players will be a huge factor in another trip to Charleston this season.
“We have had a good start. We will see how it goes, but we have to score better this year,” head coach Jared Robertson said. “I think defensively we should be alright. We are big enough, so we should be able to rebound. You have to score to win and that will be a challenge for us.”
The Cavaliers will have some holes to fill with the biggest being the one left by all-stater Chase McClung who filled the stat sheet for West last and was the team leader.
While the Cavaliers do not have one player quite like Chase McClung this year, they do have a trio of players that seem primed to fill the spotlight and give West balance all over the floor.
That trio includes seniors Michael Kanode and Dale Boone, along with Chase’s younger brother Brayden McClung.
After fighting Covid issues that cost him a good portion of his sophomore season, Kanode made it clear last season that he can be a handful in the paint.
“He has really worked hard and worked to be more of a complete player. He has worked on handling the ball and shooting outside,” Robertson said. Hopefully he will be a beast around the basket scoring and rebounding for us. He has gotten stronger and we think he will be a matchup problem for a lot of teams.”
The younger McClung possesses a high motor on defense and creates havoc for opposing defenses with his ability to attack the basket.
“He has really become a complete player as well. He has shot the ball well in the preseason and been a go-to guy. He is not as vocal as Chase was, but he is a quiet leader. He is also a give it everything he has kind of kid and the others really respect that.”
Robertson believes that to be a good team, you must have three players that can be counted on to score.
“I think the years we have been good we have had that and I think Dale Boone gives us a third guy,” Robertson said.
More noted as a baseball player, Boone has worked hard in the off-season to establish his name on the hardwood.
“He has lost a few pounds and worked extremely hard on his game in the off-season,” Robertson said. “I bet he has added at least six inches to his vertical jump. He is jumping up and dunking the basketball with two hands now. He didn’t have that type of explosiveness last year. He is a lot quicker which will help him a lot defensively.”
“I think when you put Boone on one side, Brayden on the other and Michael in the middle, we have a lot of potential to be a good scoring team,” Robertson went on to say. “That has my hopes up for us to take the next step and score this year.”
Clearly three players do not make a basketball team, but Robertson is convinced he has several kids that can make key contributions this season.
Kadin Parker started at point guard last year and almost broke the school assists record.
“We need some scoring from Kadin. We don’t need him to score 15 points a night, but we need six or eight for him to be a threat and he can do that. He loves to pass the ball and he sees the floor well,” Robertson said.
The Cavaliers will also have some depth in the post from junior Chris Davis who is 6-foot-3 and Asher Barclay that stands 6-foot-4.
“A kid that I am really excited about is Tanner Hagy,” Robertson said. “He was our eighth or ninth guy last year, but is definitely in the running to start now. He has grown some and is another kid that has really worked on his game.”
Hagy’s older brother Chase also played for Robertson and helped lead the Cavaliers to the state tournament.
“He is a lot like him,” Robertson said. “He is not as big as Chase, but he has developed his game like Chase did and I am really excited about him.”
West also has a pair of players that he describes as a little raw, but is willing to bring tons of effort every time they hit the floor.
“You talk about kids that can run, jump and move, it is Matthew Thomas and Isaac Agee. The effort those two kids provide really gives me some options to press and do things defensively. You put all that together and we have about nine kids that can play, let us sub and hopefully have a lot of fun.”
Just as it has been in the successful years in the past for West, defense will be a big key for the Cavaliers this season.
“When you don’t have a lot of pure shooters, which we don’t, I think you have to create havoc with your defense,” Robertson said. “That gives you some easier shots and some run-outs. It keeps the other team off balance. That is how we will try to play again this year.”
Greenbrier West opens the season at home when it hosts Richwood, Dec. 9.
