The stream of athletes heading to West Virginia Wesleyan from Oak Hill High School has been flowing freely in 2022.
Thursday afternoon, two additional Red Devils signed a National Letter of Intent to spend there college days in Buckhannon.
Oak Hill sharpshooter Jacob Perdue signed to play basketball, while Colton Workman will join the Bobcats on the pitch to play soccer.
“This means a whole lot. It means I have an opportunity to continue my basketball career. I am really grateful for that and it is a real blessing,” Perdue said. “I am excited to see where it can take me and how good I can be.”
Perdue’s ability to knock down shots from behind the arc has made him one of the premier high school scorers in West Virginia.
It is a skill that Oak Hill head coach Benitez Jackson feels will pay immediate dividends at the next level.
“I have told coaches that I feel like he has a skill that translates right now to any level. He will be able to knock down shots from day one,” Jackson said. “The way the game is played now, he will be able to spread the floor for Wesleyan. He will just need to develop the other parts of his game.”
Perdue talked about what he felt like he needed to work on heading to college.
“My main objective to get better is to work on my (ball handling). I work on that everyday,” Perdue said. “As a player I also need to work on my aggressiveness. I need to be more aggressive. I need to work on my body to get it ready as well.”
Work ethic has never been a question mark during his days as a Red Devil according to Jackson.
“He is a high character kid and he works hard,” Jackson said. “I can’t remember a time that he came into practice that we had to question his effort. In games, he played hard all the time. He never seemed to get tired and he was even keeled. I think Wesleyan is getting a steal.”
“Jacob’s confidence has always been high,” Jackson went on to say. “No matter who we played, he felt like he was the best player on the floor. He put a lot of time in shooting and he has worked really, really hard.”
While Wesleyan allowed Perdue to fulfill his dream of playing college basketball, Wesleyan was also a perfect fit for him in other ways.
“(Head) coach (Derek) Sloan welcomed me in and the I really liked the hospitality,” Perdue said. “Everything fit into place. I have an older sister that goes there and I have several friends going there. It will be nice to have some familiar faces.”
The hospitality at Wesleyan has been a common theme amongst the athletes from Oak Hill.
“At first I was considering another college in Virginia. Then I took a tour of Wesleyan and I loved the people and the place,” Workman said. “It was only two hours from home and I have some friends going there which is really nice. (Wesleyan) was perfect for me.”
“If you told me at the beginning of the season that I would be going to Wesleyan, I would have been a little surprised. Regardless, I am really glad to be signing with Wesleyan and playing in state which is nice.”
Oak Hill head soccer coach Lenny Keavney talked about the strengths of his senior forward.
“Colten has been a hard worker and has been a pleasure to coach. He is highly technical and has developed his game to the point where he can play any position on the pitch,” Keavney said. “He plays for WVFC in Charleston and has for a number of years.”
“We used him as a striker because of his speed and skill with the ball at his feet,” Keavney went on to say. “He puts the ball in the back of the net. In some games, to see out a win, we would even put him back on defense as our “stopper”.”
Workman stated he too was eager to get started and already has his eyes on what needs to be done to be successful at the next level.
“I have already received my off-season training (plan), so I will try to get a head start on that,” Workman said. “I will also try to get acquainted with some more of my teammates. I already know a few of them. I know it is a higher level (of competition), but that doesn’t really bother me because I know what I have to do.”
