Adam Drennen is a far cry from your prototypical high school big man.
The Liberty inside threat is unorthodox, unique and unflappable, but all the while, highly effective.
“Adam is that unusual guy that you don’t have to build up. You don’t have to tell him how good he is,” Liberty head coach Chad Williams said. “He just comes in, works hard, does his job and goes home. He loves playing and representing his school, but when his job is complete, he is ready to go on with life.”
Drennen’s senior season did not quite go as planned.
Returning a strong senior trio and a nice mix of young talent, the Raiders had high expectations.
Expectations turned to extreme concern when all-state guard A.J. Williams was lost to a knee injury in the preseason.
“When A.J. went out, him, (Adam) McGhee and myself were the most experienced players on the team. In that moment, you have to step up and be a leader of the team,” Drennen said.
The 6-foot-4 senior stepped his game up and became a walking double-double creating havoc in the lane for opposing defenses with his unorthodox way of scoring.
“I have always been a tall, so I was a post player. That is all that I have known my whole life,” Drennen said. “I found when I did the hook shot that I didn’t get blocked and I could score well. I just made it my main shot because it was hard to defend.”
Drennen made his biggest impact however rebounding the basketball.
“Rebounding is one of the most important things. If you get the defensive rebound, it stops teams from getting another chance to score, where offensive rebounds gives your team a chance for more points,” Drennen said.
With Williams down for the season, many wrote the Raiders off. Drennen and McGhee rallied the troops and led Liberty into the regional co-final before dropping a tough game at Wyoming East.
“There is always new kids that come in, but he is a player that you can never replace,” Williams said. “Adam was never a vocal leader. He was a lead by example player. He would push the younger kids to get better, but he wasn’t vocal. He would show them what they needed to do and how to do it.”
Drennen’s exploits did not go unnoticed this year.
After being named second-team all-state by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association, the Liberty standout was selected to play in the Scott Brown Classic being held Saturday at Shady Spring High School.
“I felt really proud in that moment. I had worked for four years to show I that I was a good basketball player,” Drennen said about his second team selection. “To get an honor like that made me really proud. I knew I had a good season, but something like that is a big deal.”
Williams was also happy for his star player.
“I was glad that he was recognized for the talent that he is. He is not your conventional big guy. He has his own style. What makes him good is he just out worked you. He is strong and wants to out work others. Not many kids these days have that mentality.”
The Scott Brown all-star game will likely be the last basketball game of Drennen’s career as he will head to trade school after graduating.
“It’s a big honor to play in something like that and I was tickled to death to get to play in the game. I couldn’t believe it. I just love getting a chance to play basketball one more time in high school and be around all the great players in the state.”
