Although Nicholas County may not be the first school to come to mind in regards to high school basketball prowess, the Grizzlies have had their fair share of scoring threats over the years.
This past season, senior Colby Pishner added his name to the list of players that could fill it up in Summersville.
He also added his name to some other important lists.
After being named second team all-state by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association, Pishner also received an invitation to play in the annual Scott Brown Classic as part of the Class AAA Mid-State Automotive all-stars.
“I thought I might have a good year because I worked really hard in the offseason playing travel ball against really good competition,” Pishner said. “I wasn’t expecting to make all-state or play in the Scott Brown. When I got the call at the house, I was really excited. When I was done I hurried up and told my mom because I was freaking out.”
Postseason honors seemed to be only a dream when Pishner and the Grizzlies started the season slowly, winning just one of their first 10 games.
“At first it was like we were a new team. I am not sure we all fully trusted the process as (head) coach (Brian) Phipps would say,” Pishner said. “We were still trying to find our roles. Once we found them, we got on a hot streak.”
Over the next ten games, Nicholas County picked up nine wins and Pishner was a big part of the turnaround.
“Colby exceeded expectations this year and he did that by growing up. He grew into a young man. At times he kind of took the team on his shoulders and played really hard all the time,” Phipps said. “Although he was the third leading scorer in the state, he tried to get everybody involved. Without him, we don’t go 9-1 in the middle of the season.”
Although his ability to score was the driving force for the wins, Pishner gave much of the credit to his teammates.
“Last year we didn’t have great team play. This year I felt like everybody was committed to their role. I really wanted to take charge and lead the team,” Pishner said. “The team trusted me in that role. I knew where my shooters would be and that coach would give me a little bit of freedom.”
After averaging just under 12 points per game last year, Pishner more than doubled that output this year doing it the old school way.
“He didn’t shoot many 3-pointers. He got to the free-throw line a bunch. There wasn’t anybody that we played that could guard him,” Phipps said. “He just had a knack for getting to the rim. Being 5-foot-11, he is undersized in there, but he would spin at certain angles and he had it down to a science. He probably shot more more free-throws than a lot of teams did.”
Pishner’s standout games included 39 against Herbert Hoover, who made the state tournament field, and 44 against Westside.
“I tried to play my hardest. I knew we needed that win against Hoover. My thing is attacking the basket and getting to the rim,” Pishner said. “I think I was able to get to the line about 30 times in the Westside game. The mid-range and the free-throw line are kind of in the same area and that is where I would shoot.”
One of the big keys for Pishner was along with getting fouled was his ability to be incredibly consistent from the charity stripe.
“After every practice, I would stay and shoot like 50-100 free-throws. I worked a lot in the summer on layups and free-throws,” Pishner said.
The Nicholas County standout has a desire to play at the next level and he hopes playing in the Scott Brown Classic might catch the eye of a college coach or two.
“I would like to play at the next level. I haven’t really talked to any coaches so far, but I plan on sending some game film out,” Pishner said. “There will likely be some college coaches there, but I just need to go out there and be myself. I am not going to change anything. Just being in the atmosphere with all of the best players in the state will be really exciting.”
The boys game will start at 4:30 p.m. where the Class AA/A C. Adam Toney all-stars will battle Pishner the Class AAA Mid-State Automotive all-stars.
The girls game will be played at 2:30 p.m. with the Class AAA/AA/A Chik-Fil-A all-stars battling the Jan Care Class AAAA all-stars.
The girls skills competition will begin at 2 p.m., while the boys skills competition will be contested after the girls all-star matchup.