Destiny never seemed to be on the side of Greater Beckley guard Kaden Smallwood.
Three times the senior watched opportunities to play in the state tournament painfully slip away.
Two weeks before postseason play began this year, Smallwood and his teammates were dealt another tough blow in regards to their state tournament hopes.
Sometimes you have to create you own destiny.
Against some tall odds this year, the Crusaders secured a state tournament berth by bringing home the Region 3 co-final crown with a 78-72 over Webster County at Upper Glade Wednesday.
“I really didn’t know what to say when it was over. I just said finally! That was my first words,” Smallwood said. “Two of my years that I have lost in a regional game have been at the same place. So, to win at their place and cut their nets down was even more special.”
In his freshman season, Greater Beckley was one of the top teams in the state. A sectional championship loss to Greenbrier West sent them to Webster County for the regional game.
The Highlanders were undefeated and in the midst of a historic run to the state title that year.
Smallwood’s sophomore year, Greater Beckley defeated Webster County at home to win the regional crown. Unfortunately for the Crusaders, an excellent chance to win the state title was erased by the Covid shutdown.
Last year, Greater Beckley was again back in Upper Glade with a state tournament bid on the line. A late fourth quarter comeback by the Highlanders sent Smallwood and the Crusaders home disappointed.
Then his final high school season started with a bang. The Class A Crusaders stormed out of the gate with wins over James Monroe, Greenbrier East, Princeton and defending Class AAAA champions George Washington in Charleston.
Not only was a regional championship a likely outcome, a state title was definitely in the sights for Greater Beckley.
Basketball at Greater Beckley, however, was turned upside down two weeks before the postseason was to start.
Four key players were deemed ineligible and could no longer play. The games they participated were ruled a forfeit.
With some around the state clamoring for Greater Beckley to be excluded from the postseason, the Crusaders pressed on with the goal to get to Charleston.
“When we first found out that they might not get to play, I was honestly hoping for the best at that point,” Smallwood said. “When we found out they were ineligible, we just came together and realized we needed to play for them. I knew they were still going to be with us, no matter if they were in uniform or not. They are still part of us and we know that. We will have their back on the court regardless.”
After suffering disappointment his first three years in regards to the postseason, Smallwood had two options – feel sorry for himself and quit, or move forward.
The senior standout chose to be a leader and move his team forward.
“You think with what happened to his teammates this year, a kid like Kaden could have turned away and backed down thinking this couldn’t happen. He didn’t do that,” Greater Beckley head coach Justin Arvon said. “He led our team. He really buckled down in practice and during games. He led us to Charleston. I am really proud of him.”
The postseason road has not been easy.
As a result of the ruling, Greater Beckley dropped to a lower seed and had to start its postseason run on the road at Mount View.
Down double-digits to the Golden Knights at halftime, the Crusaders rallied for a 59-56 win in a thriller.
In the sectional final against James Monroe at Bluefield State, the Crusaders had the lead in the third quarter, only to see the Mavericks pull off the comeback win.
Smallwood took the loss really hard.
“I just knew we could have won that game and we felt like we let it get away from us,” Smallwood said. “It was especially hard knowing we would have to go to someone else’s court. We really wanted to host that home regional game.”
By the end of the night, Greater Beckley knew that its state tournament hopes would be a matchup in Upper Glade against its old postseason nemesis.
“I knew they would bring out the whole county that night and they did. I knew we would playing against the fans, the players and possibly the refs,” Smallwood said. “It was going to be a tough atmosphere. We just had to practice and prepare mentally. That is what we did. Luckily we got the outcome that we wanted.”
In the regional game, a six-point first quarter lead disappeared into 37-35 deficit at the half.
“We just had to regroup. It has been that way a lot this year. We have been in difficult situations going into halftime,” Smallwood said. “We never let it get us down when we are trailing at halftime. I feel like we always come out stronger after halftime.”
A blistering third quarter led by 12 points from Michael Judy gave Greater Beckley the lead which it never relinquished.
“We never doubted that we could win. We felt like we needed to turn up the tempo a little bit more and pressure the ball. We got a couple turnovers and went on some runs. It worked out in our favor,” Smallwood said. “We did get up to like a 10-point lead and they cut it two or three points and went on a run as well, but they never took the lead from us.”
Having secured its chance to finally step on the floor inside the Charleston Coliseum and Convention Center, Greater Beckley’s postseason road heats up right off the bat.
The Crusaders quarterfinal matchup will be against the defending Class A champions – Man. The Hillbillies earned the No. 2 seed this year.
“It will be a trough game. They are No. 2 in the state for a reason. They can shoot the ball well, but I’m not sure if they have played anybody like us,” Smallwood said. “Hopefully we can give them a new look and see if they can handle our pressure. It is going be interesting to see.”