MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The University High boys’ basketball team is about to take a major step back.
Well, at least that’s what the Hawks want you to think.
“I hope everybody underestimates us and thinks we’re not going to be any good,” junior center Aaron Forbes said during a three-week summer workout. “I can’t wait to prove them wrong.”
To be sure, UHS players and head coach Joe Schmidle understand the thought after the Hawks lost two Division I players in Kaden Metheny (Bowling Green) and K.J. McClurg (New Hampshire).
“Our younger players have really come along and I don’t think people realize the type of size we’re going to have,” senior guard Ryan Niceler said. “Honestly, I don’t care what people think. We lost our two best players, but I think we’re going to surprise a lot of people this season.”
Last March, McClurg and Metheny led the Hawks to a No. 1 ranking and were set to defend their Class AAA state title before the state tournament was shut down by the coronavirus.
Heading into next season … “As much as our guys loved Kaden and K.J., I think they’re really anxious to show they can play, too,” Schmidle said.
And this is where the challenge begins, one that Schmidle takes a sense of personal pride with.
If these Hawks are to make another run at the state tournament — “It wouldn’t surprise me at all if we get back to states,” Niceler said. “I think we’ll make it there and can challenge again.” — it will be with a much different style of play and different approach to the game.
“The thing about the last couple of years is people thought we just rolled the ball out on the floor and played,” Schmidle said. “Well, no, that’s not what happened. What I’m excited about this year is to show that we can still coach and that we can still be competitive as a team.
“It’s going to be different. We’ll have to be more structured and run more sets. We’re certainly not going to average 93 points per game again.”
Where McClurg and Metheny gave UHS a fast-tempo style with the ability to stretch the floor with outside shooting, these Hawks will be built around a stronger foundation in the paint.
That begins with the 6-foot-6 Forbes, a returning starter, but UHS will also feature 6-6 junior Blake Barkley and will also have the services of 6-7 sophomore Garrison Kisner, whose family recently moved into the UHS school district. Kisner played at Morgantown High last season.
“You can already tell the difference in our style of play,” Forbes said. “We’ll probably run a lot more plays and we’ll use our size. I can already see coach beginning to handle things a little differently.”
Players will play different roles, too, which may begin with Niceler, the other returning starter for the Hawks who averaged 8.1 points per game last season.
“I really worked on my ball-handling and on my mid-range game,” Niceler said. “I knew all along coming into this season there was going to be a lot of change. That was pretty easy to see with who we lost. I knew I was going to have to improve my game.”
In his first six seasons, Schmidle has guided UHS to four state tournaments — including last season’s, which wasn’t played — and the 2018 state title.
It has been a mix, Schmidle said, of talent, changing the culture and getting players to buy into coaching.
Getting the Hawks back to Charleston a year after losing two Division I players would go a long way into showing just how far the program has come.
“Honestly, getting back to the state tournament would be big, because it would show we’ve built something pretty good here,” Forbes said. “It wasn’t just about having two or three stars and then that’s it.”
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