KINGWOOD — Now, here’s something surprisingly positive regarding the horrific COVID-19 pandemic you simply don’t hear every day, especially from a senior high school athlete like Preston point guard Jaden Fultz.
“I think getting shut down in November has really brought us together as a team,” he said.
“We were left guessing about whether we’d get to play together at all this year, and so the seniors (Fultz, J.C. Harris and Caleb Sypolt) tried our best to keep in touch with the younger guys, tried to get everyone to be careful and stay in shape and stay positive. And now that we’re back, working together as a team feels like such a blessing. We’re kind of linked together by going through COVID, so we’re all pulling for each other and taking nothing for granted. It’s a great feeling every time we’re on the court as a team.”
Pretty remarkable, considering where the program stood in November, especially for Knights coach Paul Koontz.
“Well, on Nov. 15, the day we got shut down, I tested positive for COVID, and three of our five staff members also contracted the virus,” he said. “It was very serious, and it took every bit of a full month to get healthy again. Basically, we haven’t had contact with the kids until last week. It was a real setback for our team because we had some ambitious travel plans in the works, and we really wanted to grab some additional experience to help us make a big step up. We lost a chance to grow as a team, and that’s a shame.”
Although Koontz is by no means lowering the bar of expectations on this season — “we expect to win” — he’s also detected a slightly tentative demeanor at the start of practice that is just now beginning to dissipate.
“There was a little bit of reluctance with contact, I think,” he said, “as if they weren’t used to being so close to other people. It’s perfectly understandable. This pandemic has been so disruptive and so overwhelming, and it’s taken a little time to get back that reckless abandon and enthusiasm that you need to play the game. We’re getting to where we need to be, and we’ve got a lot of hungry young players ready for varsity basketball.”
The Knights will rely heavily on their senior trio, as well as junior Trevor Thomas, but last year’s very successful JV team will supply a solid bench, including three juniors and four sophomores, who will be vying for playing time.
Koontz recognizes the key to this year will be on the defensive side of the court, no doubt considering last year’s Knights were sixth in Class AAA in scoring average at 74 points per game, but they still surrendered 80 ppg. It’s a reality not lost on senior forward Martin.
“We know we can score,” he said, “but it’s up to us to set the tone on defense, to play tough, play smart and bring intensity to every possession. No plays off. None. If we do that every night, we will have a lot of chances to win games.
“COVID has brought us a lot of challenges, for sure, and it’s put a lot on all of us to deal with. But if we work together, work hard and continue to develop our team chemistry, I think we’ll be ready for what comes, and we sure are excited to have this chance to show what we can do.”
The Knights 2021 season begins Saturday at Elkins, with their first home game against Buckhannon-Upshur scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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