MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Going into the season, there was no doubt this high school basketball season was going to be unlike any we’ve seen.
For the University High boys, they’d typically be gearing up for the state tournament in Charleston. Instead, they opened their season Thursday night against Parkersburg South. Only household family members were in the stands, everyone donned masks, the bench chairs were spread six feet apart and each team waved to one another after the final horn sounded — a 60-43 Hawks win.
The game even started with an inbounds pass instead of a jump ball.
The best way to describe it? Different.
But for UHS (1-0), COVID-19 protocols are far from the only difference the Hawks will see in 2021, put on full display against the Patriots.
After being delayed a week because of contact-tracing, UHS was finally able to showcase what it would look like in the post-Kaden Metheny and K.J. McClurg era.
Metheny, who won the Bill Evans Award as the best player in West Virginia, is now starting at Bowling Green, while McClurg is getting minutes at Division-I New Hampshire.
The dynamic guard duo helped lead the Hawks to a state championship in 2019 and was the top seed in the 2020 state tournament before it was canceled. With both gone, head coach Joe Schmidle knew his personnel was going to be drastically different this year.
“That was about the only thing I did know — we were going to be tall,” Schmidle said. “Length doesn’t mean anything if we don’t have talent, but those three big kids …. they’re pretty talented.”
Those three “big kids” — all 6-foot-5 or taller — are Aaron Forbes, Blake Barkley and Morgantown transfer Garrison Kisner, who combined for 30 points in the win, and all got the start.
The Hawks went from a successful guard-dominated team to a squad with four forwards in the starting lineup, including small forward Ryan Niceler. Niceler started last year and got off to a good start in Thursday’s game before fouling out late in the fourth quarter, finishing with a team-high 19 points.
But Barkley, a sophomore, was just behind him with 17. Schmidle believes Barkley is coming into his own and will continue to grow into his role and will also be a perimeter threat.
Forbes admittedly didn’t have his best game with four points, but he is excited to see what his team can do this year with a new identity.
“It’s definitely easier on defense because we’re long and athletic,” Forbes said. “We just have to change our offense up and learn how to play that way — play down low and not play run-and-gun all the time.”
The strong defensive mindset was showcased in the fourth quarter — with just a 6-point lead entering the final frame, the Hawks held Parkersburg South (1-1) to just 6 points the entire quarter, outscoring the Patriots by 12.
The Hawks will hit the road Saturday, traveling to Beckley to face Woodrow Wilson at 4 p.m.
Parkersburg South (1-1)
Schaffer 2 0-1 4; Mooney 2 0-0 4; Gaines 3 1-6 9; Johnson 3 2-2 9; Hogset 5 3-5 13; Parsons 0 1-3 1; Street 0 0-0 0; Rice 0 0-0 0; McMullen 1 0-0 3. Totals: 16 7-17 43.
University (1-0)
Niceler 9 0-2 19; Forbes 1 2-4 4; Kisner 4 1-2 9; Barkley 6 5-5 17; Brooks 3 2-2 8; Hammack 0 0-0 0; Wiseman-Raven 0 0-0 0; Jackson 0 0-0 0; Edwards 0 0-0 0; Reyes 0 0-0 0; Braham 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 10-15 60.
PSHS 14 11 12 6 – 43
UHS 17 10 15 18 – 60
3-pointers: PSHS 4 (Gaines 2, Johnson, McMullen); UHS 1 (Niceler).
