MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The Morgantown High boys’ basketball team had an old-school feel at its practice early Friday morning — the clank of the double rims and the sneakers skidding on the blacktop as a steady mist fell over the outdoor courts at Marilla Park in Sabraton.
The Mohigans made use of the outdoor facilities since the beginning of the three-week summer workouts July 13 as a way to work around a few of the disadvantages of playing inside a gym due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We spread them into three groups just to keep numbers low,” coach Dave Tallman said. “We have Group 1, which is filled with our main guys and returning starters. We have our sophomores going after this and then our freshman team after that. With groups 2 and 3, we’ve been outside every day. We’ve taken Group 1 inside a few times and really social distanced in the gym. I like it, though, it’s raining right now so the ball’s wet.
“It just makes it a little tougher, I think.”
Of the players in Group 1, the Mohigans will have two key returners in the backcourt and frontcourt. As a newcomer last season coming from Garrett County, Md., Xavier Pryor fit the bill as the slashing, hard-nosed point guard who fits well into Tallman’s system. In the post, Carson Poffenberger returns after a second team all-state selection last year, where he averaged 12.9 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
Along with forward Luke Bechtel, who has starting experience but was limited last season due to an ACL injury, Poffenberger and Pryor will lead the senior class for MHS.
Looking to bounce back from a disappointing exit in the co-regional championship to Wheeling Park, the Mohigans will also need to replace three starters on a team that went 20-5 and was consistently top three in the state all season. Alex Rudy and Mac McMillen both graduated, and Troy Battle is no longer with the program. Antonio Rollo was also a key member of the bench who will need to be replaced.
“We’ve got a bunch of young guys vying for positions,” Tallman said. “Our juniors are Alec Poland and Brooks Gage, who are probably the two best shooters in the state, and we’ve got them both. That’s a weapon that we’ll definitely use. Then we’ve got guys like Rocco Morgano, Jalen Goins and some other young guys who are fighting for those spots.”
Cam Rice, who played for Tallman his freshman and sophomore seasons, did not play basketball his junior year to concentrate on football, but has grown about four inches and gained 30 pounds of muscle. Tallman said Rice will play basketball this season as a senior and will be a “force in the post.”
With shooters like Gage and Poland on the outside, a slasher like Pryor and post presences like Poffenberger and Rice, the Mohigans could have a well-rounded offensive attack. Overall length could be the biggest factor.
“We could definitely put a lineup out there that’s 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3, 6-2, you know what I mean?” Tallman said. “We could go big and long, and then we have some quick little guards, too. We’ll be able to press people when we want and we’ll be able to sit in the zone and get real long when we want.”
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