The Morgantown High School girls’ basketball team won’t need to worry about producing storylines this season.
With a new head coach, a Division-I signee, two daughters of WVU head basketball coaches, and the chase to appear in their fourth consecutive Class AAAA state championship game, the book that is MHS girls basketball is producing its own chapters. It’s up to the Mohigans to fill in the words by what they do on the court.
Although this is his first season at the helm of the MHS girls program, first-year head coach John Fowkes is no stranger to winning championships. He served as an assistant on Dave Tallman’s staff before accepting the girls’ position, and the MHS boys have won three straight Class AAAA state titles.
Now, following in the footsteps of title-winning coaches like Jason White and Doug Goodwin, Fowkes and his players are poised and hungry to return to Charleston and finish the job they set out on last season.
“Overall, we have had a great start to the year,” Fowkes said. “Everyone has great attitudes; they come in to practice and work hard and hold each other accountable. They seem to enjoy conditioning, and we’ve already seen the difference from when we started practices to when we played our two scrimmages.”
Fowkes knows the rich traditions and histories of the girls’ basketball program at MHS are essential and ones that he won’t be quick to eliminate.
“This is Morgantown High, and I’ll try to keep the same traditions that have been shown in the past, because they’ve produced winners,” he said. “There are some things we will tweak as far as the way we break the huddle down and other things like that so this team can find its own identity for this season, but it would be impossible for us not to embrace the foundation that’s been set for the program for years.”
The Mohigans will enjoy the return of two all-state selections from last season in sophomore Kayli Kellogg and senior Sadaya Jones.
Kellogg was named to the Class AAAA first-team after a breakout freshman season where she averaged 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game. She scored a team-high 19 points in the Mohigans’ 54-50 upset of No. 1 George Washington in the state semifinals.
Jones, a recent Division-I signee with the University of Maryland Baltimore County, can score from anywhere on the floor on offense and is one of the Mohigans’ stronger players defensively.
MHS will also welcome sophomore Tatum DeVries, daughter of WVU men’s head coach Darian DeVries, who adds another outside threat for Fowkes and his club.
“I’ll say this: if teams think they can sag off of us one bit, they’re going to be in trouble,” Fowkes said. “Tatum is one of those players who you may need to pick up as soon as she crosses half court, and her basketball knowledge is also advanced for most kids her age. Another consistent outside threat will be a great positive for us this year.”
MHS will also look for production from senior big Lucie Hatcher, who gained valuable experience last season stepping in for all-state selection Lily Jordan, who missed the second half of the season with an injury.
“Lucie grew her confidence tremendously due to last season,” Fowkes said. “She gives us a good advantage underneath with her strength and has improved her offensive game to provide us with an inside scoring threat. She will be a tough matchup for anyone, night in and night out.”
Fowkes will have many seniors on the roster, as Hatcher is only one of five players who will play their final season at MHS.
Sadaya Jones played under Jason White at MHS during her freshman season before transferring to Fairmont Senior. In the same season, the Mohigans won the title under Doug Goodwin. She returned for her junior year, helping MHS to the title game before falling short against Wheeling Park.
“She is really hungry this year, and she’s leading the way a senior should lead the team,” Fowkes said. “She’s very encouraging to the younger girls and does everything the right way. Her game doesn’t lack much either. She will step out and shoot, can drive to the basket and finish, and she’ll rebound over anyone and guard the other team’s best player on defense. Sadaya is just a great all-around player, and I think this season could be special for her.”
