Best wv high school basketball team of all time
- Thread starter ohio herd
- Start date
Without really knowing much about the Jerry West era teams, I would say that Huntington squad is probably #1. If I remember right, almost every starter on that team went 1A (I could be wrong though).
Only oj, Patterson and early, the other two played in wviac.
As to the DuPont squad, they didn't even win the state championship, don't see how they could be considered second best ever.
Really I didn't know that just thought this might be a fun discussion. I was going to mention the Larry Watson, David Wade team from the old HHS from around 78 but they didn't win the title either. Just goes to show that the state of wv has had at times some solid talent IMO
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Just because they didn't win the state champ doesn't mean they can't be considered one of the best teams in the state ever
1983 Williamson Wolfpack. "AA" state champs, nationally ranked (#2, I think). Mark Cline and company could hoop.
One of those teams would be my second pick.
Btw, that is who the Pack beat in '83 to win state. I think it was a 2 point win.
Northfork, Williamson, Logan, Burch, Bluefield, Princeton, Oceana all had teams that would have beat the sh*t out of the Moss/Williams and Mayo/Patterson teams. Coalfields have always been representin' in hoops.
LOL- I saw some of those teams play myself. The Logan team of the late 70's was pretty good for sure. I am sure there were others I never saw play that were really good. However , surely you are joking when you say they would have beaten the Mayo /Patterson team!
Do you know how good OJ Mayo is? Patterson as well? Be realistic.
How many guys of their teams you mentioned even played D1 ball let alone the NBA, at high level mind you. That Huntington was stacked for anywhere in the country.
The legends of small school WV ball. LOL. WV has probably never seen anything like that Huntington team.
C'mon man.
How many guys of their teams you mentioned even played D1 ball let alone the NBA, at high level mind you. That Huntington was stacked for anywhere in the country.
The legends of small school WV ball. LOL. WV has probably never seen anything like that Huntington team.
C'mon man.
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Cline played and started at wake forest. And let's not act like that Huntington team was unbeatable. I watched them lose to a decent, not great, Scott County (KY) team. They lost to another team that year also. Great team, but not the greatest ever.
I inadvertently left Beckley off my list. They had some great teams as well. They had some teams in the 90s that played and competed with some highly ranked national teams. Also sent several players to D1 schools.
The OJ/PPat/Early HHS team would demolish those old southern WV teams. I have no doubt. OJ and PPat have had outstanding pro careers, and Chris Early had high D-1 talent (Oklahoma), but lost his mind along the way. Hell, the other starters - Jamal something (Williams?), Michael Taylor, and Bruce Senior were solid HS players.
Sheesh.
And, as I said, they lost to a decent Scott County team. You can have extremely talented players and not be the "best team ever." If talent was all it took, Duke and Kentucky would win the NCAA every single year.
I was finishing fourth-grade in 1983 - and Williamson HS was in the same region as the high school I would eventually attend/graduate-from. The only entity that ranked high school basketball nationally week-to-week in 1982-83 was USA Today (which was in its first year). While Williamson may have been ranked, I am fairly certain that it did not climb to No. 2 in the nation, despite the greatness of Mark Cline.
Williamson lost two regular season games that year, at least one to Logan HS in the Logan Field House to a Logan HS team that would win the AAA state title.
By comparison, I am aware that Dunbar HS (MD) was the "unofficial" national champion with a team that featured future collegiate and NBA players Reggie Williams (Georgetown), Mugsy Bogues (Wake Forest), and Reggie Lewis (Northeastern), as well as an underclassman named David Wingate (Georgetown). Close behind Dunbar were programs like Simeon (Chicago - with player of the year finalist Benji Wilson, Nick Anderson, and soon to add future Illinois star Marcus Liberty), Archbishop Malloy (NY - with player of the year finalist Kenny Smith), as well as big-city programs and perennial power-houses like DeMatha, Oak Hill Academy, King (Chicago), Simon Gratz (Philly), etc., etc.
While Williamson was formidable, I doubt that No. 2 nationally was ever attained.
FWIW, 1983 was one of those bell-weather years for coalfield basketball, as Logan won AAA (over S. Charleston), Williamson beat fellow southern WV (and national record-holding) Northfork HS in AA, and Mullens won A (over Hunt-Vinson). Mullens had the phenomenal junior Herbie Brooks; Logan included future MU player Kevin Staples, as well as a Ralph Sampson type in Ron Gaiter.
1990 Logan team was ranked as high as 15 nationally at one point that season and beat Beckley twice, but lost to them in the state tourney.
1993 Beckley team was nationally ranked
1988 oak hill team with Shelton, PG Greene was a great ball team as well
1996 Beckley team with Slay, Jamal Williams
Truth is it's hard to say, I'd put a number of those Beckley teams against any team you can think of and it'd be a classic
1993 Beckley team was nationally ranked
1988 oak hill team with Shelton, PG Greene was a great ball team as well
1996 Beckley team with Slay, Jamal Williams
Truth is it's hard to say, I'd put a number of those Beckley teams against any team you can think of and it'd be a classic
Mayo's Huntington team is the greatest by a large margin.
Moss/Williams, fun to watch but never won a State Championship.
I'm a Southern West Virginian but don't forget some of the northern schools.....Wheeling Park and Martinsburg have had some great teams. The 1995 Championship game , Wheeling Park vs Beckley Woodrow Wilson is still considered the greatest championship game in history. 3OTs - 99-96 Wheeling Park.....I was there, it was insane.
Moss/Williams, fun to watch but never won a State Championship.
I'm a Southern West Virginian but don't forget some of the northern schools.....Wheeling Park and Martinsburg have had some great teams. The 1995 Championship game , Wheeling Park vs Beckley Woodrow Wilson is still considered the greatest championship game in history. 3OTs - 99-96 Wheeling Park.....I was there, it was insane.
I would argue the 1986 AAA championship between Stonewall and Oak Hill was better -- multiple overtime, excellent defense, two big-time guards (Stewart Mitchell v. Tracy Shelton) going shot-for-shot. SJ pulled away in the final overtime (IIRC, Shelton fouled out in the final OT).
I don't know if they're the best by a wide margin. Beckleys 92-93 teams were as good as about any team you could find winning back to back titles and destroyed Jared Pricketts team by 20 in 92. Beckley followed that up with Tamar Slay and Jamal Williams winning back to back Titles in 97-98. Those 4 years alone had numerous d1 players and an obvious NBA lottery pick that undoubtedly could've played with mayos squad.
As for great games I'd say Beckley vs DuPont in 94 was the best Ive personally seen. Fact is there are so many good ones over the years it's hard to really pick one. This state as small as it is has some great tradition in basketball. IMHO it's a basketball state much more than it's ever been a football state
The 1990 Logan HS (despite losing to Beckley in the semis) was a deep and talented team. Played against that team as a sophomore (the year before), and it was ridiculous how good they were.
The 17-U AAU team from Logan was also ridiculous - I played on the 15-U team for Logan (was a mix of Chapmanville, Man, and Logan players), and we scrimmaged the 17-U team twice. That team included: Greg Bartram (Penn St.), Jeff Miller (Alderson-Broadus), Todd Keffer (Man HS - Concord Coll.), Anthony Reynolds, Deaundre Murphy, Willie Coleman, Stephen Bailey (the most athletic human being I've seen up close), and a couple of other names that I have shamefully forgotten. That team won the state tournament, and as per AAU rules, could add two additional members from other teams, and added Chad Dawson and Bryan Thaxton (IIRC - both were stand outs at S. Charleston HS). That team ended up finishing either third or fifth in the country at the national AAU tournament.
Checked with my uncle who was a sports journalist in wv. The '83 Williamson team was ranked, but not 2nd overall. More like somewhere from 10-20. He also said that may not have been Williamson's best team. In '81 they went undefeated up until the state championship game where they lost to a highly talented Princeton team (whom they had beaten twice earlier that season). The frontcourt was talented and averaged about 6'8.
The 06-07 Huntington team had already won back to back state titles when Mayo returned and helped to lead them to a 3rd straight.....They beat South Charleston in the final by 40.
How about a discussion about the All-Time starting five in WV High Basketball.......Here's mine:
1st Team
Jason Williams - PG
OJ Mayo - SG
Randy Moss - F
Patrick Patterson - C
Jeff Schneider - F
2nd Team
Brett Nelson - PG
Bimbo Coles - SG
Jimmy Miller - F
Mark Cline - F
Earl Jones - C
How about a discussion about the All-Time starting five in WV High Basketball.......Here's mine:
1st Team
Jason Williams - PG
OJ Mayo - SG
Randy Moss - F
Patrick Patterson - C
Jeff Schneider - F
2nd Team
Brett Nelson - PG
Bimbo Coles - SG
Jimmy Miller - F
Mark Cline - F
Earl Jones - C
Yeah.....Scott County was "decent".......They only went 35-2 (30-0 In-State - Losses to Arlington Country Day and Huntington High) and won the Kentucky State Championship. Wow.....You're a tough critic.
You going to leave out Jerrry West and Hal Greer off the all time team?
They were actually ranked #12 when they lost to Princeton.....That team was loaded as well. They'd won the State Championship in 79 and lost in the Semi's in 80. They had Jimmy Miller, Jeff St. Clair, and Mike Eades.
They were only Top 50 NBA All-Time.....Not sure they make the cut!
Just basing my picks on players I actually saw play in High School........
They were only Top 50 NBA All-Time.....Not sure they make the cut!
Just basing my picks on players I actually saw play in High School........
Hahaaa, all time teams are hard to figure out sometimes.
Little redemption story.......2010 WV Player of the Year Noah Cottrill is a Sr. for 15-1 Georgetown College. He's averaging 16.6 pts per game (2nd on the team).
Many may remember he went through some very tough times with addiction......Wishing him the best.
Many may remember he went through some very tough times with addiction......Wishing him the best.
Any list not including Jerry West or Hot Rod Hundley isn't a list worth talking about.
Then include them on your list!
As I said, I'm basing my picks on players I actually saw play.
And HHS handled them easily without Mayo in Huntington a couple of weeks after the loss in Lexington.
