MHS junior star averaged double-double
BY KRISTIN KURELIC
The Dominion Post
Morgantown boys’ basketball standout Nathan Adrian already has an impressive list of accomplishments. He averaged 19.4 points and 10.6 rebounds a game this season, while netting 32 3s, blocking 32 shots and shooting 51 percent from the field. The junior was selected as the TRAC Player of the Year and the captain of the Class 5A all-OVAC first team, and verbally committed to play his college basketball at WVU. Now he can add one more remarkable item to the list.
On Saturday, Adrian was named Class AAA first-team all-state, chosen by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.
“He had a really good year,” MHS head coach Tom Yester said. “He was consistent. He had a double-double most of the time. So I think Nathan put himself in the elite catagory of state players and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Adrian led the Mohigans to an 18-7 record and an appearance in a Region 1 final game, and Yester said Adrian did even more than his stat line shows.
“He gives you a go-to guy in the post on offense,” Yester explained. “He can step out and shoot. He became a decent freethrow shooter at the end of the season. And he was our leading shot blocker and rebounder. He’s a terrific rebounder. So he gave us a little bit of everything. And he’s a pretty good passer, even though he didn’t have a great number of assists because he was finishing.”
“And on the defensive end, he took the primary scorer,” he added. “In many cases, if it was a forward or a center-type, we needed his length and he did a very nice job of containing his guy. He learned much more about defense in the last year. And Nathan played a lot of minutes; he didn’t sit out too much. He gave us stability at both ends.” Preston’s Jimmy Galusky and University’s Deion Cunningham both earned allstate honorable mention.
Galusky, a sophomore guard, averaged four rebounds and a team-leading 17 points a game and shot 82 percent from the freethrow line.
“He was part of our three guard offense, and our main shooter,” Preston head coach Barry Sanders said. “He shot 80 or 90 foul shots, shooting 82 percent. He scored 27 and 15 points against UHS, and 13 against MHS, so he did well against area teams.”
“He’s 6-3 and always an outside player, but he’s very good at penetrating,” he added. “He’s just a great shooter. When he was on, he could really put the ball in the hoop.”
Cunningham, a junior guard, led the Hawks in scoring with 11.8 points a game, and also averaged 2.5 assists, two steals and four rebounds a game.
“I think he’s a very good athlete, but he’s becoming a better basketball player,” UHS head coach Paul Ingle said. “I think this year, he really found a true love for the sport and he’s worked really hard this year. Even of late, he’s been working really hard in the weight room. I think he’s starting to see that if you’ll combine hard work at basketball with his athleticism, that boy, the sky’s the limit.
“His ball handling has improved, his court vision is continuing to grow,” he added. “I think Deion is an unselfish player. He scored 22 points in the sectional semifinal against Wheeling Park, and he could’ve had more, but he was very unselfish and gave the ball up several times in the open court to his teammates.”
AAA boys’ all-state
FIRST TEAM
Boo Lathon, Wheeling Park, Sr. (capt.), 19.6 ppg, 10.7 rpg
Stevie Browning, Logan, Sr., 25.2 ppg, 8.6 rpg, 3.0 apg
Q.J. Peterson, Hedgesville, Sr., 19.0 ppg, 3.3 apg, 2.0 spg
Luke Eddy, George Washington, Jr., 18.3 ppg, 3.2 apg
Nathan Adrian, Morgantown, Jr., 19.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg
Devin Hoehn, Parkersburg, Sr., 22.0 ppg Donte Grantham, Martinsburg, Jr., 17.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg
Garrett Grantham, Jefferson, Sr., 21.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 5.1 apg
SECOND TEAM
Toquan Hayes, Huntington, Sr. (capt.), 17.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Wes Mitchem, Parkersburg South, Jr., 19.2 ppg, 8.9 rpg
Cameron Shannon, Woodrow Wilson, Sr., 14.7 ppg, 7.3 rpg
Travon Horton, Fairmont Senior, Jr. , 14.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg
Ot Elmore, South Charleston, Sr., 16.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg Errin Baynes, Wheeling Park, Sr., 14.4 ppg, 4.1 rpg Angelo Serianni, Nitro, Jr., 19.4 ppg
Tyrek Collier, Washington, Sr., 13.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg THIRD TEAM
Justin Wade, John Marshall, Sr., 16.9 ppg, 5.7 rpg Eli Parker, Spring Valley, Sr., 16.3 ppg Garrett Tinsley, Hurricane, Sr. (capt.), 19.4 ppg Ryan Meadows, Princeton, Jr., 16.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg Earl Reed, Capital, Sr., 17.1 ppg, 7.0 rpg Zach Gunter, Winfield, Sr., 17.7 ppg, 8.0 rpb Robbie Smelser, Hampshire, Sr., 15.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg Devonti Birch, Robert C. Byrd, Fr., 12.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 2.0 apg
HONORABLE MENTION
Alex Ash, Jeremy Bell, Parkersburg; Brandon Ashenfelter, Jalen Lewis, Martinsburg; Ta-Ron Ayers, Andrew Johnson, Larry Terry, Woodrow Wilson; Sawyer Beckett, Cabell Midland; Vondel Bell, Emil Popicg, Wheeling Park; Nick Breen, Brooke; Joseph Casalinuova, East Fairmont; Dustin Crouser, Tino DiTrapino, George Washington; Logan Cox, Cody Monroe, Parkersburg South; Deion Cunningham, University; Jon Elmore, South Charleston; Tanner Filben, John Marshall; Cody Gainer, Elkins; Jimmy Galusky, Preston; Jordan Haywood, Connor Kornbrath, Tyler Sprouse, Bridgeport; Iziah Hill, Adam Secret, Robert C. Byrd; Jarin Hilson, Van Jones, Fairmont Senior; Eric Johnson, Brooke; Keaton Johnson, Da’Jon Streeter, Logan; Josh Kiser, St. Albans; Mike McCormick, Richard Romeo, Greenbrier East; Shaquan Miller, Huntington; Eric Mills, Capital; Brent Osborn, North Marion; Marcus Reed, Riverside; John Riley, Britt Tucker, Lewis County; Chris Shields, Hedgesville; Chris Turner, Winfield; Hunter Waugh, Spring Valley; Trevon Wesco, Musselman; Dalton Westfall, Buckhannon-Upshur.
