Photo by Cody Nespor Linsly’s Caleb Murray, front left, and Raef Wykes, front right, signed their Letters of Intent to play college basketball as their head coach Dave Wojcik, back, looks on.

By SETH STASKEY

For the News-Register

WHEELING — The Linsly boys basketball team climbed to the top of the OVAC Class 3A mountain this past winter when it claimed the school’s first conference title since 2012.

Two of the key contributors on that team – Caleb Murray and Raef Wykes – will now attempt to help Wheeling University take another step up the Mountain East Conference mountain.

Murray and Wykes both signed their National Letter of Intent during a brief ceremony at Linsly on Thursday afternoon where they were joined by school officials, coaches, teammates, family and friends.

MURRAY enjoyed an impressive final two seasons for the Cadets, scoring better than 13 points a game as a junior and 16.4 as a senior.

However, it’s the first two seasons of his career that Murray admits he wishes he could get back.

“I really wish I would have put more effort into (basketball) early on and took it more seriously,” Murray said. “I am happy with what I accomplished here at Linsly, but my game really improved thanks to Coach Woj putting a lot of stress on me.”

Murray has always been known for his adept 3-point shooting, but his game has grown as he’s gotten older and stronger. It’s that part of his game that Murray believes will continue to evolve as he transitions to playing Division II basketball.

“Confidence was the big key for me,” Murray said. “Later in my career here, I was surrounded by a bunch of really good players and it allowed me to grow as a player, too.”

When he joins the Cardinals program, Murray is simply looking to continue to develop and help the team anyway he can.

“I am really looking forward to playing for Coach (Chris) Richardson,” Murray said. “I know I need to continue to get stronger and improve my quickness. I am just looking to make a contribution to the team in any way I can.”

Murray was named First Team All-OVAC and All-Valley and participated in the OVAC All-Star Game.

“I am grateful for everyone who was alongside me for this (college selection) process and played a role,” Murray said. “I’ve had a lot of great influences through this journey.”

Murray, who also played baseball as a freshman and was on the team when the season was shut down in 2020, plans to major in exercise science.

Calen is the son of Jim and Kelly Murray of Beallsville.

WYKES, who hails from Brockville, Ontario in Canada, arrived in Wheeling in September of 2020 simply looking to grow his game and experience basketball in the United States.

He’s had such a pleasurable experience, Wykes has decided to stay in the ‘Friendly City’ for four more years with the Cardinals.

“Coming to Linsly was the best decision of my life,” Wykes admitted. “I’ve really enjoyed the past few years here and the main thing Coach Woj kept telling me about colleges was ‘it’s not about the place. It’s about the people.’ And the relationships I’ve formed here in the Ohio Valley and in Wheeling were big. Plus, I feel like Coach Richardson and I made a genuine connection.”

In his two seasons with the Cadets, Wykes certainly made his presence felt as the on-court leader for his team. Running the point guard, Wykes averaged 13.2 points a game this past season.

Wykes believes, however, his biggest growth as a player came in terms of his knowledge of the game.

“I grew a lot on the court as a player, but my basketball IQ really increased and Coach Woj definitely played a big part in that,” Wykes said. “Coming from Canada, where you just really went out and played (basketball), I didn’t realize how much I didn’t know about the game.”

Wykes drew some Division I attention during the recruiting process, but there was more to the decision than what division a school played in.

“I didn’t think that school was probably the best fit for me,” Wykes said “I really liked Coach Richardson and what he’s building at Wheeling and am excited to be a part of it and want to contribute to winning.”

Not only is Wykes prepared for what lies ahead in terms of the sports side, but he’s been away from home already, which helps the transition process. Despite being away from his parents – Scott and Dana Wykes – they were involved and consulted about the college-selection process.

“Family is a huge thing for me,” Wykes said. “My parents kept telling me to go (to college) where I felt happiest. I just love this area and the people.”

Wykes parents made it to Linsly for Senior Night this season. Because of restrictions with COVID-19 at the border, it was the only time they saw their son play in person.

“As the restrictions continue to loosen, they’ll be able to make it down more to see me play in college,” Wykes said. “It’s only like a seven or eight-hour drive, so it’s not that bad.”

Raef plans to major in business administration.