By JIM BUTTA MORGANTOWN — Veteran West Virginia coach Bob Huggins begins his second decade as the leader of the Mountaineers as the third winningest active basketball in the country with a team that was ranked No. 11 win the preseason polls came out. So far this season, they are off an ...

By JIM BUTTA MORGANTOWN — Mike Carey enters his 17th season as head coach of West Virginia University with a penchant for setting new standards and taking his program to heights not believed possible before. “Right now, I like what our starters are doing,” Carey said. “But, we need ...

By SHAWN RINE WEST LIBERTY — All that fretting that Ben Howlett did after taking over for the legendary Jim Crutchfield, seems to have been unwarranted. West Liberty got off to a 4-0 start while averaging 124.8 points a game, pressuring the opposition into submission. If that sounds ...

By SHAWN RINE WEST LIBERTY — Kyle Cooper has been in the West Liberty women’s basketball program for four-plus seasons now and is keenly aware of the expectations. In his first year as the head coach of the Hilltoppers, he recognizes it’s now his job to make sure they are ...

GREENVILLE, Pa. — A season after posting its first winning record against league opponents since 2011-12, the Bethany College women’s basketball team was selected to finish sixth in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Perennial league favorite Thomas More, ...

GREENVILLE, Pa. —The Bethany College men’s basketball team was picked to finish fifth in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Saint Vincent was tabbed as the preseason favorite after reaching the PAC Tournament Championship Game last season. Defending ...

By SHAWN RINE WHEELING — Coach Danny Sancomb steered the Wheeling Jesuit men’s basketball team to the cusp of the NCAA Division-II Elite 8 a season ago, falling to eventual runnerup Fairmont on its home floor in the regional final. That marked the deepest postseason run in program ...

By SHAWN RINE WHEELING — Debbie Buff is accustomed to winning. She has led the Wheeling Jesuit women to back-to-back Mountain East Conference championships. But even Buff was taken aback during the conference’s media day, where it was revealed the Cardinals were picked preseason No. 2. ...

By RICK THORP BELLAIRE — Ben Doyle cares about Bellaire. He cares about its kids, it’s future. So, when the high school had an opening for head boys’ basketball coach, he decided to give it a go. After spending a year on J.R. Battista’s staff, Doyle takes over for him as the Big ...

By JOSH STROPE WHEELING — Last season, the Wheeling Park girls’ basketball team finally broke through in a big way. An OVAC Class 5A championship for the first time since 2012. A trip to the state tournament for the first time since 2012. But that was last year. What the team does ...

By JOSH STROPE WHEELING — Wheeling Park isn’t used to too many 9-15 seasons, but that is just what happened last winter for Coach Michael Jebbia and his Patriots. What Jebbia, entering his 12th season in charge, is hoping for this year is a quick turnaround and so far, he likes what he ...

By KYLE LUTZ WHEELING — Every year when basketball season rolls around, there’s always those handful of teams that don’t rebuild, but rather reload. For the Wheeling Central boys’ team, this year is no exception. After making it to a West Virginia Class A state semifinal in 2017, the ...

By KYLE LUTZ WHEELING — After failing to make it to Charleston during the 2015-16 season, the Wheeling Central girls’ basketball team got back to its roots, putting together a one-loss regular season during the process. Wheeling Central made it to Charleston before getting defeated by ...

By RICK THORP BELLAIRE — A year ago, the Bellaire’s girls’ basketball team burst on the scene with a brand of fast-paced, high-pressure, get-in-your-face hoops that left most of its opponents befuddled. Coach John Farrier’s Big Reds rolled through the regular season, finishing 20-2 ...

By JOSH STROPE There is always turnover in high school sports. Then there is Linsly. The Cadets welcome back two players from last year’s team so you would have to forgive Linsly girls’ basketball coach Rebecca Upton if she it would have taken a little longer to learn some ...

By JOSH STROPE WHEELING — When you lose six seniors — all starters — there can be a lot of fret when it comes to your season. Linsly coach James Wallace will have none of that. At Linsly, the expectations never change, regardless of who puts on that uniform. “We have had some ...

By TRACY WATSON NEW MARTINSVILLE — With veteran Coach Tom Tisher stepping down, the Magnolia girls’ basketball program has a new leader, a former All-West Virginia player as an assistant and a large group of underclassmen ready to step up and replace a trio of high-scoring ...

By TRACY WATSON NEW MARTINSVILLE — There is plenty to forget about last season for Magnolia’s boys’ basketball program, including a late-game loss in a West Virginia Class A regional that cost the Blue Eagles another trip to Charleston. But veteran coach Dave Tallman is ready to put ...

By CODY TOMER WELLSBURG — There is a new attitude on the court at Brooke this year that Coach Cameron Koehler is very excited about. The Bruins only collected four wins a season ago, but with his first year at the helm under his belt, Koehler and his squad are encouraged for the upcoming ...

By CODY TOMER WELLSBURG — The focus for Coach Ryan Scherich and the Brooke girls’ basketball team is simply taking the next step. A season ago, the Bruins won 10 games, which is a stepping stone for the program and one that Scherich hopes to build off of in the upcoming ...