It's been a total makeover of a season for South Charleston.
It's been a total makeover of a season for South Charleston.
Not only did the Black Eagles lose veteran coach Bob Dawson, who averaged 17 wins per season over a 24-year career, to health reasons, but they began without four starters from last year's team that reached the Class AAA state finals for a third straight season.
Included in that group was a pair of three-year starters in Aaron Dobson (who was only the state player of the year) and Aaron Slusher.
The face of the team had been altered drastically. But despite the makeover, the Black Eagles didn't request a do-over. They met the challenge, won 18 of 24 games and again have qualified for the boys basketball state tournament, earning a No. 6 seed and a first-round date against George Washington at 7:15 p.m. Thursday at the Civic Center.
About the only thing that's remained the same with SC year - along with the team's run of success - is the presence of guard Pierria' Henry.
The 6-foot-3 junior and Division I prospect, a starter since his first game as a freshman, has fixed his imprint all over the team, serving as its guiding hand, especially at pivotal moments and in tougher games.
Henry's scoring average stands at 16.7 points, but his two highest-scoring games came against Logan (26 points) and George Washington (25 points), the two teams who have spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the state poll. Henry wound up third in the state player of the year voting, trailing only Noah Cottrill of Logan and Chase Fischer of Ripley.
He doesn't like the term "taking over'' games for the Black Eagles, but admits sometimes he must.
"I've been playing basketball long enough,'' Henry said, "and our team over the season has started learning chemistry and those things - what to look forward to [against opponents] and who's going to work hard and get rebounds and who's going to leak out and things like that. So when people start not hitting shots, then I feel as if it's my turn to take over - because I feel it's my team, because I have more experience.
It's been a total makeover of a season for South Charleston.
Not only did the Black Eagles lose veteran coach Bob Dawson, who averaged 17 wins per season over a 24-year career, to health reasons, but they began without four starters from last year's team that reached the Class AAA state finals for a third straight season.
Included in that group was a pair of three-year starters in Aaron Dobson (who was only the state player of the year) and Aaron Slusher.
The face of the team had been altered drastically. But despite the makeover, the Black Eagles didn't request a do-over. They met the challenge, won 18 of 24 games and again have qualified for the boys basketball state tournament, earning a No. 6 seed and a first-round date against George Washington at 7:15 p.m. Thursday at the Civic Center.
About the only thing that's remained the same with SC year - along with the team's run of success - is the presence of guard Pierria' Henry.
The 6-foot-3 junior and Division I prospect, a starter since his first game as a freshman, has fixed his imprint all over the team, serving as its guiding hand, especially at pivotal moments and in tougher games.
Henry's scoring average stands at 16.7 points, but his two highest-scoring games came against Logan (26 points) and George Washington (25 points), the two teams who have spent most of the season ranked No. 1 in the state poll. Henry wound up third in the state player of the year voting, trailing only Noah Cottrill of Logan and Chase Fischer of Ripley.
He doesn't like the term "taking over'' games for the Black Eagles, but admits sometimes he must.
"I've been playing basketball long enough,'' Henry said, "and our team over the season has started learning chemistry and those things - what to look forward to [against opponents] and who's going to work hard and get rebounds and who's going to leak out and things like that. So when people start not hitting shots, then I feel as if it's my turn to take over - because I feel it's my team, because I have more experience.
"I've been on this team longer than anybody. I just learned over time and experience, and I just want to appreciate it and say thank you to my teammates for trusting me, and then I trust in them. It's just a blessing, and I thank God for it.''
Vic Herbert, SC's first-year coach, has admitted that it took a while before he and Henry understood each other completely. But now Herbert wouldn't rather have anyone else leading his squad.
"He's been a leader by example more so than a vocal leader,'' Herbert said. "Obviously, he goes as hard as he can all the time. He has an unbelievable motor. You don't have to take him out and rest him. He can go all the time.
"As far as a total player, I don't see anyone better than him this year. No, he doesn't get 28-to-30 points a game, he gets 16-to-18 a game. But he can also shut somebody down, and that's just as good. [In the regionals] against Cabell Midland, we put him on [Matt] Walker in the second half after Walker hit four 3s in the first half. I said, 'I don't want him to get another one.' He gets two points in the second half. [Henry's] a stopper. He can go out defensively and stop people, and that's what you have to have to win a championship. That means a whole lot.''
Henry doesn't shy away from calling this "my team,'' but realizes the responsibility that's loaded onto his shoulders by doing so.
"It's part of being a leader,'' he said. "I want to be a leader. That's what my mom taught me: Be a leader, not a follower. And it's tough. But it's fun that people look to me like that.
"The reason I say it's my team is I've been here longer, but I'm not going to take all the credit. I'm not even going to take no credit when we win. I'm going to take the credit when we lose. If we lose, it's my fault. I take the blame for it because I always think I could've done more than I did. I'm always going to leave it out there 110 percent. I learned that from Coach Dawson, and I won't put my head down. And if I give 110 percent, everybody else is going to give 110 percent. If everybody gives 110 percent, we're going to win.''
Reach Rick Ryan at 304-348-5175 or rickr...@wvgazette.com.
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