East Hardy Boys Basketball is starving for a meal to feast on for the fourth straight season at the state tournament in Charleston with a plethora of talented experience and veteran coach Chris Hahn leading the charge for that aspiration.
Coach Hahn has two new assistant coaches this year with Derek Brill and Jared Combs joining the sidelines to guide the Cougars path.
The Cougars were a mere 30 seconds away from the first state championship game appearance in program history last season, so the drive and determination is a thousand fold to hurdle the final obstacle.
East Hardy Boys Basketball is led by senior guard brothers Evan and Mason Hamilton along with another pair of senior brothers in guard Levi Price and Joseph Price complemented by senior power forward Shayne Sisler to help keep the tempo moving fast and the pace never sleeps with junior guards Aubrey McCullough and Trevor Roof, plus strong paint presence by junior center Gideon Good with quite a height advantage like a towering tree.
The Cougars junior varsity squad includes sophomore quintet of Mason Wilkins (PF), Gage Dove (SF), Nehemiah Graham (SF), Angelo Loulis (G) and Simon Combs (G), plus freshmen quintet of Marshall Walker (C), Ian Brill (PF), Deacan Ritchie (G), Jacob Turner (PF), Kane Persinger (SF) and Ian Peterson (PF).
East Hardy starts the season on the road against Potomac Valley Conference and regional foe Pendleton County on December 10th.
The Cougars visit cross county rival Class AA Moorefield on December 18th and host the Yellow Jackets on January 16th.
East Hardy has two out-of-state competitors with Fort Hill and Northern Garrett from Maryland.
The PVC Skills Competition was very popular last year in its inaugural beginning and returns to Hampshire High School on January 24th with several Cougars participating.
East Hardy has the momentum and focus to continue building on the foundation set before them to return to Charleston.
Coach Hahn took time to share his thoughts on the team and upcoming season in a Q&A session:
What are your goals for the team: We set the bar pretty high last year with a conference championship, regional championship, and less than 30 seconds away from a state championship appearance. This team wants to get over the hurdle this year and win a championship. What is your coaching philosophy: I want them to get better every day and focus on one step at a time. As far as style goes, I like it when we play fast push tempo and play aggressively.What is the most rewarding aspect of coaching: I like seeing the kids grow up and turn into young men. I am happy to be able to teach them the game and the life lessons that go with it. How do you improve from last year:Each year presents different challenges. This year, we will have more of an inside game than last year, I think. Just having all the players contribute will strengthen the team. How is the team chemistry: Team chemistry is great; they have bought in and have been working really hard in practice. We have a heavy December schedule, so we need to be ready when games start. How is the senior leadership: Senior leadership has been really good so far. They know their roles and have been very positive for the young ones.Roster Insight – Top players and promising newcomers with key attributes:Evan Hamilton, senior leader, point guard 1, returning scorer. He is a very smart player, very fast, and athletic. Look for him to be an all-state player this year. Mason Hamilton, shooting guard, tremendous defender, makes great decisions. We just need to get him healthy at the right time of year. Gideon Good has transformed himself into an all-state player. He will be one of the best bigs around and definitely get some statewide recognition this year. Aubrey McCullough has probably made the biggest leap forward this offseason and has really worked on his game. He has been playing with a lot of confidence and will take up some of the scoring that we will miss from last year’s team. Joseph Price has really worked on his offense this offseason. He will be a great X factor for us. His rebounding is as good as anyone’s, and he is very solid defensively. Levi Price, glad to have Levi back in the gym, his athleticism and competitive drive will definitely be a game-changer for us. Trevor Roof’s ability to slash to the rim and finish will give teams something to deal with, and his long-range shooting has improved. He has been playing with a lot of confidence, and he is much stronger than last year. Shayne Sisler, really glad to have Shayne back in the mix. He has been getting caught back up to speed on our offense and defense. As he gets more comfortable, I expect him to gel very well with the rest of the team. How is the strength of your schedule: We did beef up our schedule a bit from last year. We have Clay-Battelle home and away, Hampshire, Northern, and Fort Hill for our out-of-conference schedule. All of those should give us a test of state tournament quality teams. Looking at the rest of the state, with Tucker, Pendleton, and Tygarts Valley all having strong teams this year, our region might be the top in the state for single A.
