The Potomac Highlands Dispatch - the online newspaper

The future is now
Season's accomplishments has Coach Blowe looking foward

By Josh Blowe
Keyser girls varsity basketball
NEW CREEK, W.Va., April 9 -- The Keyser High School girls basketball team had a program building year.

This year was filled with many ups and downs, but the learning experience and improvement will be valuable as we move into 2011-12. If you combine the two previous seasons the team went a dismal 6-34.

After this season’s 9-14 record and the majority of our team returning, the future looks bright. Wins over two state qualifying teams, Northern and Frankfort, prove we have the talent to compete at a high level. These two wins were some of the biggest wins in recent school history. We really feel like we are gaining more and more respect every time we step on the court. The one key component we are missing is consistency. With a young team and very little big game experience, I felt like we still accomplished many good things.

I would like to thank many people for their hard work, effort and dedication to the program. My seniors, Brooke Mangold and Hannah Biser, have put in many hours of hard work over the past two seasons. They brought leadership, hustle, and tough defense to the team. I told them that they were captains on the team that helped bring the program back. I would like to wish them the best of luck in their future endeavors. Brooke and Hannah are very hard workers and will be missed.

To my summer volunteers, Brian Wilson, Mitch Saunders, and Johnny Haines, I would like to thank them for doing a great job of coaching/teaching during the non-coaching period. They put in many hours of time and effort to help the team improve in the offseason. I feel that the summer is very important in the improvement/skill development process, and these three did a terrific job. My assistant coaches, Katie, Chuck, Sheri, and Mark, thanks for the time and effort you have given to our program the past two seasons. With your coaching and leadership skills this program has blossomed into an area contender. If we can continue to build, then we will be a state contender in the future. There are many other people, businesses, boosters, administrators, and parents who have helped this team come full circle, and I would like to thank each one.

Looking into the future, I see a team filled with a ton of potential, skill and desire. I challenge all of our underclassmen to put the summer to good use and work very hard and continue to get better. We have many plans to help in the process. During the non-coaching period we have open gyms, summer leagues, weight lifting, and conditioning available to all girls. This summer during our three-week coaching period, we plan to scrimmage several teams around the state, attend at least one shootout, continue to work on individual skill development, and I would really like to attend the team camp at West Virginia University. This summer will really be our barometer for next season.

A down summer with not much dedication or poor attendance will probably land us at a sub-par or mediocre season. A great summer with team dedication, skill development, and just playing a ton of basketball would mean the sky is the limit for this team next season.

Our ultimate team goal is to make it to the state tournament. With a program that hasn’t been there since 1923, it would be great to achieve such a high objective. My job is to get all of these girls playing at a consistently high level, putting them in successful situations, and creating an atmosphere of total chemistry and trust in one another. If we can manage this feat, our 88 year drought could be history.