Wednesday morning the Class AA boys all-state list dropped and our coverage area was fortunate to have four players (Broc Johnson, Jase Smith, Talan Muscari and Kadien Vance) named to the first team with just one (Vance) being a senior.
Of course one of the first comments I saw concerning the list pointed to a “southern-bias.”
“A lot of ways to go here… It has/is/always will be a lobbying process like everything else in life but I feel like it has gotten worse. I’ll always say there is southern-bias in these teams because Dave Morrison & a couple others are so involved with the southern landscape of high school hoops. But you can can look at that two ways, shame on them for over-using their leverage for the kids they write about or is it shame on the North for not having more of a desire to lobby?
At this point it is up to the coach to network for his/her kids. Two years ago the BIG10 was absolutely hosed with no All State reps unless the team went to Charleston. We threw a fit and it was fixed last year. We were told two years ago the issue was the North-Central part of the state had no one show up from the media.
I do not know how Brayden Helmick did not at least make Honorable Mention for Notre Dame this year in Single-A & there was minimal to no representation from other Single-A’s in the area, which makes me wonder if we the North-Central had lack of representation again. You get a kid on first team for a 3-21 Bluefield team (He may be unreal) but in basketball that usually doesn’t correlate in this selection process. I believe the B10 had 4 of 8 in the AAA field at Charleston this year – we will find out tomorrow if things were really a mess again this year for that area of the state. You can bet one thing, Shady Spring will be well represented that is for sure (not a shot at Shady).”
I there a bias? Why does the south get so many all-staters?
To answer the first question, no. There were nine writers from different corners of the state in the room when we selected the lists with Dave Morrison, the chairman of the boys basketball committee, unable to vote because WVSWA rules stipulate against committee chairs voting unless a vote comes down to a tie.
One or two voices can’t overrule eight or nine.
The easy answer to the second question is the players are good.
The longer more nuanced answer: the south has spent decades building credibility that matters.
When I ask you to name the best programs in state history, which ones come to mind? Beckley with its record 16 state titles? Summers County with its five in a row and seven total (after consolidation)? Maybe Northfork with its 10 state championships in a 13-year span including a record eight in a row? Maybe you go Mullens, which snagged one of its many titles by beating Northfork in the early stage of its dynasty. If not Mullens maybe Wyoming East or perhaps you lump Wyoming County together with its six girls titles in the last 15 years. The rabbit hole goes deeper when you factor in Oceana and Glen Rogers.
Maybe you veer into Mingo County where you have your pick of Burch, Williamson and Tug Valley. Maybe you head up to Logan County. Mel Stephens and Wheeling Central have built a power. Huntington boasts arguably the greatest team ever assembled in state history and the program has won enough titles to stake its claim. Fairmont Senior is worthy of consideration and there are plenty of Kanawha Valley schools to pick from.
No matter where you land, the top options are overwhelmingly littered with programs hailing from the south. That’s a championship equity you can’t fake.
I’m not just saying this because it’s my coverage area. I’m objective enough to admit the area excels at basketball but historically has trailed the pack in sports such as football, baseball and softball which have been ruled by the panhandles, NCWV or the Kanawha Valley.
Think about some of the title games that have featured sectional rivals since the format was changed to allow two teams from the same region in the state tournament. Oak Hill-Wyoming East (2011), James Monroe-Greater Beckley (2022) and Wyoming East-Summers County (2023) were all rematches of sectional title games. There are some others such as Morgantown-Wheeling Park and a Cabell Midland-Huntington matchup too but those are from different corners.
Speaking of 2022, Bluefield, Shady Spring and James Monroe, all of which were in the same section (not just region) two years prior, were playing in state title games in three different classes, producing a total of five first team all-staters that year.
Is the point starting to stick?
Bluefield junior Jase Smith’s first team selection this year seems to be a contentious for many because of his team’s record. The Beavers won just three games this year, it’s true. But my belief is that Smith was the best offensive player in a region where three teams ahead of his were sitting in the top 5 of the AP and Coaches Polls. Bluefield’s slate included James Monroe, Wyoming East, Westside, Shady Spring, Beckley, Oak Hill and a Graham team that finished as the state runner-up in Va. Smith’s squad was competitive in those games even as they played upwards of four JV players late in the year.
They had a chance to beat Westside at Westside at the buzzer and were right there with Shady and Wyoming East in the fourth quarter. But the same reason Smith is a first teamer applies to his area peers. Iron sharpens iron.
Greater Beckley got two first teamers on what I believed was the second best single-A team in the state, playing a schedule that featured South Charleston, Bridgeport, Chapmanville and Westside.
Wyoming East played Beckley, Charleston Catholic, the top teams in its region and Logan. Westside earned wins down the stretch over Chapmanville, Shady, Wyoming East and Greater Beckley. Who and how you schedule makes a difference and there are added bonus points when you get to Charleston and prove it by winning games.
These programs are all reputable, have a pedigree and carry their weight. All-state is based on what each player did that year, independent or years past, but when we’re in that room, hammering these lists out, that rich history allows us to establish a baseline and contextualize the best.
