Goal is state tournament again
BY KYLE LOVERN
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
NAUGATUCK, W.Va. — The Tug Valley Panthers are ready to defend their Class A regional title and return to the state tournament in March 2024.
The Panthers are coached by veteran mentor Garland “Rabbit” Thompson and are coming off an outstanding season that saw them make it to Charleston before losing in the state semi-finals. Tug Valley finished last season with an outstanding 23-4 record.
Thompson, who led Tug Valley to back-to-back state titles in 2012 and 2013, returns several key players. They include sophomore point guard Braydun Ferris, junior wing Ashton Davis and senior low post beast Buddy Marcum. The 6-foot-3 Marcum is a 3-year starter, according to Thompson.
Thompson and his staff have used as much as a 9-10 man rotation, so several players will likely see action this season.
Other players vying for playing time are sophomore guard Bryson Elia, junior forward Brady Brewer, junior guard Kaden Hale and sophomore guard Carson Newsome. Senior transfer Camron Stafford could see some action at shooting guard. Freshmen Preston May, Cameron Slone and Ben Brumfield could help right away and are promising newcomers. May, who was starting at quarterback for the football team, suffered a late season shoulder injury in football, but is expected to be back to full strength soon.
Several other freshmen and sophomores will play JV games and should improve as they get more practice time under their resumes.
Tug Valley only lost two seniors from last year’s roster.
“So far – so good,” Thompson said at a recent preseason practice. “The football team won a playoff game, so some of our kids have only had a few practices for basketball. So they are starting a little later than usual.”
He added, “I’m pleased where we are. We had a good scrimmage game with a good Floyd County, Kentucky, team,” he added. “We have some new kids coming in and it’s a new season and we’re very excited about it.”
Thompson described his team as “a little different from last year.”
“We’ll be quick,” he stressed.
Other than Marcum and Brewer, Tug Valley does not have a lot of low-post size. Look for the Panthers to press again and try to run the ball on offense. However the longtime coach said they will have some good half-court offensive sets ready to go when needed.
“You can get by in the regular season running the basketball, but when you get into the tournament you need to run some plays. That is something we are working on. Typically, the defense is ahead of the offense early in the season.”
Tug Valley’s gymnasium is getting an upgrade with some chair-back bleachers. The team and community are excited about that, Thompson added.
The Panthers are scheduled to open the regular season Dec. 15 at home against Class AA Westside, then hit the road Dec. 22 at regional rival Tolsia before hosting the two-day Kaydence Maynard Memorial Holiday Tournament Dec. 29-30. The regular season schedule features games with local rival Mingo Central, Man, Tolsia, Logan and Class A powers Tucker County and Webster County.
“Because we are a little smaller this year we have to rebound,” Thompson said. “We’ve been working on that in practice. We’ve got to be smart offensively. You just can’t jack up the first shot – you have to be disciplined.
“We have an excellent chance to get back to Charleston (the state tourney). With a little luck and a couple of breaks, we could be playing on Saturday in the championship game,” a confident Thompson stated. “Things have to come together and we have to be consistent.”
Thompson speaks from 27 years of coaching experience. He started as an assistant at University Heights in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, in 1996, then went to Williamson from 1999 until 2007. He coached Tug Valley from 2007-2015 and led the Panthers to a 152-51 record, back-to-back state championships (2012 and 2013), five state tournament appearances and seven sectional titles. After a season at Mingo Central, Thompson took a break from coaching until his return to Tug Valley in 2019.
“I’m thankful the good Lord has let me coach as long as I have. Not many people are fortunate to do it as long as I have,” said Thompson.
“The community always supports this team. I hope the fans are a little patient with us. This is a work in progress.”
The coach concluded, “I think we are going to be pretty good. Once March hits we will be battle-tested. I know our kids want to win and that is a good combination to advance in the tournament.”
Thompson will once again be assisted by former Williamson Wolfpack coach Curt Fletcher, Tyler Hodge, David Ledger, Ronnie Blankenship and Dr. Jerry Mounts.
Tug Valley Boys Basketball Schedule
12/15/23 7:30PM H – WESTSIDE
12/22/23 7:30PM A – TOLSIA
12/29/23 8:00PM H – ST. JOSEPH CATHOLIC
12/30/23 8:00PM H – WAYNE
01/02/24 7:30PM H – WEST LOGAN CHRISTIAN
01/09/24 7:30PM A – MINGO CENTRAL
01/12/24 7:00PM A – TBA
01/13/24 8:00PM A – TBA
01/16/24 7:30PM A – VAN
01/18/24 7:30PM H – SHERMAN
01/23/24 7:30PM H – TOLSIA
01/30/24 7:30PM A – SHERMAN
01/31/24 7:30PM H – MAN
02/02/24 8:00PM A – HATFIELD MCCOY TBA
02/03/24 8:00PM A – HATFIELD MCCOY TBA
02/06/24 7:30PM H – MINO CENTRAL
02/07/24 7:00PM A – WEBSTER COUNTY
02/10/24 7:30PM H – LOGAN
02/13/24 7:30PM A – MAN
02/15/24 7:30PM H – VAN
02/17/24 7:30PM A – TUCKER COUNTY
02/20/24 7:30PM A – WESTSIDE
