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Booth brings OPB Swish back to Kentucky for 2026 run
BY BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN Former Martin County Lady Cardinal basketball standout and Hall of Famer Carla Booth continues to make history through the game that shaped her life. Booth, owner of OnPoint Ballers, started the OPB Swish in 2024 as a women’s semipro basketball team in the Women’s American Basketball Association. The program played…
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Endicott brings winning background to middle school girls basketball
BY BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN WARFIELD — Martin County Middle School has hired Bruce “BJ” Endicott Jr. as its new girls basketball head coach. Endicott, 43, comes from Eden Elementary, where he teaches fifth- and sixth-grade math. A lifelong Martin County resident, Endicott brings 16 years of coaching experience across several sports. He is also…
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Ferris helps South All-Stars win
CITIZEN STAFF REPORT Tug Valley point guard Braydun Ferris helped lead the South All-Stars to a win Friday night in South Charleston. The South routed the North squad 126-81 in the 30th North-South Boys Basketball Classic. Ferris was coached one more time by his high school coach, Garland “Rabbit” Thompson, who guided the South team.…
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Martin County adds firepower for 2026-27 basketball campaign
BY BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — The 15th Region got shaken up this offseason. Four student-athletes have relocated to Inez over the summer break. Martin County, coming off a 22-10 campaign, a 15th Region All “A” championship and an Elite Eight finish in the All ‘A’ Classic state tournament, is loading up for the…
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Lady Cards show flashes in tourney; program awaits head coach announcement
BY BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN The Martin County High School girls basketball team took to the hardwood last week following the recent announcement of Robin Newsome’s retirement after 48 years with the program. The Lady Cards played in the EE Athletic Academy Kennadi Mollett Memorial Tournament over the weekend. Also, they attended the Betsy Layne…
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Mattox Sartin transfers to Tug Valley
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN NAUGTUCK, W.Va. — The Tug Valley basketball program has picked up another transfer. Mattox Sartin, who played at Mingo Central the last couple of years, will play for the Panthers and Coach Garland “Rabbit” Thompson this year. Sartin, a 5-foot-9 junior point guard, started for Coach Rob Browning and the…
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Pope’s beard is working
Mark Pope is sporting a beard this summer and things are heating up. Since the lumberjack look popped out, Milan Momcilovic has transferred out of Iowa State and into Lexington. We are talking about the nation’s top 3-point shooter. Then Pope landed the first top-10 recruit of his career. Ryan Hampton, a five-star prospect out…
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Tyler Weddington transfers to Tug Valley
BY KYLE LOVERN MOUNTAIN CITIZEN Tug Valley has become a perennial power in Class A basketball in West Virginia over the last few years. They have won three straight state championships. Their chances for winning another title increased recently with the transfer of Phelps High School standout Tyler Weddington. The muscular, 6-foot-5 low post threat…
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Hall of Fame career comes full circle as Robin Newsome retires
BY BRITTNI MCCOY MOUNTAIN CITIZEN INEZ — When Robin Newsome first picked up a basketball in Lovely, girls basketball in Kentucky looked much different from what it does today. The opportunities were fewer. The spotlight was smaller. The resources were limited. Over the next five decades, Newsome would not only witness the growth of girls…
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Pope silences critics, Newsome leaves legacy
As Michael Scott famously said, “Well, well, well. How the turntables.” Just a couple of weeks ago, some Kentucky fans were ready to run Mark Pope out of Lexington. The transfer portal was not going the Wildcats’ way, and the social media panic button had been smashed repeatedly. Then Pope delivered. Kentucky landed the biggest…
