2012-13 South Harrison Basketball Media Guide

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DECEMBERDecember 4 Clay County 7:30 December 6 @ Roane County 7:30December 11 Wirt County 7:30December 13 Gilmer County 7:30December 15 @ Harman 4:00December 18 Braxton County 7:30

JANUARYJanuary 3 Tygarts Valley 7:30January 5 Union 5:00January 8 @ Wirt County 7:30January 10 @ Braxton County 7:30January 15 Calhoun County 7:30January 17 @ Doddridge County 8:00January 18 HIT Tournament 7:30January 24 @ Clay County 7:30January 25 HIT Tournament 7:30January 29 Roane County 7:30January 31 @ Calhoun County 7:30

FEBRUARYFebruary 1 @ HIT Tournament 7:30February 5 @ Gilmer County 7:30February 9 HIT Tournament Finals 7:30February 14 LKC Placement Game 7:30February 16 Doddridge County 7:30S

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“We want people to look at South Harrison Basketball

differently. We want a program that our fans and this school

can be extremely proud of. It’s going to take hard work and determination, but I see that

out of these kids. ”— TOM SEARS

product ofGAWTHROP

MEDIA GUIDESDESIGN AND WRITING Brian GawthropCONTACT [email protected] Morgantown Printing & Binding

2

This time just one short season ago, Tom Sears entered South Harrison’s first practice of the year feeling that he was starting over. Three years before in 2008, Sears had reached his dream job when he was named head coach of the Hawks’ boys basketball team one day before the team’s first practice. That season, the 1997 graduate of South Harrison High School led his alma mater to a 7-15 record in his first season, the highest win total for a

Hawks’ basketball team since 2002. “People usually don’t look at a 7-15 record and say ‘oh, that’s a strong season,’” Sears said of his first year. “But people saw a different basketball team. They saw a different passion.” Two years later in Sears’ third sea-son as head coach, the Hawks recorded a 12-10 season - the program’s first win-ning season since 2002. The success was short lived, how-ever. Due to Sears not currently holding a teaching degree, he has to reapply for the head coaching position each season. Prior to the 2011 season, Sears lost the position to former North Marion High

S O U T H H A R R I S O N

School coach Andy Sorine, putting Sears back as an assistant coach where he had previously been employed for eight seasons under former head coach Robert Shields. The Hawks finished 7-15 a season ago. Sorine, meanwhile, left Lost Creek to take a head coaching position at Graf-ton High School after his one season. The vacancy left Sears in control yet again, providing him with a chance to finish the work he started in 2008. It’s funny how things work out, he says. “It’s not that I took for granted what I had before,” Sears said. “But I value the

opportunity so much more now because you never know when it can be taken away from you again. “I was doing what I loved, coaching what I love at the school I love. And, all of a sudden, it was interrupted. It was completely out of my control. But, now, knowing what that felt like, I value where I’m at now so much more.” There has been no readjustment period for Sears. Like riding a bike, he started back with the Hawks’ first practice just like he ended his last one as head coach in 2010. After a tough losing season a year ago, Sears’ main goal of changing the expectations of the South

COACHING STAFF

4th season

H A W K S B A S K E T B A L L

tom searshead coach

4

WHICH CURRENT PLAYER IS MOST SIMILAR TO YOU AS A PLAYER?It’d probably be Luke Gaines. Frame-wise, I was tall and thin just like him. He can jump like I could. He probably isn’t as vocal as I was. We both have that ability as big men to play outside and shoot a decent ball. I was a 6-foot-5 point guard as a senior...he probably won’t be doing that, though.

WHAT’S THE WORST TECHNICAL YOU’VE EVER RECEIVED?I was ‘T’d up once against Doddridge County for saying “this is a circus”. That was the one I didn’t understand most. As a player, I was uncontrollable when I was younger. I had so many technicals my junior year that I probably led the state. But (former athletic director) Gary Barnette called me into his office one day and told me he’d pull my eligibility if I got another technical. Thankfully, that made me straighten up. I didn’t receive another technical after that.

IF YOU HAD TO PICK ONE PLAYER TO FIX YOU A MEAL, WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE?It would either be Logan Kirby or Luke Gaines. Luke loves to eat, so he has to have great taste in food. With Logan, I know nothing strange would get put in my food.

WHAT IS ONE TEAM YOU WISH COULD PLAY EVERY SEASON?I’d want to play all Harrison County teams, but if I had to pick one, it’d be Robert C. Byrd.

IF YOUR TEAM ALL ENTERED A SINGING CONTEST, WHICH PLAYER WOULD LIKELY BE CROWNED CHAMPION?It’d probably be Austin Glaspell. It seems like he’s always singing something. I’m not sure what song I’d pick for him, but he could prob-ably sing anything.

WHO ARE THE TOP THREE SOUTH HARRISON BASKETBALL PLAYERS THAT YOU’VE SEEN PLAY ?My top three would be Jerred Novotny, Joey Fenstemacher and Mitch Gould. You’d have to add Adam Davisson in there, too - he’s one of the best scorers I’ve ever seen. And, obviously, Brett Vincent also.

WHAT’S YOUR MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT AS A COACH?It’s a sentimental moment, and it came off the court, but it’s a moment I know I’ll never forget. It was was when one Sunday, a bunch of my players showed up at my church and sat in the front row. I never said anything about coming, I never encouraged them - they did it on their own. It really meant a lot to me.


[ [

with coach sears

uestionQ nswerA

Harrison basketball program has never altered. In fact, looking back, last season may have only helped push him and his team even more. “We learned to stick together, even through the difficult times,” Sears said. “I’m closer to these players now. And we’re ready to stay together, work hard, and get back to winning basketball.”

the plan

Progress is a process. No one may know that better than Sears. Sears finished 7-15 in his first season as head coach in 2008, before following that up with a 7-13 record in 2009. His plan was working, though. One-by-one, as players began to adapt to his system and his mentality, the plan started to come to life. In his third season, Sears guided the Hawks to a 12-10 record. South Har-rison transformed into the hottest team in West Virginia Class-A, finishing the regular season with a 9-1 record includ-ing upsetting Williamstown at home and No. 7 Gilmer County on the road. It’s as simple as a mindset adjust-ment, according to Sears. Believe you will win and, chances are, you may. If players change their expectations, they can change the outcome. “Nothing has changed since when I first took over as head coach,” Sears said. “We want people to look at South Harrison basketball differently. We want the kids to have a different expectations, we want the fans in the stands to have a different expectation, and we want the team we line up against to have a different expectation. We’re not going to be an easy win for anybody – that I can promise you. “It’s going to take a lot of hard work

COACHING STAFF


TOP: Coach Sears runs down the court during a game in his senior season of high school. BOTTOM: Sears poses for a picture before his high school graduation ceremonies in 1997.

and a lot of determination, but it’s going to be done.”

pastoring to

perfectionAlong with entering his 13th season with the South Harrison High School basketball program, Sears is also heading into his 13th year as a pastor and his fourth year at New Begin-nings Church in Good Hope, W.Va.

Sears began preaching as an associate pastor at his grandfather’s church before founding his own church in Jane Lew. One year later, the newly-founded church merged with New Beginnings, where Sears has been ever since.

It’s no coincidence his two loves have multiple similarities.

“It’s just like coaching high school basketball, to a point. You have to coach people in church and you have to motivate them. They have to believe in you as a pastor, just like players need to believe in you if you want to succeed,” Sears said. “At either sports or the Christian faith, if you don’t work, you’re not going to be good at it.”

Sears admits that he never has, or never will, invited a player to church – he lets them decide for themselves. In his first season as head coach, his players did just that.

One January morning, Sears walked up to his podium and looked to his left to see the front row filled with basketball players.

“What a moment that was. It was very special to me,” Sears said. “Right then, I knew that despite our record, I had to be doing something right. They told me they wanted to show they’re gratitude to me. It showed me that I’m not just their coach.”

The relationship with his players has been something the coach has taken pride in throughout his career and is a foundation of what he says makes a successful coach.

“I think the players have faith in me and I definitely have faith in my players. It’s crucial to have a coach that you want to play for and if you don’t, you won’t. I think they want to play for me,” Sears said. “The relationship I have with my players doesn’t end when they graduate and that’s special to me. To me, basketball is not life, but there’s a lot of life lessons that can be learned through basketball.

6


COACHING STAFF


tom searsby the numbers

YEAR SCHOOL POSITION RECORD2000 SOUTH HARRISON ASSISTANT COACH unavailable2001 SOUTH HARRISON ASSISTANT COACH unavailable2002 SOUTH HARRISON ASSISTANT COACH 15-42003 SOUTH HARRISON ASSISTANT COACH unavailable2004 SOUTH HARRISON ASSISTANT COACH 6-172005 SOUTH HARRISON ASSISTANT COACH 5-192006 SOUTH HARRISON ASSISTANT COACH 6-142007 SOUTH HARRISON ASSISTANT COACH 5-182008 SOUTH HARRISON HEAD COACH 7-152009 SOUTH HARRISON HEAD COACH 7-132010 SOUTH HARRISON HEAD COACH 12-102011 SOUTH HARRISON ASSISTANT COACH 7-152012 SOUTH HARRISON HEAD COACH --

RECORD AS HEAD COACH (3 seasons) 26-38 (.406)

quoteson tom sears

“I don’t have much good to say about my basketball career. But anything that I do have good to say has something to do with Coach Sears.”

— ZACH HAYHURSTFormer player & assistant coach under Sears

Current Robert C. Byrd Junior Varsity coach

“He’s helped me with a lot of situations, especially outside of basketball. Whenever I need help, I know he’ll be there for me. He’s just a really good guy that I know I can always depend on.”

— D.J. ATHAFormer player (2007-10)

“Having Coach Sears step in for us in (2008) was the best thing that could have happened. I really envy the younger players who will get to play for him longer than I did. It was without a doubt the most fun I’ve had playing basketball, and I thank Coach Sears for that.”

— KRIS FRIDLEYFormer player (2006-09)

“All of us knew he cared about us as people and not just as players. That made us work that much harder for him. We knew he always had our best interests in his heart.”

— DUSTIN MATHENYFormer player (2008-11)

“My job as a coach is leading those players to those life lessons effectively.”

full-time

everythingDue to WVSSAC rules, Sears isn’t promised the head coaching posi-tion next season because he does not hold a teaching degree. Yet.

The fourth-year head coach is currently a full-time student work-ing on earning his degree to secure the head coaching job.

The schooling doesn’t make life any easier for Sears. Along with pastoring, he also filled for the late Ron “Fish” Fisher as Hawk football’s public address announcer in 2010.

He’s a husband to his wife Nacole and a father to three children – Breanna (13), Faith (5) and Tommy (11), who can almost always be found alongside his fa-ther and among the players on the South Harrison bench.

“I’m pretty much a full-time everything,” he said. “But I’m grate-ful. I’m grateful for the opportu-nity to coach, I’m grateful to the administration, to [South Harrison Athletic Director] Coach Jett and to the parents who entrust me with their kids.

“I love every former player who continues to support the program and I’m thankful for all of the things I’ve learned.

“We’ve may have only had one team go to Charleston in this school’s existence. But I hope I am able to stay the head coach long enough for that to change.”

8


markjones

assistant coachFIRST SEASON

Mark Jones enters his first season with head coach Tom Sears and the South Harrison Basket-ball program and will serve as the head Junior Varsity coach and the assistant Varsity coach. Jones recently concluded his first season as an assistant coach for the Hawks football program as well. Previously, he was an assistant for South Harrison Middle School football for two seasons. A three-sport athlete in high school, the 2002 graduate of Notre Dame High School played baseball, basketball and football. He continued his baseball career at Alderson-Broaddus College in Phillippi, W.Va., where he graduated in

2006. Jones was a middle-infielder and pitcher for the Battlers. “He brings a lot of enthusiam and excitement to this program, and he brings a lot of loyalty to this school,” Sears said of Jones. “Him and I connect-ed instantly and we’re both on the same page. He’s a really nice addition to this program and I really couldn’t be happier to have him on the staff.” Jones earned his Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education with a concen-tration in Mathematics from Alderson-Broaddus. He currently teaches at South Harrison High School.

2012-13 PREVIEW


preview2012-13

Led by an experienced senior class, South Harrison Head Coach Tom Sears believes a little hard work and heart will go a long way this season. Coming off a 7-15 record, the Hawks return three seniors, including 6-foot-4 forwards Logan Kirby and Luke Gaines who each have three years of experience starting at the varsity level. Coupled with fellow senior Da-kota Evans, Sears believes this years

team won’t have any trouble rediscover-ing its winning ways once again. “We want a winning season and we don’t see why that can’t happen,” Sears said. Sears, who has served as the head coach three out of the last four seasons, was named head coach once again for the 2012-13 season. In his last season as head coach, the 1997 graduate of South Harrison led the Hawks to their first winning season since 2002.

“We’re going back to what made us successful,” Sears siad. “We want to pick up right where we left off, and that hasn’t been a problem so far. These play-ers have played for me. They know what I want. “The atmosphere has been more re-laxed this year and we’re having a good time, but we’re working really hard.” Kirby, an all-Harrison County selection a season ago, will expect the carry the load for the Hawks. The senior finished as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder a season ago, and Sears expects an even better season this year. “He’s one of the more dedicated

players that I’ve ever coached,” Sears said of Kirby. “By the end of the season, he’ll prove that he’s one of the best play-ers in the Class-A. “There’s a lot on him as far as expec-tations, but he has never backed away from the pressure.” Gaines, meanwhile, has the most returning varsity experience of any current player on the Hawks’ roster. Categorized by Sears as a “do-it-all” player, Gaines will make up a powerful frontcourt that Sears thinks will give many opponents fits. “Luke has a a tremendous amount of varsity experience. He’s a three-year varsity starter,” Sears said. “He’s very gifted – he’s a big guy who can shoot the

KIRBY

GAINES

EVANS

10


basketball, but also has the quickness to take defenders off the dribble. We expect a big season out of him.” Evans will also start in the frontcourt for the Hawks. Praised for his “finesse”-style of play, Sears believes Evans’ role may be the most important on the team. “He’s brought a nice spark to our team that we really need,” Sears said. “Dakota is someone who is extremely grounded in fundamentals and could really be the missing piece that we need this year.” Evans is also projected to start, while juniors Cory Messenger and Dylan Smith will hold down the guard positions. Also starting the season on the varsity roster will be Hunter Hitt, Mala-chi Moore, Cody Wright and new-comer Zak Wentz. Austin Glaspell and Dallas Golden will be guards along with freshman Andrew Lopez. Golden, Glaspell, Lopez, and Wright will also split time on the Junior Varsity roster. Also starting the season on the JV team will be Jake Guthall, Tyson Jarrett, Cody Roy and Chase Killian. “We’re going to need a lot of guys to step up this year,” Sears said. No matter the lineup, Sears expects the same type of mentality from who-ever he enters to the game. The fourth-

year head coach is the first to admit he prides his team on heart and intensity. “Offensively, we’ll have an attack mentality. We’re going to take what we want,” Sears said. “Defensively, we want to create an atmosphere of confusion. We’ll alter looks pretty frequently. “Fans will see a more relaxed team this season, but they’ll see an efficient one and one that will take advantage of their talent.” Six of the Hawks first eight games are at home while the toughest test could be in mid-January when South Harrison travels to Wirt County, Brax-ton County and Doddridge County within a 10-day period. The biggest wrinkle in South Harrison’s schedule this season, however, is the addition of the Home-town Invitational Tournament (HIT). The HIT tournament is a tournament specifically designed for small-town schools that lasts over the course of four weeks. “The HIT Tournament is really a neat setup and something that we’re re-ally looking forward to,” Sears said. The Hawks open up the season Dec. 4 at home against Clay County. “I want our fans to see a team that can’t be out-worked, that carries themselves well, and that plays with a lot of respect,” Sears said. “But more importantly, I want them to see a team that bleeds Orange and Black. I want the Orange and Black to mean something to them. “With that attitude, wins will take care of themselves.”

MESSENGER

SMITH

2012-13 roster


rosterNO. NAME YEAR HT WT

2 MOORE, Malachi Junior 5-10 1853 GOLDEN, Dallas Sophomore 5-7 1354 EVANS, Dakota Senior 6-1 21010 SMITH, Dylan Junior 6-1 145 11 MESSENGER, Cory Junior 6-1 15512 WENTZ, Zak Sophomore 5-10 14014 GLASPELL, Austin Sophomore 5-8 14022 GAINES, Luke Senior 6-4 16524 KIRBY, Logan Senior 6-4 19530 HITT, Hunter Junior 6-2 16034 WRIGHT, Cody Junior 6-0 15540 GUTHALL, Jake Junior 5-9 20542 ROY, Cody Sophomore 6-1 225 JARRETT, Tyson Sophomore 6-1 175 KILLIAN, Chase Sophomore 5-5 130 LOPEZ, Andrew Freshman 5-7 145

roster2012-13

12

S O U T H H A R R I S O NS O U T H H A R R I S O N

austinglaspell

sophomore#14 | 5-FOOT-8 | 140 LBS.

dallasgoldensophomore

#3 | 5-FOOT-7 | 135 LBS.

jakeguthall

junior#40 | 5-FOOT-9 | 205 LBS.

dakota evans

senior#4 | 6-FOOT-1 | 210 LBS.

luke gaines


PLAYERS


hunterhitt


andrewlopez

freshman 5-FOOT-7 | 145 LBS.

tyson jarrett


14


chasekilliansophomore

5-FOOT-5 | 130 LBS.

corymessenger


malachi moore


logan kirby


players


codyroy


codywright

junior#34 | 6-FOOT | 155 LBS.

zakwentzsophomore

#12 | 5-FOOT-10 | 140 LBS.

dylansmith


LoganWe’ve all enjoyed

watching you play and can’t wait to enjoy your senior

year!

Make it everything you want it to be!

We Love You & Support you!Dad, Rhonda, DK & Lauren

LOGAN KIRBY

hunterHITT

GOOD LUCK IN YOUR JUNIOR YEAR! WISHING YOU AND THE TEAM A GREAT SEASON!

Love – Mom, Dad & Harlee

Logan Kirby I have watched you play since YMCA Basketball and look forward to 4 more years…

We ran the above ad your freshman year.The years went quickly! We have enjoyed watching you play basketball and grow into your own. We are very proud of the young man you have become on and off

the basketball court. We look forward to your senior year of basketball and hope it is all you want it to be!!

With all our Love and Support, Mom, Tim, Dakota, Chris, Christina, Mamaw and Papaw

To be continued….

BEST OF LUCK FOR A GREAT 2012-13 SEASON!

SOUTH HARRISON ATHLETIC BOOSTERS

finished 4th nationally in scoring in

senior season - 39.2 points-per-game

Led west virginia in points scored in 1983

starting point guard at west virginia

university as a sophomore

ROBERT MORRIS UNIVERSITY'S ALL-TIME

LEADER IN 3-POINT FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE

FORMER FAIRMONT STATE HEAD COACH

VINCENTbrett

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2012-13 South Harrison Basketball Media Guide