Alright so buckle up ’cause this whole tournament thing started way before tipoff. Woke up Tuesday knowing I had to scout these West Virginia high school ballers properly for 2025, right? Grabbed my crappy laptop, two coffees burning my tongue, and headed straight for that ugly gym in Charleston smelling like sweat and old popcorn.
The Whole Damn Setup
First order of business? Getting eyes everywhere. Parked my butt courtside right next to that screaming booster club dad – total mistake. Pulled out:
- A notebook already covered in coffee stains
- My phone for quick video snippets (battery anxiety kicking in hard)
- An ancient DSLR camera I borrowed from my cousin
Spilled coffee on the notebook immediately. Perfect start. Stadium wifi sucked rocks, couldn’t even load stats. Had to scribble everything like some caveman.
Players That Blew My Damn Mind
Saw this kid from Huntington East – Marcus “Jet” Jackson. Dude moved like his sneakers had rockets. Legit crossed over three dudes so fast they spun around like confused tops. Wrote “HOLY SPEED” in all caps, nearly tore the paper.
Then there was that big center from Wheeling, Bobby Hartman. Looked like somebody glued arms to a fridge. Couldn’t shoot outside two feet, but man… boards were his personal property. Kid grabbed rebounds with one hand like snatching apples off a tree.
The Notebook Disaster & Late Night Grind
Game went double OT. Got home at midnight. Dropped the notebook in a puddle. Are you kidding me? Spent two hours drying pages with a hairdryer trying to read my smeared chicken scratch. Transferred stats to my laptop till 3 AM drinking cold coffee. Remember yelling at my dying laptop charger: “Just. Ten. More. Minutes!”
Final Takedown Worth Remembering
Slept like garbage. Pounded more coffee. Wrote it up straight from the gut:
- Jet Jackson’s handles = cheat code. Must see if you like seeing defenders fall down.
- Hartman’s rebounding? Like watching a bulldozer collect toys.
- That guard from Beckley? Sneaky shooter with zero drip celebration – love that.
Posted it raw with my blurry pics. Didn’t sugarcoat. Just said what my eyes saw while dodging spilled coffee and screaming dads. Done is better than perfect. Now pass the aspirin.