Okay so yesterday my buddy Tom texts me like “yo who’s winning WV girls hoops next year?” and I’m thinking wow that’s actually a fun question. Honestly I hadn’t really paid close attention since playoffs ended. Coffee in hand, I grabbed my laptop, felt like diving down the rabbit hole.
First thing, I just started scrolling. Hit up the usual high school sports sites, the state athletic association page. Felt like sifting through sand trying to find gold nuggets. You know how it is, stats scattered all over the place, gotta dig. Focused on teams making deep runs this past year or the year before. Who brought back their heavy hitters? That’s key.
Had my little notebook out, scribbling names down. Looked up stats, checked articles on last season’s big games. Felt kinda stupid at first, didn’t realize how many teams had major seniors graduating. Like teams that were strong last year? Might be rebuilding now, that changes everything. Hit dead ends a few times.
Started building a shortlist in my head. Kept hearing names pop up consistently. Did more digging on those specific schools. Checked their schedules, see who they played tough teams, who they beat convincingly. Also looked for info on rising juniors and sophomores. Which teams have that young star already making waves? Gotta factor that in too.
So after like two hours of this, plus refilling my coffee twice, I felt like I had a rough picture. Broke it down into three main buckets in my notebook:
- The Favorites: Teams bringing back almost their whole starting lineup and already won big games last season. Think deep runs in the tourney. They just have that experience.
- The Dark Horses: Teams maybe flying under the radar early, but got some serious young talent building or maybe finally clicked late last year. Could surprise people.
- The Wildcards: Programs usually good, always contenders, but had major seniors leave. Can they reload fast enough? Tough call.
Made my tentative top picks from these groups, jotted down why. Felt messy, scribbled arrows everywhere pointing to players or stats. Talked myself out of a couple teams halfway through. Kept thinking “but did they face anyone actually strong?” Had to be ruthless.
Finished typing it up real quick on my blog, keeping the notes rough. It’s early days, right? Things will change with injuries, player transfers, all that. But honestly? Feels good just to map it out, get those early contenders named. Makes next season way more exciting to follow. Gotta see who steps up now. My daughter peeked at the screen and was like “that looks like chicken scratch, Dad.” Fair. Should prob type my thoughts faster next time.