McClungs keep rolling in for Cavaliers
By Dave Morrison for the register-herald
It ’ s not easy to replace a second-team all-stater who not only led the team in scoring but showed up on every statistical category there is , but that is the dilemma for Greenbrier West coach Jared Robertson as he tries to replace Chase McClung .
McClung averaged 16.3 points , had 20 double-figure games ( and he had eight or more in three of the other four ) and drilled 55 3-pointers .
But if you must do it , why not do it with another McClung .
The Cavaliers ’ Brayden McClung is ready to emerge from his brother ’ s shadow after a sophomore season that saw him average 13.2 points with 15 double-figure games and shoot 85.3 percent from the foul line ( 81 of 95 ).
“ They battled each other every day in practice , same kind of player ,” Robertson said . “ Brayden is more guard oriented than Chase was . ( Chase ) ended up playing guard for us as a senior but he started at the four for us as a sophomore , undersized but he was such a good rebounder .
“ Brayden has really come along ; he is really going to be a good player for us . He ’ ll play the point a little bit , but he is a wing player , a scorer , and a slasher . He ’ s really worked hard on his game ,
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Jenny Harnish / The Register-Herald
Greenbrier West ’ s Michael Kanode drives to the basket while Webster County ’ s Kyle McMillion defends Feb . 4 at Greenbrier West in Charmco .
and I ’ ve been impressed with how well he ’ s shot the ball ( early in practice ).”
And there is yet another McClung on the horizon , Landon McClung who could work his way onto the varsity .
“ He ’ s one of our better freshmen for sure , but he has a way to go . But he ’ s really worked hard starting out ,” Robertson said .
The team returns a pair of talented players in big Michael Kanode and guard-like Dale Boone .
Kanode was the third leading scorer at 12.4 points per game , other than a mid-season slump where he failed to hit double figures in six of seven games , he had double figures in every other game . He closed the season with eight straight including 20 in the Region 3 co-final against eventual state champion James Monroe .
“ Michael inside is about 6-foot-3 , 6-4 and has started for ( two ) years for us ,” Robertson said . “ He ’ s a super kid , maybe too nice at times . When he gets angry , I think his game goes up a notch . But he ’ s going to have a super year for us . We are going to go a lot of four-out stuff to spread out around him .”
Boone averaged right at six points per game and had 17 3s .
“ Dale is another kid who , kind of like Chase did , he ’ s played three different positions for us ,” Robertson said . “ He ’ s going to have a phenomenal year for us . He ’ s really worked on his explosiveness . I would say he added 6 or seven inches to his vertical , he ’ s dunking a ball with two hands now . He ’ s a kid who has worked hard .
“ Scoring-wise , with Michael , Dale and Brayden I think we have three guys we can go to , and they are all a little different which helps .”
Kadin Parker , a senior , returns at the point for the Cavaliers . He averaged 3.8 points . Michael Thomas is a senior who Robertson said is an effort player and Tanner Hagy has grown to about 6-1 and stands to earn more time that a year ago . His brother Chase Hagy was a standout for the Cavaliers , and he is one of the versatile players that Robertson likes , with the ability to play point or wing .
Boone could slot into the four or he could be outside and the three with McClung . That will depend on the development of a couple of other players who got a bit of a run last season .
“ Chris Davis is a junior and about 6-3 , and Asher Barclay is a sophomore that played a lot for us inside on the JV last year ,” Robertson said . “ We have some guys with some size and if they come along and let us rotate Michael inside that frees me up to play Dale on the wing . He ’ s really worked on his shot . Dale can even go inside and play the five if we need him to . He really has that type of versatility .”
Isaac Agee , whose dad is girls coach Mark Agee , is a sophomore who could see time .
“ We have a lot of depth and a lot of good options for us ,” Robertson said .