West Virginia South Hoops Season | Page 38

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’ Jacks return three starters

By Gary Fauber the register-herald
Tina Laney / For The Register-Herald
Richwood coach J . B . Miller and his son Aiden Miller discuss the next play during a game against Independence Jan . 3 during the New River CTC .
Brayden Spencer and Josh Landreth had a significant impact on Richwood basketball all four years of their time with the Lumberjacks .
Replacing players of their caliber is tough to begin with . Doing so at a school with a limited enrollment and feeder system makes it more difficult .
“ It ’ s big , because a small single-A school like this , you don ’ t have people lined up to play ,” veteran Richwood head coach J . B . Miller said . “ Those two guys played their entire high school career and they just kept getting better every year .
“ It ’ ll be tough to replace them , but you can ’ t always dwell on the past . You ’ ve got to play with whatever you ’ ve got .”
Spencer took care of the one , two and three positions while with the Lumberjacks , and Landreth played at the four and five . and they are not the only seniors from last year . Also gone are Trey Stanley , who Miller described as a “ super hustler ,” and Aiden Hughes , who broke his foot and was lost for the season three weeks in .
Miller is , however , left with three returning starters he will gladly move on with .
Those three are junior Grant Russell and seniors Cooper Donahue and Aiden Miller .
“( Russell ), Cooper and Aidan are all going to be the one , two and the three ,” Miller said . “ It ’ s one of those deals it doesn ’ t matter who brings the ball down the court . But to help get Aiden and Cooper shots , Grant ’ s going to handle the ball most of the time ,
I hope .”
Taking over at the four will be 6-foot-3 junior Trae Trivolette .
“ He can step out and shoot ; he ’ s a pretty good shooter ,” Miller said . “ I ’ ve got three pretty good shooters already so I need somebody to rebound .”
At the five will be senior Adrian Frame . Last season was the first year Frame had played since grade school but now checks in at 6-6 .
“ He knows his job is to rebound and put it back in , or pass it out ,” Miller said .
“ He ’ s a quick learner . ( Development ) was tough , but he picks up on everything really quick . We more or less told him last year , based on him continuing to play , we need him to rebound , put it back or kick it out .”
The sixth man will be junior guard Tyler Barnhouse , who missed all of last season after a football injury .
“ He ’ s a hustler . He ’ s a gamer ,” Miller said .
Junior forward Dalton Spencer will also see time off the bench , as will junior guard Skylar Broyles . Junior guard Dakota O ’ Dell is in his first year playing high school basketball .
Miller said a pair of freshmen will figure in the mix . Ian Crowder and Christian Griffith “ both play very , very good defense .”
“ I hope to play six , seven kids , but like I said , when you ’ re in a small school you ’ ve got to play with whatever you ’ ve got , when you ’ ve got them ,” Miller said .
“ This is one of those teams , you don ’ t know what you ’ re going to get from night to night . Of course , coach ( Dave ) Barksdale and Mick Price and all of them always tell me , ‘ J . B ., it ain ’ t how you start , it ’ s how you finish .’ So that ’ s always sort of been my philosophy .”
Email : gfauber @ register-herald . com ; follow on
Twitter @ gfauber5
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