CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Through four games, South Charleston boys head basketball coach Vic Herbert says his team is just ‘average’ overall — even though his Black Eagles entered Thursday’s game against Capital with a 4-0 record and No. 4 ranking in the first edition of the MetroNews Power Index.
“You have to realize that we lost five of our top six guys off of last year’s team,” Herbert said on Wednesday’s MetroNews High School Sportsline. “It’s kind of a rebuilding year, but I do think we have a chance to be pretty good.
“But with our inexperience, I think it’s going to take eight or 10 games into the season before we hit some kind of stride,” he said. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see us drop one or two early, but I do think towards the end we have a chance to be pretty good.”
Herbert has a pair of talented sophomores in his backcourt this year in Brandon Knapper and Kentre Grier. Throw in experienced all-stater A.D. Cunningham and a couple of seniors now back in the mix, Anthony Billings and Jordan Lewis, and Herbert sees a potential chemistry that could be tough to beat late in the year.
“Billings is a super talent – he’ll play college ball somewhere,” Herbert said. “He’s 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6 and plays above the rim – it’s the first time I’ve had a kid like that since I’ve been here. Finally we have the big guy that we’ve desperately needed in the past. He’s getting better every game out.
“I could be dead wrong, but I think this team potentially could be the best team I’ve had in the five years I’ve been here,” Herbert said. “We won 90 games in four years, so we’ve won a lot of ballgames without a big-man presence.”
The complete interview with Herbert is above.