BECKLEY, W.Va. — Woodrow Wilson forward Brent Osborne is still coming along from spraining both of his ankles during the football season.
The senior, who played quarterback for the Flying Eagles in the fall, was a standout on the football field despite playing trough those injuries.
“They’re getting better,” Osborne said. “My ankles were pretty bad there for a while, but they’re definitely making progress and I can move a little bit better now.
“(Teammates) still joke around with me at basketball now. I make it through practice, but afterwards I’m moving around kind of slow. I never imagined spraining both ankles, but I guess that’s the way it works.”
On the court, Woodrow Wilson posted significant early wins, beating defending state champion Huntington 73-69 and last year’s state runner-up Hurricane 69-66.
“It’s been a different feel this year,” Osborne said. “We really haven’t had that much time playing with each other, but we’ve really started to build a chemistry. None of our games have been light lately. We know we have to come each and every night expecting our opponent’s best.”
Beckley missed the state tournament a season ago, coming out of an ultra-competitive Region 3 in Class AAA.
“We let up a little bit towards the end of the year,” Osborne said. “Growing up watching Beckley basketball, I was always told that we don’t expect to lose, we always expect to win. If we lost, it was almost the end of the world. That’s kind of the attitude we take towards things. As a senior, I want to get in everyone’s head and tell them it’s do or die at that point.”
Alongside Osborne, the Flying Eagles have a solid core of athletes continuing to develop as the season progresses.
“Noah Hancock is a man—that’s all there is to it,” Osborne said. “Malyk Fowlkes is one of our guys who brings energy to the court, he’s always enthused and can lock anyone up. We look on Tarek Payne to take it strong to the basket, get fouled and get to the foul line. Corey Acord is another senior who does a good job of controlling the team and our tempo – he’s lightning quick.
“Coming off of the bench, Jahmar Parker has stepped up big and Stephen Beasley cleans up everything on the boards,” he continued. “We really have a deep bench and hopefully they’ll be able to produce later on in the year.”
Other typical Class AAA state tournament contenders scattered throughout Region 3 include Capital, George Washington and Greenbrier East.
“We never take a game lightly. The section isn’t easy to come by either,” Osborne said. “Oak Hill will be playing great by the end of the year and Princeton will be playing good. I’m sure it’ll be the same with Greenbrier East—they’re always good.”
The complete interview with Osborne is posted at the top of the page.
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