CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Capital boys basketball team has been targeting its first state tournament appearance since 2010, but the Cougars will have to do so out of a loaded Region 3 in Class AAA.
First-year head coach Matt Greene has helped bring the Cougars along to a 9-2 record heading into this week and No. 5 Class AAA ranking out of the most recent MetroNews Power Index.
“We look to get up and down the floor,” Greene said. “We’ve gone 11 deep and our strength is in our numbers. We want to use our numbers and wear opponents down. We want to get up and down and score, get easy buckets and then play good half-court defense when we half to. We like to press and play as fast as we can.”
Greene took over this year for longtime coach Carl Clark who led the Capital program for 21 seasons, putting together a 317-195 record, which included back-to-back state championships in 2000 and 2001.
“Capital has been a powerhouse and very successful athletically,” Greene said. “We’ve been looking to continue that tradition and build upon it. We’re trying to work hard and get better everyday. We haven’t done a whole lot of talking about winning state championships or conference championships, even though that is our ultimate goal.”
Miguel “Crunchy” Bays is leading Capital in scoring on the year at just over 16 points per game, while starting point guard Leondre Rogers is putting up 13 points per game.
“Leondre (Rogers) is as quick as they come and I haven’t seen too many people be able to stay in front of him,” Greene said. “Crunchy Bays and Bryce Goldsmith have been great players for us over the last two years. We have some other guys who can shoot the ball, including Kalik Ross and AJ Nease.”
Neil Williams, meanwhile, is averaging 10 points per game for the Cougars, while Kerry Martin has been another key contributor as just a freshman.
“I can’t even explain how athletic Neil (Williams) is,” Greene said. “He really goes after the rebounds and is incredibly quick. He heads up the front of our press and gets great ball pressure. Kerry (Martin) is just a freshman, but is mature beyond his years on and off the floor. He is a really good playmaker for us and gives us a spark.”
If they Cougars are able to make it to their first state tournament in six years, they’ll have to emerge out of arguably the toughest section and region, in terms of depth, in the whole state. Capital is matched up with George Washington, Riverside, Ripley and South Charleston in sectional play, with the opposing section filled with the likes of Woodrow Wilson and Greenbrier East.
Greene’s father, Rick Greene, is the longtime coach at George Washington.
“He’s been unbelievably supportive,” Greene said. “I couldn’t ask for a better father and also a great coach who I’ve gotten to watch my entire life. We don’t talk as much Xs and Os, but we still talk basketball some and bounce ideas off of each other.”
Adding just another storyline to what should be an ultra competitive postseason out of Class AAA’s Region 3.
| CAPITAL 2015-2016 Boys Basketball Schedule |
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| 1 | 12/14/15 | 4:00PM | H – | GREENBRIER EAST | 78 | – | 70 | W |
| 2 | 12/18/15 | 12:00PM | A – | TEAYS VALLEY PREP | 49 | – | 57 | L |
| 3 | 12/30/15 | TBAPM | A – | GREENBRIER EAST | 67 | – | 59 | W |
| 4 | 01/02/16 | 7:30PM | H – | ST. ALBANS HIGH SCHOOL | 80 | – | 48 | W |
| 5 | 01/05/16 | 7:30PM | A – | SPRING VALLEY | 76 | – | 44 | W |
| 6 | 01/07/16 | 7:30PM | H – | SOUTH CHARLESTON | 76 | – | 52 | W |
| 7 | 01/09/16 | 7:30PM | A – | WINFIELD | 63 | – | 53 | W |
| 8 | 01/12/16 | 7:30PM | A – | HURRICANE | 74 | – | 48 | W |
| 9 | 01/13/16 | 7:30PM | H – | NITRO | 85 | – | 59 | W |
| 10 | 01/15/16 | 7:30PM | H – | HUNTINGTON | 73 | – | 76 | L |
| 11 | 01/18/16 | 1:00PM | A – | MAPLE HEIGHTS, OH AT FAIRMONT SR | 75 | – | 71 | W |
| 12 | 01/20/16 | 7:30PM | A – | CABELL MIDLAND | – | |||
| 13 | 01/26/16 | 7:30PM | H – | PARKERSBURG | – | |||
| 14 | 01/27/16 | 7:30PM | A – | WOODROW WILSON | – | |||
| 15 | 01/30/16 | 7:30PM | H – | RIVERSIDE | – | |||
| 16 | 02/02/16 | 7:30PM | A – | RIPLEY | – | |||
| 17 | 02/05/16 | TBAPM | A – | BIG ATLANTIC SHOOTOUT-BECKLEY | – | |||
| 18 | 02/06/16 | TBAPM | A – | BIG ATLANTIC SHOOTOUT-BECKLEY | – | |||
| 19 | 02/10/16 | 4:20PM | H – | MORGANTOWN | – | |||
| 20 | 02/12/16 | 7:30PM | H – | GEORGE WASHINGTON | – | |||
| 21 | 02/15/16 | 7:30PM | A – | RIVERSIDE | – | |||
| wins: 9 lost: 2 ties: 0 | ||||||||