(Bill Cornwell contributed to this story)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Marshall men’s basketball head coach Dan D’Antoni refers to the West Virginia natives on his team as the ‘304 Boys’.
That group is a bit larger with Sunday’s commitment by highly-decorated Spring Valley forward C.J. Meredith to the Thundering Herd.
“I had been talking with the coaches at Marshall ever since my sophomore and junior years,” Meredith said. “About a week ago they offered it. I took a few days and thought about it with my family. We decided it was a great opportunity and we didn’t want to pass it up.
“Being in the bleachers there ever since I was five years old, you always look up to those guys. I always dreamed about playing there one day.”
Meredith also received Division II offers from Fairmont State and W.Va. Wesleyan of the Mountain East Conference as well as from Salem of the East Coast Athletic Conference. He also received interest from Akron and the Air Force Academy.
Meredith will be a preferred walk-on with an opportunity to earn a scholarship in future years.
The 6-6 Huntington native is coming off a 2019-2020 season in which he averaged 25.9 points per game for the Timberwolves.
He averaged 23 points per game as a junior.
“After my freshman year, I realized that if I really worked at it, I could make something special happen. I picked up the tempo and intensity of my workouts. I started really working hard and it all paid off.”
Meredith was a Class AAA All-State player the past two seasons and was named as the 2020 Mountain State Athletic Conference Player of the Year.
“They run a read and react. I am a smart player and I think I will pick up on it fast and I think I will excel in their system.”
Meredith joins fellow West Virginia products Obinna Anochili-Killen (Chapmanville) and David Early (Logan) in Marshall’s 2020 recruiting class.