By Jim Workman
Register-Herald Sports Writer
BECKLEY — Noah Cottrill was awarded the Bill Evans Award as the top high school boys basketball player in the state by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association on Sunday.
But the West Virginia University recruit has one more accomplishment on his agenda.
A state title.
The senior guard will begin his quest tonight as No. 1-seeded Logan (22-3) takes on No. 8 Hedgesville (15-2) at 7:15 p.m. at the Charleston Civic Center.
“Making it to the state tournament was at the top of my to-do list,” Cottrill said. “It’s so exciting. I’ve dreamed about this moment. I couldn’t be more excited. It’s unbelievable.”
It will be the first trip to a state tournament for Cottrill, who played at Poca his freshman and sophomore seasons and Mountain State Academy last season as a junior.
“It’s my last goal,” Cottrill said. “It’s the only unfinished goal. It’s the only thing left to accomplish. Now I just want to win it.”
Cottrill already has one personal state tournament point of reference that is dear to his heart.
“I watched my brother (Ricky) experience it,” he said.
Ricky Cottrill was a guard on the 1997 Poca team that won a Class AA state championship.
“I remember rushing the court when they won,” Noah said. “I was about six years old and I was ahead of the whole crowd. And I jumped up into my dad’s arms.”
Noah Cottrill has accomplished a lot in his high school career, including 2,737 career points in four years.
But official state records do not include his 836 points scored last season in 34 games at Mountain State Academy, a non-WVSSAC school.
If so, he would have been second on the list of all-time scorers behind Josh Delawder of PawPaw, who netted 2,965 from 1997-2000.
His three-year total at Poca and Logan stands at 1,901.
This year, Cottrill averages 29.4 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals.
Cottrill’s flashy play and player of the year status will surely be a draw for fans this week.
“I just play hard,” he said. “But I like to entertain, too. I like to get everyone involved and I like to give them what they came to see.
“But in the end, I’m just Noah Cottrill.”
— E-mail: jworkman@
register-herald.com
