Irwin named boys state player of year

By Derek Taylor

CHARLESTON — The Bill Evans Award has had an overwhelmingly southern feel in its 39-year history.

Given to the top boys high school basketball player in West Virginia, the Evans Award had been won by a player from the northern half of the state just eight times before today.

Bridgeport High senior Bryant Irwin became the award’s ninth winner from a northern-based school when the West Virginia Sports Writers Association announced results of statewide voting.

Irwin, a 6-foot-7 center who averaged 32.3 points and 11 rebounds while leading the Indians to an 18-6 record, has signed to play college basketball at St. Joseph’s University. His agility and outside shooting ability will likely lead him to play as a forward at the Atlantic 10 Conference school in Philadelphia.

Irwin is the first player from northern West Virginia to win the award since Fairmont Senior’s Jared Prickett won it in 1992.

Irwin is the second winner of the award from Harrison County. Jeff Schneider won the award in both 1977 and 1978 while playing at now-defunct Washington Irving High in Clarksburg. Schneider is the only player to ever have won the award outright twice. Randy Moss won two awards while at DuPont in 1994 and 1995, but shared his first award with Woodrow Wilson’s Anthony Scruggs.

“I’ve wanted this since I started playing basketball when I was a little kid,” said Irwin in a surprisingly candid show of happiness for the typically reserved center. “I’ve always wanted to be the best player in the state, so I’m really excited about this.”

His knowledge of the award showed that Irwin’s claim of winning it being a longtime pursuit was not a prepared statement.

“I know Jeff Schneider,” Irwin said of Harrison County’s only previous winner of the award. “I’ve gone to some of his basketball camps (in Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and I know that he scored a whole bunch of points when he was at W-I and that he’s the only guy to ever win it twice by himself.”

Irwin picked up 17 first-place votes in the selection process. Poca guard Noah Cottrill, a 6-2 sophomore who has already given a verbal commitment to play at West Virginia University, finished second and was listed as the top choice on seven ballots. Cottrill finished second in the statewide scoring race to Irwin and averaged 30.7 points.

Capital senior guard Malik Witten was third, followed by Nitro senior guard Brett McClanahan and Summers County senior center Andrew Gunnoe.

There were 15 players on the final ballot, nominated by sports writers throughout West Virginia.

“That makes it more of an honor,” Irwin said when informed of the top five finishers. “Cottrill is a great player and honestly I think Malik Witten is the best player I played against all season except for the guys from Norcross (Ga.).”

Bridgeport faced both Witten’s Capital and nationally ranked Norcross at the Mountain State Coal Classic in late January. Though the Indians lost both games in lopsided fashion, Irwin remained his impressive self. He scored 29 points against Capital and had 22 against Norcross.

Coincidentally, it was Capital senior center Tyrone Goard who had the highest praise for Irwin during the annual tournament in Beckley. After Capital defeated Veritas Christian and Clemson signee and 7-1 center Catalin Baciu, Goard compared the two pivots.

“Bryant’s tough because he can do so many things,” Goard said. “He can play inside or outside and handle the ball real well. If you ask me Bryant’s the better player because he’s so tough to defend.”

Irwin finished his high school career as Bridgeport’s all-time leading scorer with 1,692 points. He will be presented the Evans Award at the West Virginia Sports Writers Association’s Victory Awards Dinner in June at Lakeview Resort in Morgantown.