Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc. is pleased to present this week’s "Cager's of the Week" awards to Noah Cottrill of Poca High School and Rachel Mynes of St. Albans High School.
Poca High School boy's basketball team has had a couple down years. This year, however, the boys are off to a 7-2 start to the season. The turnaround is due to two factors. The first is great coaching of Head Coach Allen Osborne. The second is due to the play of Freshman "phenom" Noah Cottrill. Last week, Noah had 25 points and 10 assists in an 80-49 win over Buffalo. He also had 20 points, 10 boards, and 4 steals in a 61-46 win over Point Pleasant. When asked about his success week, Noah says, "I came out and did what I had to do to put ourselves in position to win." Head Coach Osborne says this about his player: "Noah is an outstanding young player, who comes each and every night with the will to win. He plays hard, and he is an excellent player for his age. I feel he is going to be a great player in the future." When asked about the team’s success this year, Noah says, "I feel like we are moving the ball a little bit more this year, and try to get our opponents into an up tempo game. That allows us to run the floor and really get some easy buckets." When asked about the post-season, Coach Osborne says, "We feel that we have a tough section and region. However, if we play like we know we can, I feel we can play with anybody in this state." Noah has a slightly different view, "I think we are going to make the State Tournament." Noah also excels in the classroom where he carries a 3.2 GPA.
The St. Albans Lady Red Dragons are off to great start for the 2007 basketball season. They stand at 4/5, but have played a lot of tight games that they have lost by only a few points.
Last week, they stunned visiting Nitro with a last second shot made by sophomore forward Rachel Mynes. Rachel had 19 points and 11 rebounds to contribute to the effort, showing how dominant she was on the floor. Head Coach, Scott James, says, "This was the biggest victory we have had since I have been here. Rachel came to us much heralded as a freshman scorer, but she has become more of a complete player, and it showed in the Nitro game." Rachel points all the personal accolades towards her teammates. "We came out and played hard and played as a team, and that allowed us to win the game," says Rachel. Rachel carries a 3.0 GPA off the court showing that she can also perform well in the classroom. When asked about the expectations for the post-season, Head Coach James said, "We are looking forward to playing in the post-season. We feel that we can come out and play well against any team and give ourselves a shot to win each and every night." When asked who she compares herself to, Rachel says, "I compare myself to Cheryl Swoops. She is my favorite player, and I wear number 22 because of her."
Look for Rachel, Noah, and other local area high school athletes to be named next week’s Cager of the Week sponsored by Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc.
