Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc. is pleased
to present this week’s                               “Cagers of the Week”                              awards to Jason Cuffee                                from Poca High School                                  and Kayla Tucker from                            Buffalo High School.

The Poca Dots boys’                                basketball team had a                            tremendous start to the 2009 basketball season.  The Dots have a 6-3 record, but all three of those losses have come by a total of 10 points. 

Much of their success has to do with the play of sophomore forward Jason Cuffee.  In a 61-47 win over Charleston Catholic, Jason fired in 31 points to lead the Dots to victory.  He made 12-16 field goals in the game, and all four of his foul shots.  Cuffee also had 7 rebounds and 5 blocked shots in the win. 

When asked about his success, Jason says, “I give all the credit to my coach Allan Osborne.  I didn’t have a good shooting game last week, and coach brought me in and showed me what I was doing wrong on tape. I have been able to work hard and change some things, which allowed me to have success this week.” 

Head coach Allan Osborne has nothing but praise for his star forward. “Jason Cuffee is a tremendous basketball player, but even more importantly he is a tremendous person. He is a leader in our school, and he is a leader on our team.  e holds a 4.0 Grade Point Average, and he is one of the nicest kids you will find. He is a pleasure to coach and watch play this game.”

When you talk to Jason about this years’ basketball team, his thoughts go immediately to the end of the season and the post-season.

“If we keep working hard,” Jason says, “I feel we have a chance to go far into the post-season. Our goal is to make the State Tournament and have a legitimate shot to be state champs of West Virginia.” 

Jason’s play can sometimes be compared to that of former Chicago Bulls forward Scottie Pippen. He is big enough to play the forward position, but he can also handle the ball and shoot as well as anyone on the court.

The Buffalo High School Lady Bison have had challenges success in recent years. The girls are looking to revive this year under the leadership of first-year coach Brandon Bias.

When fellow single-A school Van visited, the Lady Bison looked to go out and record a win. Buffalo won 52-44 and pushed their record to 3-5, a tremendous improvement from years past. 

Much of that win had to do with the play of senior forward Kayla Tucker. Kayla poured in 16 points, but also grabbed a game-high 23 rebounds as the Lady Bison pushed to victory. 

When asked about her success Kayla says, “We came out and played real hard.  This team tries to move the ball around and do what Coach Bias tells us to do, and I think we are starting to gel.” 

Kayla also is a tremendous softball player for the Lady Bison softball team. 

Kayla has high expectations for the upcoming season. “We want to be able to compete in every game,”  Kayla says.  “We feel if we listen to Coach Bias and what he tells us, we can push ourselves to be a very good basketball team.” 

Kayla also excels in the classroom where she carries a 3.5 Grade Point Average. 

Under Kayla’s continued leadership, the Lady Bison may well turn the program around to become a force in girls’ basketball in this area of the state.

Please look for Jason, Kayla, and other local area high school athletes to be named next week’s Teays Physical Therapy Center’s “Cagers of the Week.”