Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc. is pleased to present this week’s “Cager’s of the Week” awards to Noah Osborne of Teays Valley Christian School and Drue Smith of Calvary Baptist Academy.
Teays Valley Christian School Lions have had an up and down year. They are a very young team, currently having only one senior on the roster. They have had some success this year. This success has a lot to do with the play of freshman point guard Noah Osborne. Last week, in a win over Beth Haven, Noah scored 21 points as he led his team to victory. He also had 21 points in a win on Saturday and 22 points in a win on Monday. When asked about his success, Noah says, “I didn’t shoot the ball well, but I found other ways to help my team.” Head Coach Jody Sowards, says about his star athlete, “Noah is just a freshman, but he is very intelligent on the court. He knows the game, and he is learning each and every day.” When asked about the team’s success Noah says, “We are practicing hard, and we’re working the ball around in the offense, and it is paying off.”
Head Coach Sowards likes the way his point guard plays. “Noah can shoot the ball, or he can drive to the hoop. He is just a freshman, and we are a young team, but I think in the years to come we will have a solid program,” says Coach Sowards. Noah agrees, “We have a young team, but I think we are learning a lot this year, and the experience will pay off in the long run.” Noah currently has a 3.0 GPA, showing his skills in the classroom as well. Noah compares himself to former St. Albans High School star Brett Nelson. “I like Brett Nelson. I try to work as hard as him, and hopefully I can be compared to him in my later career,” says Noah.
The Calvary Baptist Academy Patriots have had an outstanding season so far this year. A lot of their play has to do with senior guard Drue Smith. Last week, in a 74-37 win over New Life, Drue had 16 points, but also dished out 11 assists to his teammates. When asked about his success, Drue says, “I haven’t been shooting the ball that well this year, but last week it kind of picked up. I was able to put some points on the board and also get some assists out to my teammates to help them score.” Drue’s play is subtle, but his teammates and fans sometimes refer to him as the “playmaker”. When asked about the team’s success, Drue says, “We have been trying to work hard and focus on running our offense. I think when we do that we are a hard team to beat.” Drue carries and 3.5 GPA showing his intelligence is not limited to the basketball court, but also to the classroom. When asked about the team’s upcoming post-season Drue says, “We want to win our State Tournament. I think if we play well and work hard we can definitely do that, since our main competition is New Life and we played pretty good against them last week.”
Drue compares himself to Michigan State Junior point guard Drew Nitzel. Drue says, “I like how Nitzel plays on the court. He shoots the ball really well, but he is always looking for his teammates. He runs the offense, and does everything on the court, and I would to be able to play as well as he does.” Drue comes from a family of athletes. His younger sister Jade Smith is one of the best upcoming athletes in the Kanawha Valley. She is a freshman guard for the Winfield Lady Generals, who are making another State Tournament run.
Look for Noah, Drue, and other local area high school athletes to be named next week’s Cager of the Week sponsored by Teays Physical Therapy Center, Inc.
