In 2008, Hidden Valley high school had a turnaround to remember, bouncing back from a 2-7 start to win the Region IV Division 4 tournament and advance all the way to the VHSL Group AA state semifinals.
That team was defined by experience, with a roster boasting ten seniors. The leadership of those boys was demonstrated no more clearly than in the team’s response after the loss of Ben Boggs to a broken leg last December. From January on, the Titans went 14-8, upsetting in the process Group AA champion Cave Spring in the River Ridge District Tournament.
That team is also no longer in the building. And the one that currently inhabits the gymnasium certainly will not be defined by anything resembling experience, at least not for now.
Such is the nature of a complete rebuilding job, a task second-year coach Troy Wells (the father of WDBJ Sports Producer Travis Wells), is eager to undertake.
“We lost everything but the kitchen sink,” Wells admitted, “but there’s just something I love about watching a team in mid-November, and seeing what they become by the end of January or early February.”
If there is anyone that can “coach up” some of the youngsters, it’s Wells. Though only in his second year at Hidden Valley, Wells is in his 40th year of coaching, many down in Martinsville, and boasts an impressive resume: 19 trips to the state tournament, 13 trips to the Final Four, and 8 state titles (three as a head coach, five as an assistant).
Even with all that success, this season will admittedly be different for Wells.
“I’m not a real patient person,” he said, chuckling. “You can ask my wife, I don’t really sleep all that much during the basketball season. I’m usually tossing and turning, trying to concoct different schemes – think of better ways of doing things.”
The Titans are off to a rough start, having lost their first three games. The coaching staff is still in the process of figuring out a rotation that clicks, and the players are still getting used to each other. The growing pains are expected, and Wells is unwavering.
“You just keep selling what you believe in,” he said. “At this point, it’s all about how much the kids can absorb. We don’t know much about our team at this point, but I do know this: I like the kids I’ve got.”
The Titans played William Byrd on Wednesday evening, and will travel to Lord Botetourt to take on the Cavaliers on Saturday night. After the holidays, the team will plunge into River Ridge District play, which should prove to be treacherous, as the Salem Spartans and Cave Spring Knights look to be contenders for the region and state titles once again.
By Matt Reeve [email protected]