— Story by Taylor Kennedy
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Basketball teams all across the state are preparing for the beginning of the season. Greenbrier West senior guard Kaiden Pack is grateful that he finally has an understanding of when he can step back onto the court.
“I did not get my hopes up anymore after he [Governor Jim Justice] canceled it in February and moved it to March 1st all I said was ‘whatever, I am not going to get my hopes up.’ I was going to wait until AAU season and play then, but now that he actually has a date set for February 15th, I have been going through our normal routine,” said Pack.
When Governor Justice announced the dates for the beginning of the season, coaches and students were filled with excitement as they finally knew when they could begin their seasons. Pack was the same way. He says that he was excited to know a date.
“It disappointed me that we were not going to have a season at the time. I was overwhelmed with emotions. I was so happy that we were actually going to get to play. I am going to get to play with my teammates again for my senior year. That is what I was most excited about,” said Pack.
Pack played quarterback this past season for Greenbrier West’s undefeated regular season. The Cavaliers finished last season with a 9-1 record. During the season, teams had to deal with the uncertainty of playing due to the school’s county color. Pack thinks it will be different because his coach, Jared Robertson, has numerous back-up plans.
“During the football season, we were blessed to play as many games as we did. We got to play a lot more games than other teams. I was talking to Coach Rob, and he said that he jammed packed our basketball schedule. Even if we do miss a couple of games, we are going to have games back-to-back-to-back. I am not too worried about us missing games due to the map. I feel like we will always be ready,” said Pack.
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has allowed athletes to work on different skills and even develop new ones. Pack says that he has been working on limiting his turnovers and honing in on ball security.
“I had a lot of turnovers last season. I think I had eight to nine turnovers per game. I asked my teammates and coaches what I should work on during quarantine to be better. During quarantine, I have been working on making better basketball decisions, not throwing stupid passes, not throwing the ball away, and working on my ball-handling so it does not get poked away from me. I have been focusing on smart basketball instead of out of control basketball,” said Pack.
The constructive criticism that Pack received helped him gain trust with his teammates. He is glad that he can rely on his teammates to be there for him.
“We are also going to tell you how it is. If you are doing something wrong, we are not going to flip out, but we are going to tell you how to fix it. I think that has really helped me. In my freshman year, I had a shaky relationship with my teammates. Now, I think it has helped me understand more on how to be more coachable and more bonding with my teammates,” said Pack.
Pack also says that the relationship he has with Coach Robertson is something he will cherish and appreciates.
“We have a really tight bond. I message him all the time. I like to joke around with him,” said Pack. “If you have a really good relationship with your coach, I think you will have a really great season.”
Dual-sport athletes sometimes carry over tendencies from one sport to the other, which allows them to be diverse in the specific sport. Pack says that the vocal skills will translate from the gridiron onto the hardwood.
“I feel like I was the more vocal guy on the field. I think other people looked up to me to be in that leading role, and how I reacted to other stuff. I feel like for my football teammates looking up to me and me being that vocal leader I can bring that onto the court. If we are down, I feel like I can boost their confidence,” said Pack.
The West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission (WVSSAC) released a new four-class system, which realigned the three classes that everybody has known over the years. Pack sees this as an opportunity for his team to have a better chance of making the state tournament.
“I see this being a better chance of us making the state tournament. The reclassification moved Charleston Catholic up a few classes, which means I do not have to deal with Zion Suddeth’s defense and Aiden Satterfield’s offense because those are two things you do not look forward to following a Monday math class. I feel like it really distributes the talent, and it gives other teams chances of making the state tournament and getting a shot at a ring,” said Pack
Greenbrier West will begin its season at home as the Cavaliers will welcome in Tug Valley on March 5th.