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Apr. 9—BLACKSVILLE — Preston Luzader will be remembered for years to come in the halls of Clay-Battelle Middle /High School, both for his play on the basketball court and for who he is off of it.
This past season, Luzader became the Cee-Bees' all-time leading scorer, ending the season with 1, 762 career points. He also broke the record for career rebounds, ending the year with 1, 147 boards during his time in Blacksville.
Luzader surpassed the record mark of 1, 445 points on February 3rd with a bucket against Tygarts Valley in a 52-48 victory.
"It's special to me and something I had in the back of my mind since middle school, " Luzader said about the scoring record. "Now that it's over, it feels like high school went by pretty fast, but I remember almost every game I played. I was able to play with so many great teammates and on some amazing teams. We made the semifinals at states my sophomore year and made it back this past season for my senior year. It's been a great four years playing for this team, and I truly wouldn't want to have played anywhere else."
Luzader was named to the WVSWA Class A all-state first teams this season after averaging 22.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1, 9 blocks, and 1.0 steals in 25 games. He is just the fourth player in program history to earn the honor.
He tallied 22 double-doubles in those 25 games, including a streak of 19 straight, and was named an OVAC all-star as a member of Team West Virginia, scoring 23 points in the all-star game.
While he had the points record in his sights, becoming the rebounding leader snuck up on him, Luzader says.
"I didn't even realize how close I was coming to the rebound record until this season, " he said. "I'm not the most athletic player on the court, but over time, I've worked on reading shots and knowing how to position myself the best way to get as many rebounds as I can."
Funny enough, one of Preston's most memorable times as a member of the Cee-Bees wasn't him scoring a point or grabbing a rebound.
"We were about to play Madonna, and I realized I wore the wrong jersey, " he said, "One of the seniors gave me his jersey to wear that game. I wore the wrong color and didn't bring my grey jersey, and as a freshman, I was freaking out. Noah Sollars was the one who let me use his jersey for the night. That's a funny memory I will never forget."
Preston's talent on the court helped him make his mark on the Clay-Battelle program. Still, he also takes pride in his impact on the community, specifically as a role model for the younger generation.
"Being at a school with middle school-age students is a fun experience, and I think it helps with the pride everyone has at Clay-Battelle as a whole because you don't technically change schools when you go to high school, " he said. "Being a part of the GameChanger program in West Virginia has been impactful too. We help advocate against drugs and other things to the younger kids, and I've loved being a part of that and being a role model for some of those students."
Clay-Battelle boys basketball head coach Josh Kisner says Preston earned a starting position after entering his freshman season and impacting a senior-loaded team that nearly made the state tournament.
"I am incredibly proud of Preston and what he has accomplished during his career at Clay Battelle. Even more so, I am proud of the young he has become and a role model for the younger future athletes coming through C-B, " Kisner said. "Preston is such a team player and coaches player that he turned down a college visit and rescheduled because we had a big game coming up and he wanted to be at practice."
Preston reciprocated the thoughts of his head coach.
"I was very fortunate to have a fantastic coach for these four years who knew how to get me in the best place to be successful and who always believed in my abilities from day one, " he said. "I wouldn't have been able to do any of it without him or my teammates."
Luzader says he is undecided about where he will attend college to play but that his decision is coming soon.
Continue reading...
This past season, Luzader became the Cee-Bees' all-time leading scorer, ending the season with 1, 762 career points. He also broke the record for career rebounds, ending the year with 1, 147 boards during his time in Blacksville.
Luzader surpassed the record mark of 1, 445 points on February 3rd with a bucket against Tygarts Valley in a 52-48 victory.
"It's special to me and something I had in the back of my mind since middle school, " Luzader said about the scoring record. "Now that it's over, it feels like high school went by pretty fast, but I remember almost every game I played. I was able to play with so many great teammates and on some amazing teams. We made the semifinals at states my sophomore year and made it back this past season for my senior year. It's been a great four years playing for this team, and I truly wouldn't want to have played anywhere else."
Luzader was named to the WVSWA Class A all-state first teams this season after averaging 22.9 points, 13.9 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 1, 9 blocks, and 1.0 steals in 25 games. He is just the fourth player in program history to earn the honor.
He tallied 22 double-doubles in those 25 games, including a streak of 19 straight, and was named an OVAC all-star as a member of Team West Virginia, scoring 23 points in the all-star game.
While he had the points record in his sights, becoming the rebounding leader snuck up on him, Luzader says.
"I didn't even realize how close I was coming to the rebound record until this season, " he said. "I'm not the most athletic player on the court, but over time, I've worked on reading shots and knowing how to position myself the best way to get as many rebounds as I can."
Funny enough, one of Preston's most memorable times as a member of the Cee-Bees wasn't him scoring a point or grabbing a rebound.
"We were about to play Madonna, and I realized I wore the wrong jersey, " he said, "One of the seniors gave me his jersey to wear that game. I wore the wrong color and didn't bring my grey jersey, and as a freshman, I was freaking out. Noah Sollars was the one who let me use his jersey for the night. That's a funny memory I will never forget."
Preston's talent on the court helped him make his mark on the Clay-Battelle program. Still, he also takes pride in his impact on the community, specifically as a role model for the younger generation.
"Being at a school with middle school-age students is a fun experience, and I think it helps with the pride everyone has at Clay-Battelle as a whole because you don't technically change schools when you go to high school, " he said. "Being a part of the GameChanger program in West Virginia has been impactful too. We help advocate against drugs and other things to the younger kids, and I've loved being a part of that and being a role model for some of those students."
Clay-Battelle boys basketball head coach Josh Kisner says Preston earned a starting position after entering his freshman season and impacting a senior-loaded team that nearly made the state tournament.
"I am incredibly proud of Preston and what he has accomplished during his career at Clay Battelle. Even more so, I am proud of the young he has become and a role model for the younger future athletes coming through C-B, " Kisner said. "Preston is such a team player and coaches player that he turned down a college visit and rescheduled because we had a big game coming up and he wanted to be at practice."
Preston reciprocated the thoughts of his head coach.
"I was very fortunate to have a fantastic coach for these four years who knew how to get me in the best place to be successful and who always believed in my abilities from day one, " he said. "I wouldn't have been able to do any of it without him or my teammates."
Luzader says he is undecided about where he will attend college to play but that his decision is coming soon.
Continue reading...
