West Virginia natives gather together on the court again
Three players who really stood out in the prep circuit of the northern panhandle of West Virginia were reunited on Saturday.
Two of these guys, Logan Routt and Chase Harler, are almost inseparable in Morgantown. They attended Cameron High School and Wheeling Central Catholic High School, respectively. Both Routt and Harler stood out more than most other players who come from Wheeling and the surrounding areas.
Routt gained national headlines a few years ago when he was reportedly one of the tallest high school quarterbacks in the nation. Harler was about as deadly as a shooter that has ever been seen in West Virginia high schools. Both are now Mountaineers and make the most of their time on the court. The pair played sparingly as freshmen but are seeing more time now as head coach Bob Huggins wants to develop as much depth as possible.
On Saturday, Routt and Harler were joined by another native of the Ohio Valley in Wheeling Jesuit’s Preston Boswell. A freshman for Wheeling Jesuit, Boswell may have been the most electrifying player to come out of Magnolia High School in New Martinsville, West Virginia.
The Mountaineers defeated Wheeling Jesuit, 98-50, on Saturday as Routt, Harler and Boswell shared the court for the first time since their high school days. According to the Wheeling News-Register, Harler led the Mountaineers with 25 minutes on the court. Boswell is starting for the Cardinals and he played for 31 minutes against West Virginia, scoring four points. He also had two assists and four rebounds.
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Harler finished with three points, three rebounds and two assists, while Routt added seven points and 10 rebounds, three steals and two blocks, one of his best outputs as a Mountaineer. Rout and Harler are the only two West Virginia natives on the WVU basketball team, while Boswell and Austin Hinerman, both freshmen, are the only two West Virginia natives for Wheeling Jesuit.
What makes these three so unique is that they all come from the lowest classification in West Virginia high school sports. There are only about 350 kids in each of the three schools that Harler, Routt and Boswell attended. West Virginia is a state that is starved of elite talent, but there is some good stuff brewing in the northern panhandle with these three helping out at a high level.
The News-Register, hometown newspaper of all three of these athletes, caught up with them following this unique game in Morgantown.
"“It was cool to have me, Chase and Boswell on the floor at the same time,” Routt said. “It brings back a lot of memories from our section. We had some great battles, so it was cool to do that again.”"
It was a great story and something that residents living in the northern panhandle should be happy to see. Boswell may make sure that Wheeling Jesuit is one of the best Division II teams in the country and Harler and Routt will help out in their roles on one of the best Division I teams in the country.
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The reunion of the three players is something that won’t happen again. It seems like they all took time to cherish this special moment. Boswell, Harler and Routt are helping to put West Virginia high school basketball on the map each time they step on the floor.