Spring Valley Timberwolves' season preview

HUNTINGTON - Spring Valley Timberwolves head coach Bo Miller's group dropped a thriller in a Class AAA state tournament quarterfinal one year ago. Miller's squad fought hard the entire game, but East Fairmont's Bees had a little more sting in them. They took down the defending Class AAAA state championship, 54-52. After the loss, Miller said goodbye to point guard Sophi Hutchinson and do-it-all guard Brooklyn Ellis. Returning this season are many of the pieces that helped pave the way to Charleston, and they are ready to do so again in the 2026-27 regular season. Here are the Timberwolves that should be on NCAA coaches' radars, as we near the start of the season:    That's right, coaches. Daniels is a 6-foot-3 freshman. She plays much closer to the basket than her older sister Allie Daniels. She has a ton of upside. Oh yes. Her offensive post-game is well developed. Her strength is rebounding. She has all the tools to transform into a 5 at the next level. She does need to work on the shot swats. Her height alone is going to cause players to alter their shots. I would like to see her become more aggressive around the basket, so she can get herself easy trips to the free throw line, and meaner on the defensive end. The future is glittering brightly for this young lady.     Hallie Bailey. Sophi Hutchinson. Bella Perdue. Oh yes. Perdue is next in the line of the really good point guards to have come through Spring Valley in the past 12 years. Indeed. She's a bit of Hallie and a bit of Sophie. Big things are expected of her this season, too. What does she do well? Her quick hands will generate plenty of steals and deflections. She's confident in her shot. Her release is quick and easily repeatable over the course of a season. Her height and strength allows her to finish through contact. She is a tenacious defender. Absolutely tenacious. She is going to be a terror to slow down in Class AAA, this season.     Edwards is a double-double threat, night in and night out. Yes indeed. She runs the floor well. She will battle inside for boards and get a lot of clean up buckets around the basket. As I say with a lot of young post players, I would like to see Edwards trust her height when she goes to block a shot, especially against the smaller defenders, there's no need to swat at the ball. Any coach would be lucky to pick up this hard-working freshman.     It may be too late to place a call on Jackson. She is a NCAA Division I high jumper if she chooses to follow that route in school. She can jump out of the gym and is likely the best athlete on the Timberwolves' basketball team. I am not surprised coach Miller expects a lot out of her this season. Her basketball game is solid. Very solid. She can stretch the floor with her ability to shoot the 3 ball. Her athleticism allows her to get to the hoop, quickly. And, she very rarely loses a rebounding battle. She would help a team running a heavy press and transition system.     Blankenship isn't your average high school freshman. No where close. In truth, she enters the West Virginia prep level after a year of varsity experience at Boyd County High School in Kentucky. She made the starting lineup as an eighth grader for BC. She's 60 games into her prep career and it shows. She thrives in an aggressive defensive system thanks to her fast feet. Her great anticipation on the defensive end gives her a chance to punish any lazy pass. She moves without the ball and that gets her a lot of open shots, even as an 8th grade. Her range extends to the three-point line, though she wasn't asked to do a lot of scoring one season ago. I can see this young lady assuming a 2 spot over the course of the next four years for Miller.     Blankenship isn't your average high school freshman. No where close. In truth, she enters the West Virginia prep level after a year of varsity experience at Boyd County High School in Kentucky. She's 60 games into her prep career and it shows. Her conditioning allows her to thrive in an aggressive defensive scheme. Possesses great court awareness. Moves without the ball on the offensive end.

HUNTINGTON - Spring Valley Timberwolves head coach Bo Miller's group dropped a thriller in a Class AAA state tournament quarterfinal one year ago. Miller's squad fought hard the entire game, but East Fairmont's Bees had a little more sting in them. They took down the defending Class AAAA state championship, 54-52. After the loss, Miller said goodbye to point guard Sophi Hutchinson and do-it-all guard Brooklyn Ellis. Returning this season are many of the pieces that helped pave the way to Charleston, and they are ready to do so again in the 2026-27 regular season. Here are the Timberwolves that should be on NCAA coaches' radars, as we near the start of the season: