CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - He's been the most brash high school basketball player to grace the courts of West Virginia schools in years, but the worst thing opponents saw about Logan point guard Noah Cottrill was that, quite simply, he could not be stopped.

The word "Passion" is tattooed against the interior of his right bicep, and it was the force of that word's meaning that propelled the future West Virginia Mountaineer to a No. 13 national rating among his fellow position players by Rivals.com, and ranked as the No. 79 player overall to emerge from the Class of 2010.

It's what enabled him to lead Logan to its first Class AAA state championship since 1991 in March and it's what drove him to winning the Evans Award as the state's top prep player.

Now, in what could be considered a high school curtain call, Cottrill (6-foot-3) has been named captain of the Class AAA All-State team, selected by the West Virginia Sports Writers Association.

"I took him out of the game before he threw the ball in the stands," Logan Coach Mark Hatcher said of Cottrill after the Wildcats defeated Wheeling Park for the state title March 20. "He said he was going to punt it."

Such exuberance could almost be expected of Cottrill, one of the state's most intense players and one that even has a Facebook group - "Noah Cottrill Taunting Opponents" - devoted to his style of play.

Yes, Cottrill is a group member.

Cottrill committed to West Virginia after his freshman season at Class AA Poca. After attending that school for two years he transferred to Mountain State Academy in Beckley before returning to public-school play as a senior.

He averaged 29.2 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.3 steals entering the State Tournament, where he averaged 25.7 points to finish his career scoring mark at 2,808 points.

The state title was the crowning achievement in what has been the most followed and scrutinized four years for any player in West Virginia in more than a decade.

"It's tremendous. I can't - It's like I'm on top of the world," Cottrill said after Logan won the title. "It's a great way to end my high school career. I can't put it any simpler than that."

Cottrill's selection as captain was a slam dunk. The rest of the All-State team, however, represented the across-the-board parity shown last season.

More than half (13) of the state's top 24 players suited up for teams that did not reach the State Tournament, including five of the eight first-teamers.

Topping that list is another phenom who has already committed to an in-state Division 1 program. Ripley junior guard Chase Fischer (6-4) committed to Marshall in 2008, and led the state in scoring with 32.1 points per game as a junior.

"He does it all for our team. He carries us on his back," Ripley Coach Craig Harmon said. "With as many people as we lost from last year's team, if you told me we'd win 15 games I'd have told you you're crazy."

Fischer finished second in player-of-the-year voting.

Wheeling Park junior Kelvin "Bubby" Goodwin was the lone first-team holdover from 2009 after he led the Patriots to their first Class AAA championship appearance since 1997. Goodwin, a 6-foot point guard, averaged 19.1 points, 5 assists and 3 steals per game in 2010.

A third major-college prospect made the move from second team in 2009 to first team.

South Charleston junior do-it-all guard Perry Henry (6-4, 16.2 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 5 steals per game) has received scholarship offers from West Virginia, Xavier, Virginia Tech, Marshall and five other Division 1 schools.

Henry's offensive strong suit is his ability to drive to the basket, but his defensive abilities are his calling card. This much was evident in a first-round State Tournament game against George Washington. In that game Henry scored seven consecutive points in the final 63 seconds and helped force six George Washington turnovers in the final 3 minutes. The outburst helped erase a six-point deficit and lead the Black Eagles to their fourth-straight Class AAA semifinals appearance.

Parkersburg South had four players receive All-State mention in 2009. Chase Fieler was not one of them. The 6-8 senior center grew not only into his body but into his potential to serve as an all-around star. Fieler average 25.3 points, 12.7 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 3.5 blocked shots and 2.2 steals in 2010. He made 47 percent of his field goal attempts and was South's biggest threat from 3-point range, averaging 2.3 makes per game.

Seniors Adam Kline of Winfield, T.J. Thompson of Preston and Jalen Walker of Greenbrier East each made the same jump from second team to first team.

Kline, a 6-5 center, averaged 20.1 points and 11 rebounds while shouldering most of Winfield's offensive burden throughout a 16-8 season. Thompson (6-4) was the pivotal presence for a Preston team that spent the entire season ranked in the Associated Press top 10.

The Knights (16-5) fell short in their bid to return to the State Tournament for the first time since 2008, but Thompson had the best year of any player in North Central West Virginia, averaging 20 points per game.

Walker (5-10) was the Mountain State Athletic Conference's second-leading scorer behind Fischer, averaging 17.8 points. The Spartans won their first sectional tournament championship in 20 years behind his play, and finished with a 13-12 record.

Wheeling Park junior forward Marqez O'Neal (6-3, 16.1 ppg) was chosen as the second-team captain. George Washington junior wing DaShawn Badger (6-0, 12.6 ppg) captained the third team.

___

Derek Taylor is the prep sports coordinator for the Charleston Daily Mail.