Luke Frampton hasn't been feeling well at all.
In fact, until Tuesday morning, Poca High basketball coach Allen Osborne didn't know if he'd have his standout for the Scott game. The ol' stomach bug had bitten.
But Frampton showed. So did his team at the end of a Skyhawk slowdown attempt that made the game go fast. (Try an hour and two minutes.) And Poca moved to 14-2 via a funky 40-29 victory.
It was a treat, though, to see a game on a snowy February day. And it was another opportunity to check out the Dots, featuring Frampton and Elijah Cuffee. It's something more folks probably should take advantage of considering the program's success and the team's talent level.
Yet here's the mind-blower: Frampton and Cuffee will be back again next season.
That's correct. They're still only juniors.
"I was interviewed earlier this season and asked how it feels to be a senior," Frampton said. "I said, um, I'm a junior."
Crazy, huh? You've been reading and hearing about the pair since they were freshmen - because they are just that good.
The school has benefited. Two seasons ago, the Dots were 25-2. Last season, they went 27-0 en route to a Class AA state championship. This season, they have only lost to back-to-back Georgia Class A private school champs St. Francis and South Carolina's Mullins High, which features North Carolina signee Jalek Felton. The losses were in the Beach Ball Classic in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (St. Francis, by the way, is coached by Drew Catlett, nephew of former WVU coach Gale. Who knew, right?)
Poca has now defeated 40 Mountain State teams in a row.
"It's been a pretty good run," Osborne understated.
Credit the coach. But also take a closer look at the Dots, especially Frampton and Cuffee.
First, the latter. In case you don't know, Cuffee has already committed to play hoops for Liberty University of the Big South Conference.
"Their style of play really fits Elijah," Osborne said. "Providence and Clemson were looking at him, but both of Elijah's parents went to Liberty. The school is putting a lot of money into the program. It has nice facilities."
Cuffee entered Tuesday's game averaging 22.2 points with a Kanawha Valley-high of 51 3-pointers. He was hitting 88 percent from the free throw line.
Then there's Frampton, the living, breathing question mark. Remember Jimmy Chitwood in "Hoosiers"? That's Luke Frampton. He currently has scholarship offers from Marshall, Texas Tech, James Madison, Longwood and Winthrop. His brother Noah, who had 27 points in the Class AA championship last season, is injured and sitting out at Marshall, where he's a walk-on.
Osborne said North Carolina State invited the younger Frampton to its Duke game, although the trip never materialized because of snowstorm Jonas. WVU and Virginia have shown interest. Davidson has been involved.
"Coach [Bob] Huggins came down and watched us practice once," Frampton said. "Then North Carolina State asked me to come down. That's probably been the neatest thing so far."
"He's getting a lot of interest and looks," Osborne said. "I think he's going to wait until the end of the season to make a decision. Marshall is really high on his list and he likes Davidson."
"I honestly don't know right now," Frampton said.
Frampton has been to Virginia's Elite basketball summer camp and has been compared to former Cavalier Joe Harris. He plays AAU ball for the Big Shots Virginia team. (Frampton, by the way, is ranked as the No. 1 2017 West Virginia player by the circuit. Cuffee is ranked No. 2.)
"Luke is a 6-foot-5 guard who can shoot it," Osborne said. "He has great range and sees the court well. He defends well. He's just a real solid player with a 3.7 grade-point average and good attitude. He can handle the ball and then post up.
"And he's just getting stronger and quicker."
"I'm a shooter who likes to hustle," Frampton said. "I like to play defense and will take a charge."
Frampton entered the Scott game averaging 19.3 points and had 44 treys. It's quite a one-two punch. ("Elijah," Frampton said, "is like another brother to me.") But there's yet another puncher with which to contend. Kaden Meeks entered Tuesday's game averaging 13.6 points with 36 3-point field goals. And if that's not enough, there's the muscle of Chase Dotson, who took over for Christian Buckley. The latter is now a shot putter for the University of Louisville. Dotson also happens to be a shot putter.
"We're very comparable to last year," Osborne said. "We've been averaging about five more points a game over last year and giving up about three more."
Poca is currently ranked No. 1 in Class AA, followed by Bridgeport and Fairmont Senior. (The Dots were trailing Fairmont's Polar Bears by 16 in last season's championship before winning 57-53.)
Anyway, the team is worth checking out.
This year.
As well as next.