Ye olde notebook:
Sometimes athletes - even high-profile athletes - drop out of the proverbial limelight and slip from our consciousness.
But could that happen with former Capital High standout and Kennedy Award winner TyRhee Pratt?
Nope. Not here.
You might remember Pratt's story. He was a star quarterback with the Cougars, leading them to back-to-back Class AAA state championship appearances before committing to play for WVU.
That, however, didn't pan out, so Pratt signed with Charlotte. That too didn't pan out and Pratt briefly went to Jireh Prep School in North Carolina, according to Capital coach Jon Carpenter.
Now? Carpenter says Pratt appears headed to play for Fairmont State and Falcons head coach Jason Woodman. Let's hope all works out for the QB.
n I spoke with Charleston lawyer and West Virginia Wildcats Select hoops director Scott Long the other day.
His 17-year-old team started practicing this weekend at George Washington High with a couple of nice coaches scheduled to be at the helm: ex-Mountaineers Nate Adrian and James Long. The latter, of course, is Scott's son.
On Friday, though, Scott Long received word Adrian was out of the mix, at least for the weekend, because of shoulder surgery. James Long responded by surprising the team with a Jevon Carter appearance.
Anyway, among those Long will have on the team is fine 2019 national recruit Oscar Tshiebwe of Mountain Mission in Grundy, Virginia - the same school that produced WVU's Maciej Bender.
Also on the team is Marshall signee Jeremy Dillon from Mingo Central.
In addition, among those on the 15-year-old team, being coached by Paul Williamson and Kelly Castleberry, are players being watched by many colleges.
Chapmanville's 6-foot-8 Obinna Anochili-Killen and Logan's 6-3 David Early are two of the possible targets for teams like WVU, Marshall and others. Early, 230 pounds, is a point guard who also plays quarterback for Logan.
"The 15-year-old group will probably end up being as talented a group as we've ever had," said the senior Long.
n Tshiebwe is an interesting prospect. He's splitting time between the Wildcats and Louisville Magic this summer. The Mountaineers were the first to offer the 6-8, 230-pound man-child - although Virginia Tech has also expressed interest or has offered.
Oddly, not more schools are on Tshiebwe at this point, even though he's rated highly by recruiting sites. One has him as high as No. 43 nationally.
"He's the real deal," said West Virginia native and former Mountain Mission assistant Justin Dempsey. "I'd say he's a top-40 player. He has a great motor and he wants to get better."
He had a story about Tshiebwe's motor.
"Last summer we were at West Virginia's elite camp," Dempsey said. "He played four or five games and then we drove the five hours back to Grundy. When we got back, he laced up his shoes and went to our open gym. He never gets tired."
Bender's former coach, Pawel Mrozik, by the way, has moved to Cal Poly, where he's an associate head coach.
n While on the subject of basketball, I once again checked in with former Marshall standout and current Hargrave Military Academy coach A.W. Hamilton.
His postgraduate program finished the season 42-2 and ranked second in the country. Hamilton was kind enough to run down three players in whom state hoops fans might have interest.
First, WVU-bound Brandon Knapper finished the season with a 24.8 scoring average, which led the team, according to Hamilton. The South Charleston High grad converted on 46 percent of his shots from beyond the 3-point line and 82 percent of his free throws. He had a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.
"Brandon established himself as one of the elite guards in the country," Hamilton said. "Coach [Bob] Huggins and the West Virginia faithful are gonna love Brandon."
Marshall, meanwhile, has signed 6-8 forward Tanner Robinette and 6-10 Iran Bennett.
"Iran is finishing out the academic school year at Hargrave," Hamilton said. "We are all hopeful he qualifies. There is no doubt he could make a major impact for the Herd. Iran could be one of the best players in school history.
"Tanner will probably sit out next season, which will be great for his development on and off the floor."
n And finally ...
Since it's baseball season, I might as well touch base with someone in that sport.
So I did so with one of Nitro's finest sons, J.R. House.
Remember "The Jeffersons"? Well, House is movin' on up as well.
He is now the manager of the Jackson [Tennessee] Generals Class AA team in the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. Among those on his staff is ex-Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Doug Drabek.
Good for J.R. If we don't see him managing in the majors one day, I'll be surprised.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.