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Weir High graduate returns to his roots

SPEAKING — Weir High and WVU graduate Quincy Wilson speaks to campers as things get ready to begin Tuesday at the 13th Street Complex in East Wheeling. (Photo by Shawn Rine)

WHEELING — Growing up, there wasn’t a point in time when Quincy Wilson imagined becoming a coach. Yet there he was Tuesday at the 13th Street Complex in East Wheeling, as part of a satellite camp being run by the West Virginia State University staff that employs him as a running backs coach.

“After I got done (playing) I was in personal training and I was in sales,” said Wilson, who won the Kennedy Award as the state’s prep football player while at Weir before starring at West Virginia University. “It was a chance meeting with a coach who said, ‘You know what, Q? That is probably something you would be good at.’ But I was like ‘Eh.’ Next thing I know I am a lifer. It’s funny how things work out.”

Wilson and the Yellow Jackets staff, which is led by head coach John Pennington, put the 40 campers through a series of agility tests and skill training. Wilson, who later had a cup of coffee in the NFL, and Pennington were teammates with the Mountaineers. In fact, in a YouTube video that has more than 94,000 hits called ”Quincy Wilson — The Run” in which he scored one of the most memorable touchdowns in school history, Wilson is greeted in the end zone by none other than Pennington.

“We are a community-based organization, and by that we’re putting on a camp here,” said Wilson, who noted WVSU has done several camps throughout the state, most recently Monday in Martinsburg. “It’s summer and it’s kind of dull so we’re out here doing what we love to do, which is coaching. We’re excited.”

Wilson admitted there are multiple goals when putting on an event such as this one, and that they benefit both parties. For the players, the camp operates as a way to get their names out to college coaches. For Wilson and the coaching staff, it enables them to build relationships with potential student-athletes of the school.

“This is my recruiting area, and I am always trying to get kids to Charleston. So, I thought, let’s bring something to the place where I go,” Wilson said. “We’ve got kids here from Western Pennsylvania, kids from Columbus and, of course, we have the valley kids. What I envisioned is working out.”

Wilson and Pennington are part of a staff that is looking to build on a 6-5 season that saw them go .500 in the Mountain East Conference. They’re trying to construct a roster that includes as many in-state products as possible.

“When I was playing we had to send VHS tapes to school,” Wilson recalled with a laugh. “These kids can get on the Internet and promote themselves, which is what we want to show them. You need to be your own CEO.

“With these kids being here it’s saying they want to be looked at. We want to give them the opportunity to showcase their talent.”

Wilson did acknowledge that although he has enjoyed each stop on the camp tour, this particular one holds a significant place in his heart.

“I couldn’t even sleep (Monday) night,” he joked. “We did a quick pit stop in Morgantown. I’ve been waiting to get here.”

A big part of making a venture like this successful, Wilson said, is the cooperation the Yellow Jackets staff has seen from local high school coaches. Especially considering there are a pair of MEC programs — Wheeling Jesuit and West Liberty — just a stone’s throw from the East Wheeling Complex.

“The Park (Chris Daugherty) and Central (Mike Young) coaches have been great,” he said. “It’s all about relationships. I know (WJU) coach (Zac) Bruney and (WLU) coach (Roger) Waialae. Recruiting is recruiting, but it is all about relationships.

”But if the high school coach doesn’t back you, you’re never going to get their kid. By us coming here it shows that we’re really interested in these kids. Hopefully they leave and say, ‘You know what? I like coach Pennington, and I like coach Wilson.’ And they spread it to their guys. This hasn’t been a traditional recruiting ground for us, but there is always time to start something.”

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