Elijah Cuffee, a two-time first-team all-state player from Poca, has decided to transfer for his senior year to Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Virginia.
In September, the 6-foot-3 1/4, 185-pound guard-forward committed to Division I Liberty University, LCA's parent institution.
Cuffee was the leading scorer in the Cardinal Conference last season, averaging 19.8 points, and the Dots finished as Class AA state runner-up to Fairmont Senior. As a junior, Cuffee averaged 13.8 points as Poca went 27-0 and captured its first state championship since 1997.
"We felt like it was time, and he wanted to move on,'' said his father, Linwood Cuffee. "It had nothing to do with anything else. He couldn't graduate early - they wouldn't allow it because of Putnam County rules - even though he only needed a couple of classes.
"We wanted to get him ready for college, and this will be kind of like a redshirt year. He'll get to pick a lot of classes that will transfer right into Liberty [University]. He definitely feels comfortable.''
Elijah Cuffee noted that he'll also get to play pickup games against the Liberty varsity.
"I'm going to use it to kind of get better and get ready for the physicality,'' he said, "to be able to play with those guys a year early and get ready for that speed.''
Elijah Cuffee scored 1,306 points in three seasons with the Dots, who went 77-5 with him in the starting lineup. As a junior, he led the Kanawha Valley in 3-point goals with 73 and was second in foul shooting at 85.6 percent.
Poca won 51 straight games against teams from West Virginia until it fell to the Fairmont Senior in the AA state finals in March. The Dots also take a 42-game Cardinal Conference winning streak into next season.
It's the second offseason loss for the Dots, as veteran coach Allen Osborne stepped down in May after 38 seasons, 627 wins and two state championships. Assistant Derek Ragle was selected to replace him.
Linwood Cuffee said Osborne's decision had some effect on his son's.
"Honestly, we went to Poca because of Coach Osborne,'' Linwood Cuffee said. "His moving on played a part in it, too. The new coach is a great guy, but he's not Coach Osborne. It will take some years to get to that point. We just felt like it was time.
"The three years Elijah has been there were great. Great coaches, great kids. We prayed about it, and we talked about it for months and months. Elijah was ready to move on. My wife was the last one to sign off on this - she graduated from Poca. Once she signed off, that's what made it official.''
Elijah Cuffee, who plans to major in the field of forensic science, will live with a host family during his one year at Liberty Christian Academy. Currently, he's attending a camp in Norfolk, Virginia, then leaves Saturday to work on a missionary trip to Jamaica with his younger sister, Myra. Classes at LCA begin on Aug. 24.
Myra Cuffee, about to begin her freshman year at Cross Lanes Christian, has also been offered a basketball scholarship by Liberty, according to Linwood Cuffee. Her mother and father also both attended Liberty University.
Elijah Cuffee has spent his summer competing with the Big Shots Elite Under-17 team along with Poca teammate Luke Frampton and Ripley's Chase Johnson - each of whom has received multiple Division I scholarship offers.
He may have played his last high school and summer league games with Frampton, but Elijah Cuffee was certainly glad for the ride.
"Me and Luke had a good summer together,'' Elijah Cuffee said. "We didn't really talk about [the decision], but I think he knew it was another step to get to college. Once he knew, I think he was ready to take over the challenge of getting Poca back to Charleston next year [for the state tournament].''
Linwood Cuffee said he has no reservations letting his son move away a year before he graduates high school.
"Academically, socially, he's never been in trouble,'' Linwood Cuffee said. "Elijah's a good kid, he's doing the right thing and being responsible. When a kid has done what they're supposed to and shows that type of responsibility and he wants what he wants, you can't deny him. And that's what it came to.''
Contact Rick Ryan at 304-348-5175 or rickryan@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @RickRyanWV.