WHEELING — Preston Boswell has been around the game of basketball as long as he can remember.

The former Magnolia standout is now making a career out of the sport he grew up loving.

The Blue Eagles all-time leading scorer, with more than 2,500 points, was back in the Ohio Valley Tuesday night as one of several assistant coaches of the DuBois Dream who met Best Virginia in a quarterfinal round game of The Basketball Tournament (TBT) inside WesBanco Arena.

“It was a great experience tonight,” Boswell said. “I knew Best Virginia was going to bring out a lot of fans because basketball is big in the Ohio Valley. It was awesome to be back.”

Boswell said the Dream was able to practice at Wheeling Park High School’s ‘Palace on the Hill’ and on Coach Skip Prosser Court inside Wheeling Central’s 13th Street facility, as well as The Stifel Center at Linsly in preparation for the tournament.

Coming back to the Ohio Valley and coaching against Best Virginia also renewed a rivalry between Boswell and Wheeling Central alum, Chase Harler, who is a member of the WVU alumni squad.

“I actually played against Chase in a 3-on-3 tournament a few weeks back,” Boswell recalled. “My team beat his, but his team won tonight in the bigger game of the two.”

The two also met in a West Virginia Class A state title contest in Charleston while in high school, with Harler also prevailing.

Boswell said he recently accepted a graduate assistant coaching assignment with the NCAA Division III men’s basketball team at Mercyhurst University in Erie, Pa.

“I’m getting into college coaching and working towards my masters.”

Following his all-state career in New Martinsville, Boswell attended then-Wheeling Jesuit University. After two years with the Cardinals, he transferred up W.Va. 88 to West Liberty for a season as a redshirt junior. He was then reunited with former Wheeling Jesuit head coach Danny Sancomb at the University of California, Pa. where he finished his collegiate playing career.

“After college I moved to the DuBois (Pa.) area during COVID,” Boswell explained of his venture to become associated with the Dream. “I was still looking to keep involved in basketball somehow. I was working 9 (a.m.) to 5 (p.m.) in the area and met Albert Varacallo who is the CEO/GM of the Dream.

“I started playing in pickup games that led to playing in semi-pro games and then some men’s leagues. We played together in a couple of Red Bull 3-on-3s and our friendship/relationship kind of took off from there.”

TIP-OFFS

— It was incorrectly reported that the winner of the West Virginia Regional would play Boeheim’s Army, the Syracuse Regional winner, on Sunday in an Elite 8 battle with a berth in the Final Four in Philadelphia at stake. However, the Syracuse Regional played its semifinal games Wednesday night with Blue Collar U. defeating Virginia Dream, 107-86, in the first game. Blue Collar U. is the defending overall champion. Boeheim’s Army met The Nerd Team in the late game. The championship game is set for Friday at 9 p.m. with that winner traveling to Wheeling for Sunday’s matchup at 4, which will be televised live on ESPN.

–Erik Stevenson, who hit the game-winner for Best Virginia on Tuesday, spent time with the San Antonio Spurs earlier this summer during the NBA Summer League. Herd That’s Tavion Kinsey played on the Utah Jazz’