3rd Region Hoops — Ohio County Senior Elijah Decker has been around the 3rd Region for a decade, it seems. Having dressed for the Eagles since his 8th Grade year, Decker has long been heralded the NEXT BIG THING to come through the tradition rich Ohio County Eagle Basketball program & make no mistake about it, he’s been the REAL DEAL & without question, one of the top players in the 3rd Region when healthy. Key word; WHEN HEALTHY! In the 2019/20 season Elijah missed 8 games with a broken wrist. In spite of the injury, he averaged 11 points per game & 4 rebounds per game that season. In 2020/21 he missed 19 of the 26 games for the Eagles due to multiple breaks in both wrists & finished the year averaging 8 points per game & 4 rebounds per game. The following season, in 2021/22, Elijah would sustain yet another injury that would cost him the majority of the season. He missed 15 of the 26 games & finished the year averaging 14 points per game & 9 rebounds a game. Last season however, the Basketball Gods finally decided to show some favor & Elijah played an entire season without missing a game. He averaged 17 points per game, 8 rebounds, 3 assists and shot 49% from the field. Still yet, Decker is one of only a handful who’s name is mentioned in the 1,000 point club. Yes, all of those injuries and the kid has STILL managed to score 1,000 points and grab 500 plus rebounds. BEFORE HIS SENIOR YEAR. Would he be Ohio County’s ALL TIME LEADING SCORER if not for the injuries? Who knows, but that’s not really all that much of a stretch if we’re being honest. There is as much talent in the 3rd Region as there has been in several years & much of the hype has centered Butler County’s Ty Price but this kid from Beaver Dam can flat out PLAY! Ohio County will enter the 2023/24 season preseason #1 in most polls, in large part because of the talent Elijah brings to the floor, night in & night out. Standing 6’5, Decker can play all 5 positions at times and serves as a matchup nightmare to opposing teams. Nothing screams THIS KID CAN BALL, like the performance Decker put on in Morgantown last season when he erupted for 30 in the second half to lead the Eagles from 10+ in the 4th Qtr to cap off the Eagles undefeated regular season VS’s 3rd Region opponents. That performance was one of the better performances in the 3rd Region in some time & his versatility was seen tremendously. Elijah will go into the season as a sure fire 1st team All Region player and will be right in the thick of things for Region Player Of The Year. As always in Ohio County, the expectations will be to WIN, and with a healthy Elijah Decker, the Eagles will soar and will have as good of a chance to play on RUPP Arena’s floor as anyone in the Region. The Eagles staff operates rather quietly on the social media scene but you are living under a rock if you think, Elijah, the staff and community have not been sitting back watching all the hype focus on Ty Price & it is driving them to be MOTIVATED & SCARY. Don’t forget about the kid in Ohio County — ELIJAH DECKER IS A GAMER!!!!!