Legends of the Kanawha Valley: Goard's competitive fire steers strong hoops career

Former George Washington boys basketball forward TyQuane Goard used his brother Tyrone as a way to stay focused and grow his game.

Goard started his career at Capital when Tyrone was a senior, and ended his career at George Washington. He helped lead the Patriots to two appearances in the Class AAA state tournament, including winning the state championship in 2011. The growth stemmed, he said, from comparison to his accomplished older sibling.

"Even since an early age, he was always the prodigy child," TyQuane Goard said of Tyrone. "He got good grades and played sports. I wasn't that good at sports growing up. He played sports and was in the newspaper. I always got compared to my brother and was always asked, 'Why are you not like your brother?' I hated it."

Goard wanted to prove to people around him that he could do similar things.

He took that fire and applied it to the game he loved.

"I used that as motivation and fuel to push me to go harder in the gym," Goard said. "As we got older, we turned it into a competition. It's still a competition to this day. It was motivation, but, at first, I hated it because I was living in his shadow and didn't know how to cope with it."

Goard stood 5-foot-8 when he was in the fifth grade.

The young athlete shot up to an impressive 6-4 and started playing more basketball once he reached middle school.

However, Goard was cut from the team at Horace Mann Middle School.

"So I was cut from my team at Horace Mann because I was jumping off the wrong leg to make layups," Goard said. "I was just getting used to my body since I was over 6-foot. I just started playing basketball more, which is when I fell in love with basketball. I ended up going to the Kanawha City Rec Center and just hooping."

Goard was only at Capital for a year before moving to Roxboro, North Carolina, and playing at Person High School. Goard moved back to West Virginia and enrolled at Mountain State Academy before landing at George Washington.

Basketball helped get him through tough times before his time at GW.

"The only thing I really had for myself was basketball," Goard said. "That's all I had to really focus on or do anything, along with school. I wanted bigger and better things. At this time, my brother was already in college and making plays. All of it was motivation while trying to be better. Because when I wanted to get to college, I knew I wanted to outdo him.

"I wanted better for myself. I saw what my brother did, and I wanted to get there."

Goard enrolled at GW ahead of his junior season and helped the Patriots to a 21-5 record.

He was named a second-team all-state selection in Class AAA, averaging about 12 points per game.

"Turk was the most dominant player," GW coach Rick Greene said. "We can debate Player of the Year and things like that, but there's no doubt in my mind that he should have gotten Player of the Year because he was the most dominant player in the state. I think almost anybody would've picked him. He had good people around him, but he was the one that stood out.

"Turk was dominant, especially on the defensive end, and was phenomenal."

Greene saw Goard grow between his junior and senior seasons.

"He grew and adjusted well," Greene said. "At times, it was a struggle. We butted heads, but he always came back and listened. I thought he really grew up. By the time he graduated, he was an excellent leader and much better in the classroom. I just saw him keep growing and rising as far as he wanted."

Goard understood that there would be an adjustment by attending GW, especially it being his fourth school.

"It was an adjustment," Goard said. "I [had] never had a coach like Rick Greene, as far as coaching goes. When I was in high school and middle school, I wasn't the best athlete. I was just tall. I knew that the offense might not have been made for me. But, as I got older, I got better. There were some things we did at GW that were tailored to make me and the team successful."

The 2010-11 Patriots featured some of the same faces from the team that fell the year before in the first round of the Class AAA state tournament to South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä.

GW was determined to avenge that outcome.

George Washington posted an impressive 22-3 record, earning the third seed in the 2011 Class AAA state tournament, behind Wheeling Park and Morgantown.

GW won its first three postseason games against Ripley, Capital and Princeton by an average of 22 points.

The Patriots' first matchup in the Class AAA state tournament was against the Black Eagles, who had eliminated them in 2010. GW took down its county rival, 59-46.

"My focus and goal was to get [South ÂÒÂ×ÄÚÉä's] Pierria Henry out of the game," Goard said. "I had told coach Greene that we needed to get Pierria out of the game and in foul trouble. That was the key focus. We felt like if we took him out, then we could definitely have control of the game. Pierria was that guy."

George Washington's next opponent was second-seeded Morgantown.

The Mohigans were led by a tall group that included future WVU forward Nathan Adrian.

The Patriots had no trouble getting past the Mohigans, winning 52-37. That was Morgantown's lowest point total in the postseason.

George Washington's semifinal victory over Morgantown set up a date with Wheeling Park, which was led by Bubby Goodwin.

"Park had some dudes. Bubby is a good friend and my guy," Goard said. "He played with me on my AAU team as well. They had some other players that others were saying that were better and all that stuff.

"There was a loose ball towards the end of the game and Tino [DiTrapino] threw the ball up to the rim. I caught it, then dunked it. That gave us the lead [53-52]. Bubby then came down and traveled at the free throw line.

"We got the ball back and took it out. It was a busted play. Nick Britton threw the ball to me deep, wide-open. I remember getting the ball and getting fouled. I made the first free throw, then they called a timeout. I rubbed [assistant] coach [Tony] Jackson's head for good luck, then made the second free throw to put us up three."

Those two free throws were significant because Goodwin hit what looked like a double-clutch jumper at the buzzer, initially being called a 3-pointer and tying the game at 55.

However, the officiating crew went to the monitor and checked Goodwin's feet.

The officials eventually called the potential game-tying jumper a two-pointer, which gave GW the 55-54 victory over Wheeling Park. Goard was named to the all-tournament team alongside Nick Britton and Thomas Franke.

"That season was a great experience," Goard said. "We loved throwing lobs. Everyone wanted to throw them. It was a fun experience to be a part of. There were a bunch of memories that I'll never forget."

Greene saw Goard's efforts on the defensive end of the floor as a catalyst for the Patriots' success in 2011.

"He was so good on the defensive end that, if you're going to drive, you better know where he is," Greene said. "He's the best I've ever seen at deciding if he's going to block a shot or take a charge. That group in 2011 was together and were so competitive. Having someone like Turk, who controlled the defensive end, was huge."

Goard was tabbed a member of the Class AAA first-team all-state after averaging 17 points per game.

Goard played a few seasons of college basketball, starting at Ohio University, where he was a member of the 2012 Bobcats team that made the Sweet Sixteen.

He ended his college career at Marshall. Goard has since spent his time after college playing professional basketball and earning two master's degrees. He most recently played professionally in Nicaragua.