COVINGTON, Va. (TVR) – The Alleghany Mountaineers 6-foot-7-inch Halen Lowman had no choice but to succeed.
The smooth-shooting, great-passing big man had an excellent senior year on the basketball court, and after Alleghany’s heartbreaking 1-point loss to Radford last week in the postseason, Lowman will now turn his attention to the baseball field where he also excels.
Lowman’s athletic roots run deep with talent scattered all over his family tree.
He has several uncles who are athletes: Marcus and Sam McClung, who both played college football; Seth McClung, who played college and professional baseball in the major leagues; another uncle, Shawn McClung who is an expert kayaker; and a first cousin, Mac McClung, (Marcus McClung’s son) who recently went viral after winning the NBA slam dunk contest at All-Star Weekend. Mac McClung plays for the 76ers and also played college basketball for Georgetown and Texas Tech.
Lowman says it has been a pleasure watching his cousin’s hard work pay off.
“It is just really exciting to see him succeed at such a high level, especially after me spending my whole life watching him play high school and college and seeing him work so hard to make it to the NBA,” Lowman said.
Back at home, Lowman’s team’s game against Radford almost became one of the biggest wins in Alleghany history, but the close loss and some questionable calls late in the game, changed that narrative. Still, Lowman was extremely proud of his team, but admits it hurt not being able to pull it out.
“It would have been the best win of my life if we had won against Radford,” Lowman said.
“Their reputation in the state and district alone makes that game important to me, and we played such a great game. It hurt so much to not be able to close it out,” he added.
When Lowman is done with his sports career, he knows he can look back and pay thanks to his coaches that have taught him so much over the last few years.
“I think that being at Alleghany has really just taught me to not take anything for granted, especially after my sophomore season was taken away with COVID. I also feel that I have learned what it means to be a part of a team that really feels like a family,” Lowman stated.
Now, Lowman will shift his focus to baseball, where he is an intimidating player, much like his uncle Seth, who stood 6-foot-6 inches tall himself. Making the adjustment from basketball to baseball so promptly can be tough, but nothing Lowman cannot handle.
“It can be tough adjusting from basketball to baseball, but during basketball I still have baseball workouts after practice, so it helps the transition,” Lowman said.
So far, two memories stand out to Lowman and those will definitely be remembered for years to come.
“I think my favorite memories will be from two games over these last two years. Last year in baseball we made it to the states, and on our way there we beat the team who won our district, James River, and that run is definitely my favorite memory so far here at AHS,” Lowman said.
“Also, our last game against Covington this year is a favorite, just because of how special it was and how we played one of our best games all season that game,” he added.
When a student athlete already has future plans set in stone, it can make it so much easier to concentrate on the task at hand that is front of them, and for Lowman, that is the position he will be in this coming baseball season.
Lowman will begin his last year of high school baseball on March 13 at Covington.
After graduation he will attend Averett University and play baseball there while studying history.
