Far be it from me to say St. John’s Coach Norm Roberts is full of mularkey, but I couldn’t believe his response last night to a question about WVU’s pressing defense.

“We knew they were going to do that to us.” 

Really? Because I’ve seen every second of 16 games in person this season as well as a 17th on television and I can think of one other instance in which WVU has pressed. It’s so vivid a memory I can’t even remember who it was against. Yet the Red Storm was ready for it … which explains the quick turnover the first time WVU jumped into its press, which was really more like an extended defense that turned into a half-court trap.

What Roberts was probably getting at, I think, was because his team is so young he just expected WVU to do what other opponents have done and press to bother the Red Storm. He couldn’t have seen it on film and said, “Crap, we have to be ready for that!” If that’s the case, then why wasn’t he ready for Dee Proby’s hook shot?

Now, as for future opponents, they’ve got something to think about. 

“I’m trying to find something else we can do, to this point unsuccessfully,” Coach Bob Huggins said. “I’m trying to find something else to give us another look and another change.”

It’s a big gamble for WVU, which, by the way, is a really, really good half-court defensive team. Actually, quarter-court defensive team. Watch how they play and notice the tendency to get the ball on one half of the half-court and do everything possible to make sure it never gets to the other side.

The press puts defenders on an island, which can lead to foul trouble the team just can’t afford. In addition, WVU doesn’t have a shot-blocker at the back of the defense. If the front defenders can’t take too many chances, people beat the press. If people beat the press, they go at the basket. If they go at the basket, there’s no one there who can turn away layups.

It doesn’t seem like something WVU will devote a ton of time to in practice, especially at this stage of the season. However, I don’t think that was the last we’ll see of it, either. It has situational uses, like the end of a half or shot clock to blow up the possession, or times when the opponents needs rattled or WVU needs a little oomph.

“If our intensity on defense isn’t great, that’s something we can go to to get fired up and change momentum,” said Alex Ruoff, who had a steal on the first press. “It’s a great weapon to have.”