Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which bids adieu to an old friend today. This is the final weekend in Morgantown for Back Bay, which is an oddly tragic occasion. I’ve felt this week a little like I did as the series finale of The Shield and The O.C. The Sopranos approached. So good for so long, so sad to see it go. I keep telling myself, “It’s just a seafood restaurant. It is what it is…” Between the all-you-can-eat and the BYOB, there was a lot of debauchery there, but there were many other meals for meaningful moments, too.

You know what’d make me feel better about all this? A John Flowers dance.

“I’m really just trying to lighten the mood,” said Flowers, of Waldorf, Md. “Sometimes people forget basketball is supposed to be fun. I try to have fun with that to make it fun for everyone else.”

Much better.

One more thing. Jarrett Brown’s having a pretty good week at the Senior Bowl in Alabama … but did you hear about this Tebow guy?

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, sic ’em!

Spot the Ball said:

at future games, i hope the students (and all WVU fans for that matter) heed this letter. i’m not saying Huggs doesn’t win with class but this is a Beilein legacy. we were lucky to have him and i think Ken Gray’s letter reflects that impression he made on our program – that is, it’s cool to win with class. foul language and poor sportsmanship by the fans gives people reason to continue to hold on to negative WV stereotypes.

There are so many ways to look at this situation and, as best as I can tell, there is only one wrong way: “Ken Gray is a crybaby.”

Sam said:

Beilein got on the mic to put an end to it; can you ever imagine Huggins doing the same?

I remember the Beilein speech … and the fans were throwing a-holes at a player from Radford who had the nerve to play a good game. Dumb.

Country Roads said:

Sam
I remember Huggs getting on the mic to urge fans to stop throwing things on the court during a game in Charleston during his first season (I think it was Oklahoma?). I realize cursing is different, but I think that at least shows he’s not opposed to intervening in some way. I almost wonder if he even notices—he’s a pretty focused guy.

Nonetheless, I agree that our students’ behavior was inappropriate, embarrassing, and offensive. And I also agree that it’s lazy. Come up with something fun and creative to chant—something that might get inside opponents’ heads a little more than a curse word. Duke seems to have no problem with doing so, maybe our students should take a page out of their book?

But hey, at least they were there and actually cheering this time. That’s an improvement, right?

The feedback I get from people all the time on this matter is that it’s just embarrassing. It’s a blight on the reputation and it does, right or wrong, feed stereotypes. And you’re right about Huggins and the Oklahoma game in Charleston his first season. I’d like to see Huggins grab a mic and channel Sam Wyche — as much as is pains me to admit this, this was funny.

Adam said:

At some point will this impact the networks willingness to put WVU home games on national TV?

Eh, I doubt it, especially with Huggins at the helm. He’s a franchise player. Now, the University could always intervene and limit televised games if the behavior remains poor. Wouldn’t that be a statement? Also, there’s no way you can tell me an official doesn’t respond to being called names and having his work criticized in profane manners.

overtheSEC said:

If only there was an organization comprised of students that sat amongst the crowd and could perhaps stifle the offensive cheers or better yet, come up with better, wittier ones. Maybe they could even sell gold t shirts with their logo on it.

What an idea!

Karl said:

While I also winced a little when I heard the chant, I must admit, on some level, I kind of like being the ECW fans of college sports. If people around the country are going to talk about us like we’re a bunch of savages, me might as well wear that hat.

I get that. I even like that. However, as often as I hear Jim Boeheim or Dave Wannstedt talk about how great the crowds are in Morgantown and as complimentary as they can be about the experience, I never hear them say, “Yep, they really curse and swear at you and act like a bunch of twits. God, I love that trip.” No, it’s because it’s loud and rowdy and intimidating and all of that can be accomplished without buzzer-to-buzzer obscenities.

roopoo said:

Aren’t there ways of being crass without dropping F bombs? If the organizing group was a bit more creative, you can still intimidate, make fun of, and humiliate opponents without resorting to words that make studio official’s hair stand on end. We did it before, we can certainly do it again.

Chanting TASER at Krouser will be my all time favorite taunt though. It is simple, humiliating, funny, and embarassing to the opponent.

I remember Taser being directed at Levance Fields, who tried to laugh it off, but later admitted he was bothered by it. See? It’s possible.

JP said:

Replace crass with crunk? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5LodH9-N6w

Please! I can’t watch that enough. (And thanks to Mack for putting that up first.)

jeff said:

This is hugely important, but easily discussed and solved. Have class. Display creativity. Done. Does anyone disagree?

Nope. That’s the best part about this. No one disagrees. People just don’t like seeing their laundry hanging on a line.

Ellie said:

I have to say agree. I think it’s great that the students, as well as other fans, come out and support the team. But, I cringe every time I hear the language coming from the student section. There is no need for it. And we seem to forget that people take their families to see the game, and it’s awful that you have to worry about covering ears.

And, let’s not be naive, students use foul language at other schools, but rarely do I hear the “F-U” chant on national TV, but I sure do when watching WVU home games. It’s just very classless and unnecessary. Love the “go home/suck eggs” chant at the beginning. Maybe they can come up with some better ideas?

OK, that’s a rub I do understand. WVU students feel they’re being singled out and vilified. It’s not all of them and it’s not happening just here. I’ll take the defense a step further. WVU gets a lot more and support from its students than a lot of other schools I visit. And for about 80-percent of the time, they’re pretty well-behaved. But, man, they can do and be better the rest of the time. 

Karl said:

What the Duke fans do — handing out memos before the game arranging the chants — is too corny for my tastes. Roopoo, you have laid out the happy medium. My favorite chant along those lines was the night everyone chanted “Gary Coleman” at Khalid El Amin. He go heated!

You have to do a little homework, but make sure it’s sharp and cuts to the quick. El Amin hated that … but now students chant “Gary Coleman” at every short opponent (yawn).

glibglub said:

From ESPN’s CBB nation blog, about Ken Gray’s missive:

This is a pretty fair observation, and one any supporter of the team might consider: No one could talk about WVU’s win over Ohio State without at least mentioning the rowdy fans, and not in a good, “boy those kids sure love their Mountaineers” sort of way. Pretty much everyone was turned off. Meanwhile, West Virginia is a potential Final Four team that beat one of the best players in the country in a rousing comeback win on their home floor. And look what we’re talking about. Wouldn’t WVU fans prefer Devin Ebanks got this attention?

Here’s where we wrap a bow around this topic: Louisville is here for tomorrow’s game and Rick Pitino has been — shall we say — an easy mark for the opposing fans. What, if anything, will the students do? Do they cross lines? Are they funny? Is it more of the same? Let’s meet again on Monday.

Birch said:

The Geno Bowl.

No pressure, Eu!

Eric said:

Are we to assume this change was made to accommodate Eu Smith’s recovery?

You’re not supposed to assume that, but you should. It was definitely a factor.

Hunterdon said:

I don’t like this change. While I see the appeal for locals, this will have an impact on people that drive from out of town/state. I live about a 6 hour drive from Morgantown; I’d have to take a day off work just to make it. I try to go to the game every year, but I doubt I would take a vacation day just to see the spring game. (Have to save my days for all of the Thursday/Friday games we play in the fall)

That’s your obvious side effect. People who come to town Friday night for a Saturday game — and pump money into local economy on an April weekend — won’t be as inclined to do so this time. It’s easier to come to Morgantown from, say, Bluefield, after work Friday for a Saturday kickoff than it is for a Friday night kickoff. Oh well.

5th Year Senior said:

To me, attendance should not be a consideration for the end spring practice. Sure it would be nice if we could all attend but it is a scrimmage. It could actually increase student attendance at the game. Wait, whom I am kidding, they don’t show up to real games.

If you want to give to WVU Children’s Hospital you can easily do it any other day of the year.

Geno is a great talent but is young and needs all the practice he can get before the season. With his injury, moving practice was the best solution to getting him more reps. Good job Coach Stew.

And here’s where I play devil’s advocate. Having Geni practice as much as he can while as healthy as can be expected is obviously quite important. If you have to move the spring game back and step on some toes in the process, well, that’s the way it has to be. Put it this way: Say the game wasn’t changed, WVU is 1-2 and Geno is struggling and looks a little off. No one will be saying, “Wow, this is going really poorly … but at least they kept the spring game April 17.” Secondly, and this is a terrible thing to say, I know, but the spring game is not there to benefit the Children’s Hospital. WVU chooses to give the money to that cause and it is perhaps disingenuous to criticize the school for its charity. Put it this way Part II: What’s stopping the people who don’t/can’t come from donating to the hospital independently?

/ducks

oklahoma mountaineer said:

Biggest thing I saw in the Ohio State game was that we are still having problems at PG. It was markedly better, but still not at the level we will need for a deep run in March.

I don’t know anything, but my gut tells me that Ebanks and Huggs are having problems. He doesn’t seem to play with intensity, except in bursts, and his minutes, for someone seen as a Lottery pick, do not match his skill or the way he played last year.

Possible solution: Ebanks enjoyed playing point guard so much last season — and even at times when able this season — that I wonder if maybe he misses it a little bit. Maybe he’s just not as involved. With Truck really playing well — witness the driving banks shots! — and Mazzulla coming along, there really aren’t many minutes for Devin to get into the backcourt. There were a few against DePaul with Mazzulla in foul trouble and, perhaps only coincidentally, Devin had a pretty nice game. Face it: He’s a good talent who knows such and wants to make the most of it. It might make sense that the feels more involved and plays more aggressively when he is more involved and asked to play more aggressively. Now, the problem with that is pretty clear. Devin is not WVU’s point guard and probably needs to put the team’s desires before his own.

Country Roads:

Agreed that Ebanks doesn’t appear to be as comfortable as he was last year, but I don’t think you can shut down Turner for a half (held him without a FG) without playing with some intensity, at least on the defensive end. It’ll be interesting to see what he does with the rest of the season.

I don’t think he can be accused of quitting this season, that’s for sure. What’s lost in all of that was that Ebanks has had some bad moments on defense this season and it got to the point Syracuse singled him out in key spots. And yet in the second half Ebanks checked Turner, who has to be as good as or better than anyone in the country with the dribble. He’s talented and sometimes you find different ways to showcase it.

Karl said:

Anyone else catch the CBS analyst’s “earth to Devin Ebanks” spiel at halftime? There does seem to be something strange going on — whether personal problems, issues with Huggins, or both — and it now has the national media’s attention.

Only heard about it. Let’s suppose there is “something strange going on.” No one’s told me about it. Now, not that they have to, mind you, but the point is it hasn’t gotten out to me or anyone. I’d have to think if the kid was a nuisance lately, someone would have spilled to someone and there’d be details out there. And I know that may mean absolutely nothing, either, but given the way some people call out other people, I think we’d know something a little more concrete if it existed. And if you watch Devin interact with his teammates, you’d have a hard time believing nobody likes him.

Gordo said:

Our problem was and continues to be our lack of aggression on offense. We had more points in the paint in the first 3 minutes of the second half than all of the first. Once we started attacking the basket and getting to the free throw line, Ohio St came out of their zone and we started getting GOOD looks from the outside. When we are timid on offense our turnovers go up and FG percentage and FT attempts go down. It’s so frustrating when we are more content to shoot contested threes over and over again instead of driving to the hole, getting higher percentage shots, or passing it to an open teammate. 

This happens a lot when WVU sees a zone … though I don’t believe WVU was expecting as much of the zone, and especially not right away.

ffejboc said:

Hmmmm. If Doran Lamb signs and Ebanks stays, who transfers?

Let’s wait a bit on that topic.

roopoo said:

ffejbboc,

There have been alot of questions surrounding whether or not Joe Mazzula returns to play hoops next year. He has already graduated, still appears to be in tremendous pain at times, and isn’t as effective as he once was. It is mentioned all the time that he wants to get into coaching…maybe that happens sooner rather than later. Do you have any insight into that Mike?

Barring a catastrophic re-injury, he’s coming back and he’ll be welcomed back.

Josh 24601 said:

Kevin Jones is one of my favorite Mountaineers. When he obtains any clue regarding what to do with his feet in the post, look out.

Oh boy, that’s a day a lot of people are waiting on … but he’s getting better at it. He’s even going to it some now that his jumpers are a little off. I think KJ will benefit as much as anyone else from Kilicli’s arrival.

NCMountaineer said:

Mazzulla just picked up his third foul at the under 8:00 TO. I know this won’t be a popular opinion, but he hasn’t really played good D the past two games. He is a good defender, but not good enough to get inside EVERYBODY’S jersey and stay with them.

He needs to be smarter. We need him on the floor, doing what he does best.

Huggins had the line of the year yesterday: “Well, now that he can use both hands, he can foul with both hands.”

Gordo said:

The announcer just said, “that’s where Ebanks has been struggling lately”. He was shooting and missing a layup from the 2 ft range.

And there’s no arguing the point he was trying to make.

Birch said:

Dickie Simpkins was just discussing how in his day they didn’t have all these “clocks”. Dickie Simpkins was born in 1972. Uphill both ways in the snow son.

How many heads would explode if Simpkins worked a game with Sanders?

Sam said:

It’d be awfully nice if WVU players wouldn’t freak out at every single foul called against them. You’re guilty sometimes fellas. Accept it.

That’s my favorite part about watching this team. Cam Thoroughman has never, ever committed a foul. Fouls have been called against him, but he’s never actually committed one.

overtheSEC said:

Kudos to the students for turning lemons into lemonade and, from everything you’ve indicated Mike, for keeping it clean.

Well, I didn’t indicate everything. They had their lame and profane moments and stayed on Huggins from start to finish. Mostly, though, they were pretty entertaining and all the best lines were obscenity-free.

rekterx said:

That’s a great read. But are you telling us that the Depaul students weren’t hurling obscenity laden chants at our guys?

I know, it felt really, really weird.

glibglub said:

The WVU student body asks: Why go to all the trouble when they could just drop a few F-bombs and call it a day?

It’s crazy talk!

Mike said:

DePaul fan here… enjoyed your post. You might also appreciate (or mock) the students storming the court after beating Marquette. Yes, the unranked and struggling Marquette. We have been put through a nightmare with this program in the last few years, but are trying to have fun with it.

You’re doing a fine job. Keep it up, my friend. Things will change with Chris Lowery in charge.

SheikYbuti said:

If a capacity of 60,000 gets us nine wins, would an increase of 44% to 86,400 assure us of thirteen and a BCS championship? Or would we need to actually fill those seats?

Clever, but to be clear here, this is a “feasibility study” to look into the matter of added premium seating. The survey, as you can see, seems interested in establishing a price point. Nowhere do I get the idea mass expansion is coming — or that general and/or student seating will be removed. I think WVU is seeing if there is enough interest — and probably near consensus — to justify moving forward with a plan.

Jim Gray said:

I think the stadium should consistantly sell out before expansion is contemplated. According to the BE we averaged attendance of slighly above 57,000 last season last year. That was a slight drop of .9% from 2008. When our fans fill the stadium for EVERY game (good teams, bad teams, good Eer team, bad Eer team, weather be damed) then expand. Nebraska has sold out ever home game for like 40+ years we need more consistancy and less fair weather fans.

I think that’s why there are no mass expansion plans. WVU would have an easier time selling luxury/premium seats than regular ones. Unless this becomes a perennial powerhouse, you’re not going to see 70,000 people a week.

SheikYbuti said:

At the beginning of the season, I fretted over how Huggins was going to work Kilicli into the lineup without adversely affecting the team’s chemistry. Oddly enough, I’m not worried about that anymore; based on what I’ve seen, the chemistry can only improve. I also wonder whether the recent “bench-shortening” we’ve seen is Huggins’s way of psychologically conditioning some of our role players to the fewer minutes they are going to receive upon Kilicli’s arrival, without having them connecting it directly to Kilicli and resenting him for it.

I’d say the bench usage and the Turk’s forthcoming arrival are indeed connected in a very big way.

oklahoma mountaineer said:

IF this guy is what has been reported, in terms of skill, I’d think the minutes for Wellington is the one who get cut. Not a great man defender, in my opinion, and streaky outside shooter over his career at WVU.

Only variable that may change this is Ebanks; can’t believe that he is as on and off as he has been this year unless there is a chemistry issue.

How far down will he fall as a result of this year if he comes out and, by listening to Huggs on Statewide, it’s not much of an if…….

Along the same lines, I’d have to think Wellington’s recent play is connected to the Turk’s forthcoming arrival, as well. Huggins all but promised Thursday that Wells wasn’t going anywhere.

Sam said:

I have no doubt that a player like Kliksksickiiskkllisksccccckli will contribute to the team. But to assume that he’ll be useful as anything more than a foul machine who gets abused during his minutes of playing time in the midst of the brutal Big East schedule is just insane. His experience this year will prepare him mightily for next season.

There’s probably nothing wrong with that expectation. You’re either right or pleasantly surprised. In truth, I think it’s somewhere in the middle. He’s not a 20-10 guy this season, but he might give you a 10-6 or a 14-8 game or two and right now that’d be a welcome addition.

Erinn said:

Sam, put the pin away and stop bursting my bubble.

glibglub said:

A little trivia about Deniz’s hometown, Istanbul.

Istanbul was Constantinople. Now it’s Istanbul, not Constantinople. Been a long time gone, Constantinople. Now it’s Turkish delight on a moonlit night. Every gal in Constantinople lives in Istanbul, not Constantinople. So if you’ve got a date in Constantinople, she’ll be waiting in Istanbul.

Wait a minute. That’s just the song to replace CEJ, yes? What? No? Eh, maybe you’re right. Perhaps it has too much of a Yakety Sax quaility to fire up fans that aren’t as weird as I am.

http://tinyurl.com/y9cfedy

It’s an upgrade and it’s appropriate. What more incentive do we need?

The Artist Formerly Known as EER96 said:

Mike:

What are you hearing on the recruiting front? Football or basketball. Any shot at the Lamb kid in basketball?

Beware = CEJ in Chicago!

Well, I hear what I heard before about football — after Doc left, WVU would have a lot of work to do. They have 16 commitments. They had 21. They need to get to the max 25. I also hear there may be some commitments being kept quiet and that perhaps flippers might flip again. There might be one big addition left, as well. We’ll see and this is an enormous weekend, obviously. As for basketball, the Lamb kid really likes WVU, but he likes other places and, to be honest, what do we expect from a 2011 kid right now? I mean, look at the way kids are acting right now with football’s signing day five days away.

rekterx said:

I’m cool with this.

He said that he was always pretty well convinced that he wanted to go to WV, but that this mom told him to look around just to be sure. He did that. He is still sure about WV. And we all should be happy that, on the advice of his mom, he took a more thorough approach and ended up sticking with us.

Barry Brunetti played the game and did it the right way. He took his visits. He respected the wishes of his family. He was honest throughout. I don’t see a problem with it whatsoever.

How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Coach Stewart said:

Not to sound to cynical, but I’ll believe it when the fax comes through.

Oh yeah?

Sam said:

When he throws his first pass in a game, that’s when we’ll know for sure.

Enjoy the weekend!