Welcome to the Frid– wait!

Friday Feedback 168
Clemson 33

That’s better. Fun, fast and frenetic week. Again. It got a little silly last night with whispers about a settlement in the legal deeds involving WVU and the Big East. Not true, but it must be trending that way. Really, neither side is going to win this thing, not in the sense that a judge is going stand in the middle of the ring and raise the hand of Oliver Luck or John Marinatto.

The longer this thing goes one, the more my thinking has changed. I used to think WVU was working on a clock and had to be out before the schedules were done, but I’ve come around on that. Now I’m thinking the Big East is working on the clock and sooner or later loses its leverage. The respective lawyers are working toward a middle ground and an amiable ending. Neither side will get exactly what it wants, but it’ll be over and that’s all that will matter.

As for WVU’s other ongoing story, I’m pretty sure Dana Holgorsen is going to have a defensive coordinator next season. And I’m pretty sure he’ll have a full staff. And I’m pretty sure he’s aware of all this. I’m highly entertained by the panic over this process. I’m not making fun of those people because my job is to inform those people. That said, I find some of this very peculiar , as though Holgorsen hasn’t earned a little capital or that he doesn’t know what he’s doing or that a hire isn’t any good because he people haven’t heard of him before.

I think I have the solution, though. Hire Kevin Steele — just think of how good Dana’s offense would be working against that defense every day.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, don’t overdo it.

jtmountaineer said:

I actually view Noreen as a potential Cam Thoroughman with more upside, not to take anything away from Cam, who will always be one of my favorites. They share the effort, grit, and ability to play beyond their talent. When Noreen acquires the experience and savvy Cam grew into, he’ll be the kind of Mountaineer we all cheer when he comes into the game.

I’d agree with that. Noreen is bigger — like, five inches taller and potentially 25 pounds heavier … which he’ll need time to learn to play with — and has better offensive skills and a better shot, but the rest is there, as you say. Cam was a really good passer of the basketball and Noreen is no different.

hershy112 said:

I’m not sure why 2nd year Noreen is getting compared to 4th and 5th year Cam, and chastised for not being 4th or 5th year Cam.

Good way of putting it. Look, I liked Cam a lot and I think he was a victim of the coaching change and then of unfortunate knee injuries. He could have been a much different and better player if not for the aforementioned. I think Noreen has more potential. Right now, he is what he is — a little too light for the post, a little too lumbering for open space, but he’s big and he goes hard and he gets involved in a lot of contact and action. He’s a nice complementary piece with the ability to be more sometime in the next three years. Three!

JC said:

I think the barometer of Noreen’s talent/contributions thus far is this…..would he even get off the bench if this team didn’t have 7 true freshman on it? I suspect not….. Don’t get me wrong, there’s minutes available for him to play hard, but Smalligan Part II just isn’t what I hoped he would be this year.

Sorry, gentlemen. I’m not seeing the Smalligan comparisons. Great teammate and someone everyone liked, especially Huggins, and that’s something that can also be said of Noreen, but Jamie was a perimeter center. He didn’t rebound. He didn’t guard or score much in the paint. That’s Noreen’s game. He’s going to bang around under the basket and get his arms out and up to make plays. He will,  on occasion, step out and shoot from 12 feet, but he’s more effective in the paint — and you have to adjust your definition of the word effective, yes. Jamie was the opposite. His value was shooting and taking the other team’s size away from the basket and making life easier on Joe Alexander. Noreen is going to mix it up inside and make life easier for K.J.

Mack said:

Maybe I just catch the wrong games, but in my estimation, Kilicli can’t shoot, score, rebound, defend, run the floor, handle the ball, understand the rules of the game, or shoot free throws. Am I wrong?

Lots of room under the bus this week. Maybe it’s just me, but I feel that even in his third year, we still have a small sample size for Kilicli. It seems like the predominant theme of his career thus far is his inability to stay on the floor — NCAA suspension, pecking order, injury, foul trouble, etc. He’s not a shooter, or a dribbler and he’s made some hilarious passes this  season, but he’s actually run the floor quite well and  I think he has a few gifts on offense. The area under the basket it pretty small, but he finds a way to make it bigger to get his offense. I’d just likw to see him play 32 minutes seven games in a row and see what happens.

Karl said:

DeForest hails from Teaneck — same as me and Biggie Smalls

That’s a lot to live up to, but Biggie did well with the expectations.

JP said:

I’m confused. Is DeForest going to be the d-coordinator or not?

The decision has been made, but no one is saying. DeForest, the Mike Smith guy from the Jets and  even recruits are not talking. Wednesday night, someone told me, “Remember, teams are still playing.” You think about that.

Sam said:

What’s with reports floating around of Randy Shannon also coming here?

Nonsense. I never saw a report. I only heard rumors … but Monday night I was wondering if it might happen, until some people told me not to worry about it.

oklahoma mountaineer said:

I actually agree that changes on your staff is a healthy thing — means that guys are doing a good job, getting noticed, and not satisfied with where they are in their career progression.

I don’t think that people would argue that WVU had gotten a stale feeling at the end of Coach Nehlen’s career and same issue at Penn State where they have fallen on hard times before the scumbag was found to be in their midst.

That said, there is a real problem when you turn over coordinators on a yearly basis. Only exception seems to be Oklahoma State who has plugged in like 5 guys in 6 years, but as best as I can remember, the other guys stayed the same…

What we don’t want to become is the stepping stone job — the Product tried on numerous occasions to either pimp more money or from the school or to get away as soon as a better job came available– or both. Heck, the biggest revelation that came out of the Arizona hire was that he interviewed for Kentucky in 2002 — unbelievable.

Holgorson has a history of job hopping and you may say so what — we don’t want to become SPITT with the Graham situation..

Bingo on all accounts, but in defense of Holgorsen, he was at Texas Tech for eight years. He left to become a coordinator for a coach who would let him run the offense. He did it because he wanted to become a head coach. Two years later, he left Conference USA for a coordinator’s job at Oklahoma State, where there was a ton of talent. A year later, he had a head coaching offer. That’s a lot of moving, yes, but it was part of a plan that happened really fast.

Mack said:

So we all see Holgorsen leaving in the near future. Can we all agree not to act outraged when it happens?

I have no comment. I just want to see the replies.

NCMountaineer said:

Sanders and Giardinia are the worst announcers of all time. Ever.

WVU gets to pick one guy and Marshall gets to pick one guy. Do you know who picked who?

glibglub said:

Those rims sound tight, man. Same sound as two grocery carts colliding.

Yeah, really, but the players liked them. I guess 51.9 percent has something to do with it.

StraightOuttaNorthCentral said:

I am in love with Kevin Jones. He’s my favorite Kevin. Sorry Noreen.

Three more years to change your mind.

SheikYbuti said:

This is by far the longest stretch of Mountaineer basketball I’ve watched this season, which leads to my wondering:  Is there a shooting guard in the entire nation as detrimental to his team as Truck Bryant?

How about most divisive? He’s driving people crazy and Wednesday was a great example. He starts 0-for-5 and 1-for-8 but makes the big 3 at the end of the half and gets hot in the second  half. The detrimental argument can be made, but now I think we have to agree he possesses a critical value for his team. He’s had a few efforts that have left you nonplussed, but he’s been hot a few times and he’s turned it on a few times and I dare say in all instances, if not most, WVU can’t win without it.

Sam said:

Marshall hasn’t been rebounded all season…until WVU outrebounds them by 10. This is a team playing close to its potential. I’m not sure if it will take them far in the postseason, but this is such a better season than I think any reasonable person was expecting going into it.

(And yeah, Truck can be awful for long periods, but he finished with 22 points on what was really an off night. He has to be one of the more enigmatic players we’ve had in recent history, right? A big scorer who isn’t beloved by anybody.)

Close to the potential, yes, and yet still working toward a goal far off on the horizon. Exciting time. As for Truck, you’re just going to have to accept the above, I think. He may tank, maybe for a game, but he doesn’t quit and his confidence is always high. He’s got my attention every game. I’d imagine the same is true of the opposition.

ccteam said:

Truck is only doing what the team needs from him. He hustles, is playing much better defense than previous years, settles the team when they get pressured. The fact that he will never be a great shooter opens him up to criticism, but he rarely takes a shot out of the flow of the game. The young guys give him the ball when the shot clock is winding down and he has no choice but to force some shots up. In previous years he tended to do it when it wasn’t needed. But this year he is the guy they go to in those situations. They will live and die by his streaks, but Huggs obviously approves, or he wouldn’t be playing. That tells me Huggs thinks he is their best option.

Pretty accurate. He’s not making as many of the “Oh no!” decisions as he has in the past and sometimes I think when he does, it’s appropriate because it’s a better option then others available at that moment. The team needs him out there. They look up to him and he has a bounce that keeps them up in low moments.

Drew said:

What about Kevin Tandy?

Seriously, does John Sanders have a kid named Kevin or something? It’s his go-to if he can’t remember a player’s first name.

Two daughters. Both named Kevin.

The 25314 said:

Which paper is Mike Gansey with?

Scouting for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sans notepad. He had his phone, though. The basketball playing days are over. He was headed overseas again when the lockout ended and the Cavs called. He was mining talent Wednesday night. I hadn’t seen him in a while, and nor had many others, but it was like old times with everyone he came across. He had names with faces. He knew old stories. He initiated a lot of the interactions. You’re just not going to find a better guy.

Bobby Heenan said:

I’ve watched Marshall play a number of games this year…and we’re really not that different talent wise (I think on average when I’ve watched, Kane and Pitts are better than our guard combo)…with one huge exception: KJ. The guy is just clutch and does so many things right.

Hitting mini hooks in post up then stepping out and burying a few big threes is a skill set that no one Marshall (or many teams in the country) have. Tinnon rebounds a lot like KJ, and actually has a similar bounce and quickness…but KJ is just so much superior on the offensive end it made such a huge difference tonight.

The Herd were bigger, faster and more agile, but I think they fell in love with that at some bad times, too. WVU ran offense, played defense and rebounded better. You nailed the biggest difference — and where did this hook shot come from? Is he adding elements right now? I mean, is he really becoming a guy who can get the ball in the block and score on the regular now?

Dann White said:

BTW Mike, is there anywhere in the sports world that has good Wi-Fi or is poor bandwidth the rule? If so, try a 4G hotspot, or deal.

You’re OK man, every job has its shortfalls, I’ll trade you if you like.

DW

My problem in the past was the laptop, but the Daily Mail hooked me up last year. Now the only places where I really have problems are in the Civic Center and the Coliseum. I’ve asked about mobile broadband before, to no avail. My phone can share its connection with the laptop, but typically when I’m having WiFi problems with the laptop, I’m having WiFi problems with the phone, too.

jtmountaineer said:

Does anybody know if Forsythe’s going to be applying for a medical red shirt? At this point, it doesn’t look like he’s coming back on the court. In those first half-dozen games, he was actually the most reliable back-up center of the rotation.

They’re going to try. The season-ending injury has to be in the first half of the season and he can only play in 20 percent or less of the games. I thought it was identical to Noreen’s medical redshirt, but Huggins spoke of it Wednesday night as though it wasn’t a lock.

The 25314 said:

Huggins regularly plays 6 newcomers – Browne, Brown, Hinds, Miles, Noreen, and Rutledge – only one of whom was highly recruited. He returned only 3 players – Truck, KJ, Deniz – 2 of whom were consistently unreliarble entering this season.

In November, WVU lost to a D II school in an exhibition, snuck by Oral Roberts, and then lost to a MAC school (with buzz!).

In January, WVU is in the top 20 in RPI and is one of the very best teams in the Big East.

Huggins is a wizard and must be stoned.

I’m excited to see how they don’t give him Big East Coach of the Year this year.

SheikYbuti said:

Huggins may be a wizard, but I don’t think he gets stoned anymore. He’s cleaned up his act, all for the better IMHO.

Enjoy the weekend!