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March 30, 2014 by Mike Casazza

Spring practice: Day Nine

March 29, 2014 by Mike Casazza

An arresting development about a running back, and a look at the quarterbacks. Let’s remember to keep this relative, too. One is supposed to be ahead of the other at this stage.

WVU seeks to reverse trend

March 28, 2014 by Mike Casazza

Long, 12-game story short, West Virginia’s offense was not last season what it had been the six seasons before.

Remember in the summer when JaJuan Seider tweeted something prophetic and seemingly harmless, if not ambitious?

We had a discussion about it — it’s what we do — and most seemed skeptical about whether the Mountaineers could hit their marks.

Well, they didn’t, and they missed by a lot. WVU set Holgorsen Era lows for all sorts of things, and we’ve been over explanations, most of which revolve around the trouble the team had first identifying a quarterback and then keeping him healthy.

There was also the prickly problem with youth and inexperience at receiver and how long it took WVU to settle on Kevin White and Mario Alford outside and Daikiel Shorts and nobody else inside. Remember, Alford started as an inside guy. Ron Carswell was second on the team in receiving yards and the only explosive play playmaker the offense had when he was suspended. Shorts could come and go. White was was dinged up at times and just couldn’t consistently make plays.

Combine the problems at the pass-throwing and pass-catching positions and, yeah, a passing offense is going to have problems.

There was an added element that Holgorsen only buzzed over once or twice during the season, likely not wanting to give it any more credit that it was already earning. Defenses stopped playing zone against the Mountaineers. They went man-to-man, which was a spike strip for what WVU could do. It took away packaged plays. It outnumbered Charles Sims in the box. It put all the playmaking pressure on Alford and White.

Beating man-to-man, inviting zone back to the table and getting back into the run-pass package plays is a big part of WVU’s spring practice.

“We faced it more last year than we’ve faced it in the past and probably we’ll face it more next year potentially,” he said. “It depends on how good Mario can get at being a fade guy and how good Kevin can be at jump balls. That discourages a lot of man coverage. We’ve got guys that can beat you deep at the drop of a hat.

“But that’s what Oklahoma did exclusively. Texas did it quite a bit. Kansas did it quite a bit for a variety of reasons. But we can control that. We have some things to say about that.”

Craig Tunbull out as wrestling coach

by Mike Casazza

Volleyball? Check. Tennis? Check. Baseball? Check. Wrestling … check.

Out of all those sports that have now had coaching changes since Oliver Luck arrived, I feel confident saying most Important People believe wrestling has the most potential with regard to what is in place and where WVU is situated.

Did you see that jump cut?

by Mike Casazza

Remember that guy? Remember when he got a standing after his first career carry? And remember that it went for no gain?

The highlights, be they the ones against pretty good competition in college or the flat-out ridiculous ones in high school, are legendary. (That screen pass is one of the most incredible things I’ve ever seen.)

We all marveled.

All.

Continue reading…

Sorry, can’t shake this

March 27, 2014 by Mike Casazza

So I’m getting a lot of feedback about something I wrote about Eron Harris this week, I guess because I dared to point out the problem post-Final Four West Virginia basketball is experiencing. You know the numbers: 16 roster additions, 11 departures.

College basketball in this time, and at this time of the year, is, I think, divided up into two factions:

1) Talented teams
2) Experienced teams

I used the Wichita State v. Kentucky for the backdrop of my column on this matter because neither program is right and neither coach is wrong. My point is Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers are guilty of doing neither.

Continue reading…

Scoop & Score goes deep

by Mike Casazza

Major League Baseball season preview with Wheeling native and MLB.com writer Mark Bowman. Plus, how did anyone forget about Noel Devine and how WVU’s basketball roster problem really isn’t that normal. Listen live. Podcast link to follow.

‘Nothing against LSU …’

March 26, 2014 by Mike Casazza

All year long, Mike Carey’s team had a dark little secret that WVU did well to keep small and in the dark: The Mountaineers played close games that were oftentimes decided in the final moments.

But as veteran and experienced and together as they were, they didn’t flinch and they seemed and played comfortable in the tight and tense moments. And they won, which certainly helps.

This was a source of pride throughout the season that saw them share the Big 12 title, reach the highest ranking and secure the best NCAA Tournament seed in school history and set a program record with 30 wins, up to and including the eve of the end.

I think the biggest thing is keeping your players focused, keeping them calm and don’t get excited.  We already talked about this: It’s going to be a 40‑minute game, and we need to be in the game going into the last four minutes, and we’ve been very successful if we’ve been in the game going into the last four minutes because these players have done a great job of executing under four minutes. So that’s where we want to be tomorrow night. Just be close, be right there and have an opportunity to win the game the last four minutes.

Be careful what you wish for, right Mike Carey? Dark, little secrets are always there and even if you can deftly avoid them, they can still come to define you.

The Mountaineers were themselves for 36 minutes last night. Seasoned and calm and capable. They weathered a slow start where they went 3-for-20 and took control by making 4 of 5 shots. They survived Asya Bussie’s first-half four trouble and had the game tied at the half. They roared back from LSU’s 7-0 run to start the second half and followed Bussie to a lead and then a period where they controlled the game.

It was a 63-56 lead with 5:05 to go and WVU was headed to its first Sweet Sixteen in 22 years because there was just no way that team was going to, I don’t now, abandon Bussie, fall apart on the boards and give up a 20-4 run. Not all at once.

But, improbably, almost impossibly, that all happened with untimely turnovers mixed in to sour the whole recipe for disaster in a 76-67 loss.

“Nothing against LSU because they deserve a lot of credit,” WVU coach Mike Carey said. “But I feel we gave one away.”

All in all, a fantastic season for Carey’s crew, but it came with a conclusion they struggled to explain and understand.

Meanwhile, a coach on a roll goes for glory

March 25, 2014 by Mike Casazza

Mike Carey’s done a ton to and for WVU’s women’s basketball program and this is the eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament in 11 seasons. I want you to think about that and remember that the Mountaineers once lost 50 in a row to ranked teams, a span that began well before Carey arrived, but extended into his stay.

Tonight, on the road, as the underdog, Carey’s best team aims at his first Sweet Sixteen appearance.

“My philosophy is if you can get to that point, eventually you hopefully win one,” Carey said. “If you keep knocking on the door, hopefully it’s going to open up for you a little bit. Our teams have done a great job to get to this point, and we need to take the next step.”

The prospect of matching up with LSU in the second round was a point of contention for the Mountaineers when the NCAA pairings were announced over a week ago.

As a No. 2 seed, Carey and his team believed they deserved more respect from the Selection Committee, which sent them to Baton Rouge despite WVU’s winning a share of the Big 12 regular-season championship and reaching as high as No. 5 in the national rankings.

The Mountaineers would have needed No. 10 seed Georgia Tech to beat LSU in Sunday’s opening round for WVU to avoid facing an NCAA tournament foe on its home floor with a Sweet 16 berth on the line.

There was no such luck, as the Lady Tigers ripped the Yellow Jackets 98-78 to advance.

“We don’t get the respect that we should get, and we just have to go out there and prove it every game,” WVU center Asya Bussie said. “I think this whole season we have had to prove people wrong and just show that we are a good team, that we deserve to be a 2 seed.”

A new game

by Mike Casazza

In the first three recruiting classes following the 2010 Final Four, Bob Huggins added 16 players to the roster. Eron Harris was one of the 16 and is now one of the 11 to transfer, be dismissed or not qualify academically or medically.

Eleven. That’s two shy of a full roster. Those 11:

Noah Cottrill
Darrious Curry
David Nyarsuk
Aaron Brown
Jay Forsythe
Jabarie Hinds
Tommie McCune
Keaton Miles
Aaric Murray
Volodymry Gerun
Eron Harris

The five who stayed are … well, they stayed, and in the case of Juwan Staten, we’re not sure his stay will extend past this season. The other four: Kevin Noreen, Gary Browne, Dominique Rutledge and Terry Henderson.

You can play with five. We’re going to play with 11. I’ll start Cottrill and Harris in the backcourt with Miles, Forsythe and Murray in the frontcourt. Hinds is my sixth man and Brown is my my shooter off the bench. Nyarsuk and Forsythe are my bigs. Curry, who people have always told me was going to be a player, is my hybrid 2/3 that I can use interchangeably. Gerun is my victory cigar and McCune is my towel waiver, who may or may not have his shorts on properly.

Your turn…