The Sock 'Em, Bust 'Em Board Because that's our custom

WVU v. Oklahoma State: They flock together

February 23, 2013 by Mike Casazza

You are looking live at a MySpace photo (!) of Le’Bryan Nash and Keaton Miles. They were very successful teammates at Lincoln High in Dallas. They’ve been … unconvincing in college, though.

Nash’s case is different, to be fair. He was the Big 12 Conference’s freshman of the year last year, but so high was the hype that it just wasn’t and still isn’t good enough.

He’s wonderfully talented, but similarly frustrating because his flashes come and go. He’s essentially the same player as a sophomore that he was as a freshman, though that season was cut short by a hand injury.

Nevertheless, he admits he wasn’t what he should and could have been last season, when many expected him to star just one season in Stillwater and then go to the NBA.

“It was really hard,” he told me. “The Big 12 is a physical league and I wasn’t ready for it.”

The thought now, though, is that he’s coming around at the right time for the NCAA Tournament-bound Cowboys.

“I know I’m a matchup problem, very versatile, a guard who can post up,” Nash told reporters after the game. “I look at a lot of film of LeBron [James] and a lot of guys in the NBA that post up.

“I can post up big guys as well as small guys. I think that’s the best part of my game, posting up, and I try to use that to my advantage.”

The question for much of the season is where that part of Nash’s game has been.

In the six games before the Oklahoma game, Nash shot just 34 percent and averaged 9.7 points a game, including two points against West Virginia and six points against Texas Tech.

“You don’t want him near the basket, that’s the No. 1 thing and you want to give him the chance to shoot 3s and see if he can make them,” Texas Tech coach Chris Walker said earlier this season.

Nash had one of those games last month against WVU that laves his fans wanting so much more. He was 0-for-4 and finished with two points and five rebounds in 25 minutes — and it’s not like the  Mountaineers had someone who could check him.

That same day, though, Miles had one of his better games this season, the type that mystifies fans who see the lanky, chiseled forward and wonder why it isn’t always hat that way.

Continue reading…

Friday Feedback

February 22, 2013 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, nestled comfortably on the fourth tier and free from machinations.

For now.

Who knows, because it seems like every day brings a new letter, but the letters bring almost nothing new to the table. Yesterday’s what the best, a polite request that WVU start the whole bidding process over and, hey, “We won’t even bid! Also, please ask the chair of the BOG to resign. Thanks.”

I wondered then what the end game is and then thought that maybe that was the end game. Yet why all the precursors? Just to drag a rake through the muck? I don’t subscribe to the sour grapes  theory. I honestly believe they’re too smart for that and I think, on some level, they knew the outcome. So they were part of the process, though to what extent we don’t yet know, and witnessed much of it up close.

Something really bothered them and their response was to object and protest. That’s entirely acceptable, so much so that we’ve since learned WVU has a built-in reaction to these challenges. And maybe that built-in reaction answers questions that were raised. Still, it’s really hard to envision something that derails the process and the progress, especially relative to the questions asked. But why those questions?

What happens when, let’s say, people donated services for free on the scoreboard project or, perhaps, if WVU declined a profitless offer from ESPN in favor of a profitable offer from West Virginia Media? Trying to connect the dots here and all it would seem to do is establish some sort of a loose pattern that, my hunch is, could be explained. It might look or sound odd and could bother people, and that’s to be expected, but what does it accomplish?

I guess we’ll know, eventually. We have another 10 or so days until the procurement officer finishes the evaluation, and then there’s the wake after that. Try to stay awake until then.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, RELAX!

Oprah said:

AND YOU GET A FOUL! AND YOU GET A FOUL! AND YOU GET A FOUL! AND YOU GET A FOUL!

And we’re off.

Continue reading…

Ron Crook is WVU’s new offensive line coach

February 21, 2013 by Mike Casazza

Should be announced soon, but this is your guy. And this is his story

The hire, which again happened pretty quickly, answers a few questions raised before. Not a Holgorsen or an Air Raid guy. He comes from a far different background and figures to mix in a few new elements to the run game and the blocking schemes — why else would he be hired?

A legend, his ranch and his granddaughter

by Mike Casazza

DALLAS — “The thing about quarter horses,” West Virginia University Sports Hall of Famer and Super Bowl MVP Chuck Howley said from behind his desk, “is there are so many facets and various ranges of where you set your level. Mine is just dealing with the cow horse, selling them for ranching, farming, weekend riding, you name it.”

The problem with defense at UVW

by Mike Casazza

Newsflash: It’s not good this season and it really hasn’t been good for two seasons now.

Opponents are shooting better percentages and scoring more points since the start of last season than they had before against a Bob Huggins WVU team, but this team is something else.

Gives up straight-line drives. Doesn’t guard in transition. Leaves shooters to help on drives or in the post. Leaves the post to vacate spaces for drives. Switches screens so badly that Huggins has to call off the scheme.

And what is that something else?

“I think we’re kind of backwards,” Staten said. “When it’s a guy who can’t really shoot, we’re kind of hugging him. When we have a guy who can shoot, his guy is the one who is giving the most help.”

Bill Bedenbaugh logs on

by Mike Casazza

Newsflash: New offensive line coach at Oklahoma reveals easier time recruiting for Sooners than for West Virginia.

“It was hard at West Virginia. … A bunch of kids that didn’t really give me the time of day, they’ve been Facebooking me and calling me.”

Here’s where I dislike these stories, more than the isolated quote. What was so hard, Bill? Why weren’t you given the time of day? What was holding you back from doing your job at WVU? And, wait a moment, weren’t you just slicing bread in WVU’s 2013 recruiting class?

This couldn’t work on other areas.

We couldn’t block Syracuse.

Why’s that, Bill?

It was hard.

Thanks, Bill.

Same thing.

Continue reading…

Feb. 20 Big 12 Minute

February 20, 2013 by Mike Casazza

If Kansas can’t get it done in Stillwater tonight then WVU plays the Big 12’s top team for a second straight game Saturday when it plays host to Oklahoma State.

I’m telling you, it’s not going away

by Mike Casazza

For the time being, at least, John Raese has gotten his way. Yesterday, WVU was compelled to halt, for the time being, at least, the finalization of its Tier 3 contract with IMG College.

This is not a cancellation. It was explained to me as a “procedural pause.”

However, the stoppage is a standard and built-in response to a third party protesting the awarding of a contract at WVU – in this case, businessman John Raese’s letter asking that WVU President Jim Clements look over what Raese believed was a conflicted process.

Upon receipt of the letter, WVU’s Procurement, Contracting and Payment Services, which oversees bids and contracts, was obligated to conduct a review. One source said the review could take up to two weeks.

Nobody at WVU could be reached upon my late landing in Pittsburgh late Tuesday — save Drew Payne, who, on business in California, declined comment — but I was told this morning WVU sent a letter to Team Raese explaining the evaluation and that contacting the protesting party is also standard.

So this is going to linger for a while and I’m now interested in what happens next.

Continue reading…

Weber’s first season at Kansas State ain’t bad

February 19, 2013 by Mike Casazza

The talk yesterday, of course, was of Bob Huggins and his return to Bramlage Coliseum and Kansas State for the first time since he was the Wildcats head coach in the 2006-07 season.

“He definitely changed the mindset and the culture of Kansas State basketball and helped energize it and Coach Martin took it to another level,” Weber said. “We’re hoping to continue that.”

Lost in all of this was that Bruce Weber has, in his first season, done a masterful job working with incumbent players and has a shot late in the season to not only win the Big 12 regular season title and snap the ridiculous eight-year run by Kansas, but to also win the conference tournament and get a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. That’s a pretty good team, especially at home.

Huggins and his WVU team would understand the aptly named Octagon of Doom (!) in a 71-61 loss that was, in retrospect, kind of weird.

Continue reading…

WVU v. Kansas State: Oh, it’s on!

February 18, 2013 by Mike Casazza

You are looking live at the insert in the campus newspaper today that’s all over the purple-clad student section. Translation: “Sentiment is for suckers. There’s a W on the line tonight and a conference title is within reach. Let’s reminisce later.”

This is WVU’s third and final Big Monday and third and final Saturday-Monday sequence  in Big 12 play. The Mountaineers were 0-2 in their first run and 2-0 in the second. They won Saturday’s game against Texas Tech, which has been the Saturday opponent in two of the three quick turn arounds. Good omen, you say?

Well, about those Big Mondays …

Continue reading…