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

Huggins on new faces … and one old one

June 26, 2012 by Mike Casazza

Interesting insight from the WVU men’s basketball coach on how his 2012-13 team will behave, and why, with Juwan Staten and Aaric Murray on board.

If you were to line up the five Huggins seasons at WVU and look for common denominators for good teams and teams that lacked what those good teams had, I believe you’d find value in guards and bigs that moved the ball.

Darris Nichols and Alex Ruoff were terrific with the ball in their hands and Joe Mazzulla was very good getting inside, which helped make life easier for Truck Bryant. And when Mazzulla was hurt and Bryant was out or when Bryant was ineffective, and Nichols and Ruoff were done, Devin Ebanks and Da’Sean Butler did guard stuff from the forward position.

Cam Thoroughman and John Flowers were good passers on the inside and outside and kept the offense moving, and last season we saw Deniz Kilicli struggle with some of those things and at less-than-ideal times.

Huggins sees Staten playing and running with either Gary Browne or Jabarie Hinds, and possibly even with both, and Murray is a back-to-the-basket guy who has alert eyes and makes good passes.

The Mountaineers may again have the things they’ve interchangeably lacked and desired … but are we forgetting one name?

”We were 5-2 (in league play), 15-4 (overall) or something when Kevin Noreen went down. And everything went downhill after that because he gave us things we didn’t have,” Huggins said. ”Great ball movement. His guy never got a rebound. He did a great job help defensively. Losing him really hurt us.”

NBA team promises KJ: Who? Where? Let’s find out!

by Mike Casazza

This is either getting more attention than it deserves or not getting the attention it warrants. I honestly don’t know what to think and I suppose it depends on the side of the fence you choose when it comes to drafts, agents and WVU.

Nevertheless, Bill Neff, the New York-based agent for WVU’s Kevin Jones, the guy who has known KJ since sixth grade and was the one KJ wanted as representation in this pre-draft process, says a team promises to draft his client Thursday night.

“There is a team picking in the first round that has told us point blank that they are committed to drafting him,” Neff said. “Now, what does that mean? Does that mean they’ll draft him in their place? Does that mean they’ll trade down to draft him somewhere else, which can happen? If they think they can get you at 30, they can drop down and do that. They could drop down into the second round if that’s where they think they can get him.

“So I don’t know and I can’t control that. What I do know is that a team has told us, ‘He’s our guy.’ We’re not certain they’ll draft him where they are, but they told us that Kevin’s their guy.”

This sounds a little like Bruce Irvin and his first-round guarantee … and weren’t we all skeptics right up until the moment we came to after falling off the sofa and hitting our heads on the coffee table? But there’s a difference, of course, between the two leagues and their drafts.

The NBA is less about niches and more about potential and, frankly, KJ has neither. He’s a very good rebounder, but so, too, are others and those others can do other things and aren’t projected to hit a ceiling as soon as KJ. Bruce had a desired skill and an elite reputation and the thought was that with professional level coaching he would explode.

So what to think of this?

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Terrence Mann endorses this tactic

June 25, 2012 by Mike Casazza

That rather important public hearing for the proposed baseball stadium up at University Town Center is Wednesday.

Coincidentally, I’m sure, WVU released these conceptual renderings of what said stadium would look like … you know, if that rather important public hearing goes well and the plan gets the green light.

Nothing like giving the audience something to thing about, and to get excited about, before the meeting. And, hey, can’t you see you and the little ones having a hot dog beneath that gold and blue umbrella?

If only there were some other common good, some benefit to the community and its neighbors, that this proposed ballpark could produce.

What’s that? There is? Well played, WVU.

West Virginia University Director of Athletics Oliver Luck has stated the University’s strong interest in a proposed development project to build a new baseball stadium at the University Town Centre in Morgantown. The Mountaineer baseball team could be a tenant in the new stadium along with a potential minor league team and Fairmont State University.

Events in the new ballpark could also include concerts, high school tournaments and American Legion games. Thanks to architect Kevin Turkall of Designstream LLC in Pittsburgh, the following renderings and photo gallery provide a conceptual look at what the baseball stadium might look like. All renderings are in the conceptual stage and are subject to change.

So far, so good: Big names looking at RFP

by Mike Casazza

If last month you sat down to think over WVU’s crusade to bid out its Tier 3 rights and you came up with the list of names you’d want to see involved on your school’s behalf, surely you would have penned IMG College and Learfield Sports, the Rolls Royce and Cadillac of the business.

With a little more thought and time given to not only the bidder’s side of the business, but also WVU’s, and you may have mentioned Nelligan Sports and CBS Collegiate Sports Properties and gotten a little ambitious and added the NBC/Comcast conglomerate.

Well, bully for you. Right now, they’re all on the line and, at the very least, interested in the process and considering whether they’ll make a bid.

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Friday Feedback

June 22, 2012 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, outfitted in fine Hawaiian prints and white A-shirts for 14 straight summers. WVU has released nothing official about this yet — and absolutely does not object to the guerrilla marketing going on during its silence — but there will be gray uniforms next season.

As I understand, there will be some sort of acknowledgment and … photo op? … next week. And people will eat that up, hence the “Ssshh! That’s a secret, please don’t talk about our secret. Here’s a picture!” strategy you’ve no doubt witnessed recently.

That’s a picture from the locker room. Those are the jerseys or arguably WVU’s best and most recognizable player. These are not coincidences. That’s as unofficially official as you can get and you can look around and find Instagram accounts belonging to wounded cornerbacks that show his gray uniform. That stuff could be made to disappear just as easily as it appeared. It’s instead coming and it can’t be a surprise.

Technically, I guess, we should note that WVU basketball has worn grays for years now. Bob Huggins sent the color spectrum spinning with the all blacks. Dana Holgorsen was at Oklahoma State for its grays.

And while I know, and understand why, this will slap traditionalists across the face, times and uniforms are changing. It’s not about history. It’s about appeal. New colors and new styles get people talking about and looking at you and that’s become a lucrative and sometimes laughable part of college sports.

WVU has, I think, three nice sets of uniforms and the colors and combinations are fairly distinguished. You don’t see a lot of gold and blue out there. Cal. Anyone else? But how many, say, green and whites are out there? Red and blacks? Apart from the Peeps look, WVU’s combinations are clean and sharp and look good on television, particularly with the very distinguished helmet/logo. But — think fast! — what’s the color combination most will talk about? The Peeps, I bet.

There’s a value in that, just as there was in the awesome Pro Combat look … and, while different, and gray, didn’t everyone love that idea? WVU was commonly considered to have one of the best sets, if not the best. And when that goes away, so does chatter and so do the glances. That matters more than we probably realize, so now you have gray uniforms and with a specific purpose.

“It’s a recruiting thing,” Holgorsen said. “If you look across the country, we’re behind on this. Everyone is going (Nike) Pro Combat. Everyone has three or four new uniforms. We’re far from that. It’s recruiting. Why is everyone doing it? Because the kids want it. It’s television and marketing and the kids get excited about what they can see.”

You don’t have to like it, but you had better get used to it. And, sorry, but you’re going to be asked to support it with jerseys and T-shirts and hoodies. White out, gold rush, gray gaze? Absolutely, and in the conveniently gray stadium, no less.

“It’s kind of like Boise State’s blue uniforms and blue turf,” Holgorsen said. “We’re looking for a home-field advantage.”

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, let it ride! 

overtheSEC said:

I like the way this staff operates, from Coach Roberts’ tweets, to their uniform leaks to their Martin & Lewis routines in the way they make kids offers. Would kill for for WVU version of Hard Knocks. Would also kill for a job on staff–better get my JD.

I’m guessing you’ll see a lot of WVU mic’d up or behind the scenes, if that scratches your itch. Dana hasn’t really said no to anyone who’s offered him favorable and mainstream attention. His personality and the camaraderie on the staff is in the “all access” wheelhouse.

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Hey, no more BCS! But about that …

June 21, 2012 by Mike Casazza

Big, big day yesterday as the conference commissioners agreed to send the Presidential Oversight Committee a plan to structure a college football playoff with the “four best” teams. Those guys will now meet and exit with a consensus.

Tremendous, I say. Farewell controversy, many say … but count me out on that one. 

Why?

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Rivers carries Walters to WVU

by Mike Casazza

Freshman safety Sean Walters is already making a name for himself by quickly readying his body for Division I football and then taking body body and running it into others at a high velocity.

And what that does is refresh the nickname he was given two years ago at Hallandale High, in Hallandale Beach, Fla. A  rather brutal hit on an unsuspectng West Broward running back glossed Walters as The Hitman.

“I just smacked him,” he said. “I almost dislocated his shoulder.”

But what if The Hitman were The Jumpman or The Pickman or The Dunkman? For a time, he thought it would be that way and he wanted it to be that way, so much so that he transferred to a more reputable basketball program and started as a freshman and as a sophomore at Boyd Anderson High.

Walters helped Boyd Anderson to the Class 6A state semifinals his second season. That was his final game. He transferred back to Hallandale and for good reason.

Boyd Anderson lost to Winter Park and 23 points from its star player.

Austin Rivers.

“I saw Austin Rivers and how he had everything and just the way he played,” Walters said.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. I said to myself I didn’t want to play basketball anymore. I thought I’d have a much better opportunity playing football.”

%@#&

by Mike Casazza

That’s Deniz Kilicli and he’s far too happy for this solemn occasion. Too hot for a T-shirt, it seems it’s also too hot for The Beard.

Look, this heat will cause you to do crazy things. This is one of those things. He said the temperatures forced his fand to force a razor to his face, but vows The Beard will return with the southpaw Alcindor in time for the regular season.

Still waiting on a comment from @KiliclisBeard.

Meantime, continue voting on the boxing tournament below.

Touch gloves at the bell

June 20, 2012 by Mike Casazza

Picking up where we left off last week, the seeds have been planted to crown the baddest man on the offensive line. Borrowing some advice …

SheikYbuti said:

I don’t think I’d seed ‘em on merit before the actual tournament; it would be too difficult to overcome the seeding (it seems unlikely that we’d change our collective minds in the interim). I’d just give byes to the first four alphabetically or by age/seniority, then fill in #s 5 through 12 on the same basis.

Useful. Alphabetically seemed a little unfair (the 11 and 12 seeds would be Joe Madsen and Quinton Spain)  and age/seniority seemed uneven (Spain and once and possibly future starter Pat Eger are slighted).

I instead went by playing time, which was a homogenization of starts, games played, where the games were played and the post-spring depth chart.

Starters are better than backups and backups are better than special teams players and special teams players are better than sideline standers and sideline standers are better than still-unproven players.

It got a little tricky, of course, and I wrestled with Nos. 3, 4 and 5, but used the formula to settle it. Basically, Bassler has played more games, but Eger has had more significant action and Jenkins has the most starts.

The seeds …

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Dana Holgorsen: By the people, for the people?

by Mike Casazza

If it’s all the same to you, Dana Holgorsen would like to cater to your conveniences as WVU moves forward and starts looking into scheduling non-conference games in the fast-approaching Big 12 future.

Now it’s worth mentioning the Mountaineers need but one game through 2016 — and that’s if you believe there is no more expansion that grows the leagues, like the Big 12, and cuts out a conference game … and I don’t believe that — and that one game is likely against a FCS team in 2015.

Holgorsen says things are about to change “in a major way” as WVU transitions into the Big 12, but that annual game against a FCS team, either at home or a lucrative neutral site, seems permanent.

But because the FCS games are, shall we say, ho hum, and because so many of the Big 12 adventures are far away, Holgorsen would like to accomodate those who have been disenfranchised.

Basically, no more two-paycheck road games. No more lengthy series where WVU plays one team several years a row. Holgorsen envisions short series against a rotating set of neighboring and/or once familiar foes.  

“Pitt would be tremendous. Maryland, which is basically on our schedule every year, would be tremendous,” Holgorsen said. “What’s wrong with playing a Virginia Tech or Virginia or Penn State? Or Rutgers? That rivalry’s pretty good.

“There are so many games right around here that make sense for our fans and we’ve taken a lot from our fans. Now, it’s for a really good reason, but why not try to play as many games as we possibly can that are close to them?”

Missing from that list? Marshall. Holgorsen said it was an inadvertent omission, but added that the Thundering Herd, or any long-term opponents, doesn’t necessarily fit with what he has in mind.

“It goes back to what I said as far as there being so many regional rivalries that have existed that we’ve taken from our fan base,” he said. “I’d be in favor of playing them sometime, but you can’t play them five years in a row. You could play them maybe once every decade.”