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

Excuse me, Pat McAfee, how do you really feel?

July 14, 2011 by Mike Casazza

The former WVU kicker/punter and current Indianapolis Colts punter/kickoff specialist/Adam Vinatieri protege was in town Wednesday for the WV Legends Classic to support the family of Chris Henry. As you might expect, he was the most-interviewed person at the event, besting even organizers Quincy Wilson and Grant Wiley.

And as you might expect, Mr. McAfee did not disappoint. For one reason or another, he had the NCAA in his crosshairs and he fired freely at “the worst human beings on the planet.”

What, someone asked, would McAfee do to change the NCAA if he were in charge, other than take them out of the self-promotion business?

“You have to go into all the rules. They do a great job with all the sports that don’t make any money, but the sports that make money — which is Division I football – they sold the rights to determine a champion to the BCS. They should have sold their rights to run it, too.

“I think they are just a group of coward sellouts. They should be protecting student-athletes, but all they ever do is hurt students.”

Calling all left guards

July 13, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Josh Jenkins is out for the 2011 season. He’ll apply for — and certainly receive — a medical redshirt at the end of the regular season.

“The MCL – Medial Collateral Ligament injury healed nicely, but there still remained concern. Therefore, Jenkins underwent successful surgery, Tuesday, July 5, by Dr Bal at Ruby Hospital, to tighten the medial (big toe side) patellar retinaculum to help better track the patella for its normal function. Jenkins remains in a leg brace for six weeks, then will regain strength and slowly regain any residual lost motion due to the immobilization period.

Kind of saw this coming because that wasn’t an ordinary got-rolled-up injury in the spring game. And that surgery is serious, particularly if you have had kneecap issues before. This is why you hope rehab takes. WVU saw this coming, too, which is why Tyler Rader was worked out so much at right guard and why Jeff Braun was moved from right tackle to left guard. Braun, though, is coming back (nicely) from offseason surgery and missed spring practice. He’ll have to knock the rust off right away. And figure some of these freshmen will get a shot, and be asked, to contribute soon.

MAC has swag, too

by Mike Casazza

One wonders if somewhere on the notebook pages Daron Roberts filled with useful information about WVU football he made mention of the Mountaineer Athletic Club.

This, you know, is the top fundraising organization for WVU’s self-supported athletic department, which makes so many football things possible. Travel for games and recruiting, accessories in the stadium, weight room and Puskar Center, capital projects, basically the luxuries kids think about when they’re sorting though scholarship offers.

Well, for the fourth straight year the MAC reported record-setting revenue. This time the club turned out $21.54 million, which was up from the $18.75 million reported for the 2009-10 fiscal year.

Eggleston came to the Mountaineers in October 2006 as director of development for athletics and was promoted to senior director of development for athletics in August 2007. He entered the interim executive director position near the end of the 2007-08 fiscal year and saw the MAC finish with an audited total of $13.85 million. For 2008-09, it was $15.01 million.

In 2002-03, the MAC raised $5.55 million.

“I remember when it was $9 million,” Eggleston said. “When I got here six years ago, we’d just hit $9 million ($9.689 million, plus a $9.226 million piece of Mike Puskar’s largest gift in WVU athletics history). We’ve really taken off since then.

“Obviously, there’s a lot more emphasis on it now and it’s become increasingly important to educate the fans to help them understand how important it is for them to help us. If we’re going to keep moving forward and keep football and basketball and the athletic department competitive and relevant, it takes money.”

Busick update

by Mike Casazza

And I promise to let it go after this, but there are more and needed details out now.

According to a Morgantown Police Report, a man wearing a mask entered an apartment Monday and pointed a gun at the people in the apartment. He allegedly ordered everyone to the ground and demanded the money. When he was denied money, the suspect is said to have struck one person in the head with the gun and forced him outside.

From there, the victim called the police and waited for them to arrive. The victim then had the police enter the apartment. The attacker was found there. The victim identified the attacker as Busick and the other witnesses/victims were able to corroborate the story because, you know, they were still in the apartment.

I was curious about a lack of detail early in the process, but many others took it to a whole other level, insisting it was a misunderstanding and hoping, or still insisting, it wasn’t nearly as big of a deal as was suggested by his being the only one arrested and then staying overnight in jail on $25,000 bond.

So now Busick is gone. I suppose the door is open for a return if the charge is dropped, but, for now, say hello to Steve Paskorz.

Campers gather to celebrate Chris Henry

July 12, 2011 by Mike Casazza

There was a youth football camp today at Pro Performance in town. There will be a celebrity basketball game later tonight. In charge is a fun and industrious group called West Virginia Legends, Inc. The goal is to raise money for the family of the late Chris Henry, but also to make their good deeds more of a regular occurrence.

Wilson doesn’t want the camp and the basketball game to be a memorial and insists it’s a celebration of Henry’s life and the life he allowed others to have after his death. He also hopes it’s the start of something big for the West Virginia Legends Inc. group.

Wilson wants this to be the first of a series of events to benefit a cause or visit a community. Rather than round up former players and do autograph signings, Wilson prefers the more personal camps and enjoyable competitions.

“We have such a great fan base across the state that instead of having people stand in line and paying 20 bucks to have us take a picture and sign something and move along, this event is a full day where a fan can come and be social and take pictures and just have fun,” Wilson said.

“Next year we want to do stuff all over the state – Martinsburg, Charleston, Beckley, Parkersburg. We want to get the ball rolling. This is our grand opening, so to speak, and hopefully people will want us to go around and reach out even more next year.”

Daron Roberts hits the ground running and, uh, well armed

by Mike Casazza

How about the headline in the paper and online? Might need to be changed …

Nevertheless, West Virginia’s first-year wide receivers coach made his first-ever recruiting venture in May and June. Despite being, at best, underrecruited in high school and having never once recruited for a college program, Roberts pulled in commitments from three well-liked high school players: Albert Reid from Washington, D.C., and Baltimore’s Deontay McManus and Da’Quan Davis.

The key for the noted academician? Preparation, research, application. He scanned through newspapers to find players WVU needed and focused on a limited number of prospects in — get this — Dallas, East Texas, Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Baltimore. After doing his homework on them and lining up seven or eight visits a day, he became very familiar with the university he was readying to sell.  By the sounds of it, he won his prospects over with information.

“I put together a notebook of about eight pages that outlined what West Virginia University offers that is not football-related,” Roberts said. “I got graduation rates across the athletic department, I got football graduation rates, the average salary of a West Virginia graduate. Then I went to the football side and the revenue that’s generated, the average attendance history.

“In the end, I’d put together a personal package I could show them so they understood what I was selling and I took that to the kids who we think can contribute.”

Branko Busick puts Dana Holgorsen on the spot

by Mike Casazza

(Big edit: Attempts are being made to clarify now that Busick was the only one arrested. Apologies for the preliminary confusion. I am water.)

(Big update: Mr. Busick has been dismissed from the program for violating team rules. One wonders if there’s a rule, or a subsection of a rule, that states “Do not be arrested and charged with armed robery.”)

With regard to his arrest Monday evening, it’s important to note West Virginia linebacker Branko Busick was the only person arrested and charged with armed robbery. Initially, there was some uncertainty, but from what I now gather, the sophomore linebacker was one of three males and a female attached to the incident — and by “attached,” it seems to mean inside the apartment police searched — but the only one who was booked.

The alleged victim identified Busick, apparently as the person who pointed a gun, demanded money and then hit the person with his weapon.

Continue reading…

Legacy of WVU’s NCAA case

July 11, 2011 by Mike Casazza

I suppose one lasting impact will be two years of probation and the smudge that comes with another batch of rules infractions and penalties. Would you believe this was the school’s sixth major infractions case?  Only 11 Division I programs have had more major infractions cases — Arizona State, SMU, Auburn, Cal, Florida State, Memphis, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Wichita State and Wisconsin. From within the Big East, only Cincinnati has as many as five.

Elite company!

Continue reading…

Say hello to Alex Hammond, swag

by Mike Casazza

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Dana Holgorsen needs to fill a vacancy in his football program. Dana Holgorsen hires someone with a law degree and no experience in college football as a player, coach or administrator. Dana Holgorsen nevertheless makes an intriguing and seemingly appropriate hire.

What was true of Daron Roberts as the inside receivers coach — an  apparent recruiting whiz — in May is now also true of Alex Hammond, the new coordinator of recruiting operations. While Roberts had some experience in the NFL, this is Hammond’s first job in football.

“From the moment I left high school, I understood I was never going to be a player, but I wanted to put myself in a position where I could rise into a leadership position in some way,” said Hammond, who was on two state championship teams at Cathedral High in Indianapolis and was academic All-State as a senior.

“I believe when you have a passion for something it’s going to make you better at your job. You understand every nuance and you enjoy every nuance.”

Continue reading…

NCAA accepts WVU’s self-imposed penalties

July 8, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Two years probation, loss of two scholarships this year and one next year, some reductions in participation time and restrictions in staffing and recruiting. Certainly not the most ideal outcome, but there’s no postseason or television ban.

Athletic director Oliver Luck said in a statement:

WVU is in receipt of the NCAA’s final report of an investigation into violations committed from 2005-2009 related to participation and monitoring of noncoaching staff members in drill and meeting activities reserved for countable coaches within our football program.  We appreciate the hard work the Committee and the NCAA staff put into this process, particularly moving cooperatively to the summary disposition process.

I am pleased that the Committee accepted the self-imposed penalties the University proposed, without imposing any additional ones. The University has already taken corrective action and put new systems in place to address all the issues raised.

It is also important to note that probation does not affect our bowl eligibility or ability to compete for conference or national championships. It does, however, require annual reports over a two-year period, which we will complete.

We have taken this case very seriously from the beginning and, as we’ve said, will move forward with a complete commitment to compliance in all that we do. We now look forward to an exciting football season and putting this process behind us.