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

Before Pitino returns, WVU students aim at Calhoun

March 2, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Quite a finish for the student section this season. Saturday it’s Senior Night Day and what I imagine will be an emotional occasion for Cam, Joe and John Flowers — no offense to Casey Mitchell — as well as the 12,000 or so fans who attend. On top of that, it’s the student section getting another crack at cracking on Rick Pitino after last year’s fiasco.

But first, a warmup in the form of Jim Calhoun, who this crowd has never liked and whose misdeeds have provided ammunition.

Important game here, of course, but really, there aren’t many consequences. I think both teams are in the NCAA field. Both teams are in a four-way tie for seventh. The winner leaves in a tie for seventh and the loser in a tie for eighth — Cincinnati plays at Marquette and they, like WVU and UConn, enter 9-7 in Big East play.

Bring on the fun, everyone. 

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Eu: I’m OK

by Mike Casazza

The big news from today’s football luncheon is the self-proclaimed availability of WVU’s starting quarterback for spring practice, which starts March 21. Geno Smith had surgery in January to repair a stress fracture in his left foot that he played with last season.

“My foot’s doing real well. I have my final X-ray Monday and I’mm pretty much be full-go for the spring unless something else comes up.”

I’m interested to see how that develops and seriously doubt anyone wants to rush things physically for him — the obvious exception being Geno himself, whose enthusiasm is understood.

Also of note, your pre-spring depth chart. Give it a click and give it a thought or two. That’s something we can discuss tomorrow in Ask Me About WVU Sports … We begin at 1 p.m.

Hall of Fame coaches have some things in common

by Mike Casazza

West Virginia’s Bob Huggins — he of 688 career wins and two Final Four appearances — plays host to Hall of Famer Jim Calhoun tonight and then welcomes eventual HoFer Rick Pitino Saturday. Eventually, the doors may one day open for Huggins, too. Watch them coach and command on the sidelines and see how their teams develop identifiable traits that lead to success and you see things in common.

Ask, though, and you learn of other similarities.

“Most people would think they’re crazy,” Huggins joked. “There is so much single-mindedness of purpose probably is a good way to put it. You read about Coach (Bob) Knight going down and spending time with Clair Bee or spending time with the older kind of innovators. He was very close with Pete Newell. I think if you really know (some of the great coaches) … everybody had time to spend with guys who did what we do very well before us.”

Holgorsen getting to know longevity

by Mike Casazza

Dana Holgorsen spent eight seasons at Texas Tech and was there as the Red Raiders were constructed from the ground up and built into a national title contender. Yet he was co-coordinator of the offense for just two years. Then it was Houston and two years as the O.C. there and Oklahoma State and only this past season as the O.C.

Now he’s here as the O.C. at WVU for one year, but he’ll finally sit down in one spot and in 2012 begin a run, as defined by his contract, of five years as the head coach. For all he’s done — top-ranked offenses everywhere he’s been — he’s never done it over a number of years in one spot, never allowed the success to sustain, enhance and recruit itself over time.

Imagine that. He has. It’s about to change with the Mountaineers.

“Houston, I knew was going to be a short-term deal and Oklahoma State I knew was going to be a short-term deal to accomplish what I wanted to accomplish and get where I wanted to go,” he said. “With success I was able to move on and right here, this isn’t a get-it-done-quick-and-leave type of deal.

“Whatever I’m doing now, from a recruiting standpoint, to building a program, to dealing with academics, to dealing with boosters, with all the things you have to deal with in this profession, what you do now is going to have an impact on what you’re doing five years from now.”

The underscore scores a coaching gig

March 1, 2011 by Mike Casazza

Earlier today I met with Dana Holgorsen and we discussed, among many things, grilled Cuban sandwiches, stuffed meatballs and Fishbowls … and I embellished absolutely nothing you just read. Anyhow, for about 30 minutes we sat inhis office, which is the office of his  predecessor and still features some of the previous occupant’s decorative touches.

I returned home a short while later and discovered Jeff Mullen_ found a job. I’d have to assume someone told Mullen this time. If not, don’t worry because time is a luxury at UNC Charlotte. The program’s first ever game is Aug. 31, 2013. Fortunately for Mullen, he’s to be paid by WVU for the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons that remained on his contract when he was fired in December.

Easy baskets for a team having a hard time scoring

by Mike Casazza

WVU won a basketball game 65-54 Sunday. The Mountaineers scored four baskets and 10 points on inbound plays where the ball was entered from under the basket. It matters, particularly for a team that might not have cracked 60, might not have won, without inbound execution.

So, quite clearly, these sharp plays, open shots and critical baskets are things WVU works on all the time.

“The funny thing is that now that I think about it, we actually never work on inbound plays,” Bryant said.  “We might do it one time in practice, but we really don’t work on them. We do always score on them, though.”

Will WVU use zone to hone in on Big East seeding?

by Mike Casazza

Connecticut and WVU enter tomorrow night’s 7 o’clock game at the Coliseum tied for seventh in the Big East and vying for — and certainly not guaranteed — a one-round bye in next week’s Big East Tournament. These are two teams that can struggle on offense and the Huskies, even with Kemba Walker, hit ruts that can be easily diagnosed.

How UConn plays against zone defenses has become a storyline and sometimes an explanation of defeats. Well, here comes WVU, a team that for most of the season has not kept the opponent’s guards out of the lane, which would be a bright red flag against Walker tomorrow. Yet the Mountaineers, who Sunday had some issues keeping Rutgers’ Mike Coburn out of the painted area, just dusted off their 1-3-1 zone that is designed to keep the ball out of the middle and give the perimeter shooters odd and distracting angles against defenders.

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WVU v. Rutgers: Hot ticket in Piscataway

February 27, 2011 by Mike Casazza

(Monday morning update: Odd, but for a change this morning I couldn’t connect to the hotel WiFi and was then stonewalled at the airport. I intended to share a post about how confidence based in a rare physical upper hand inspired yesterday’s WVU win. I also wanted to discuss the 1-3-1 zone and how it didn’t work, yet worked masterfully. Oh well. Perhaps you can find those stories and discuss them on your own. I mostly wanted to let you know I’m not the one slipping up here.)

As you can see, a beautiful day in central New Jersey. Perhaps that explains the sparse student turnout early on a Sunday. Or perhaps Mike Carey is still loitering.

Live post on two. Ready … hut … hut.

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Friday Feedback

February 25, 2011 by Mike Casazza
(Football schedule is out. Ten Saturday games!)

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which grabs you by the collar and pulls you away from the Panic Button this morning.

Then again, there is no Easy Button, either. Not now.

It’s inconvenient and probably no fun to remember Pitt is very good this season. Might be as good, if not better, than anyone else and this might be the year for the Panthers because there’s no dominant team and no truly powerful offensive team that rejects the idea a team like Pitt, which isn’t even really good offensively, can make a run.

Still, for the second time against Pitt and the umpteenth time overalll this season, WVU was right there for a half and gave in during the second half. 

The Mountaineers got nothing offensively from John Flowers and his foul trouble. Deniz Kilicli gave WVU one basket and two points and fouled out. Kevin Jones was 4-for-13 and mystified Huggins with an inability to make shots he usually makes. Three parts of the plan WVU planned to follow just weren’t there. Enter the freelancing:

Huggins tried all sorts of combinations and tactics, including posting up his guards in the second half to get Pitt’s size away from the basket.

“Just trying to score,” he said. “Trying to figure out any way to score.”

This is intersting because this basically needs to be WVU’s goal the rest of the season, however long it lasts. This is a team that’s going to get 58-68 points and shoot 38-45 percent, play really hard and guard and rebound. Is it enough?

Well, Pitt’s had trouble scoring and in the past six games scored 71, 71, 57, 67, 60 and 71 points. Two of the 71-point games were against WVU, which couldn’t get past 71 in either game. WVU has just two games above 70 points in the past 10 and those came against DePaul, which is the worst defensive team in the Big East, and Notre Dame, a team with a defense WVU didn’t much respect, a team that’s much different on the road, a team that allowed 52 points to Marshawn Brooks and 93 at Providence Wednesday.

So Huggins tried and tried to get points, even with Jones, Kilicli and Flowers able to offer very little. The Mountaineers ran high screens with Cam Thoroughman and a guard with great success — just like Notre Dame did against Pitt. They posted up Casey Mitchell and Joe Mazzulla. They went with some lineups I hadn’t seen much, or at all, this season.

And now you wonder if Huggins sees a need to extend or implement some ideas. 

Casey scored again, which is something the team absolutely needs. He’s done it fairly efficiently lately with 58 points on 35 shots the past four games. Yet he doesn’t start.

Truck, meanwhile, followed his Notre Dame game with a 2-for-10 game … and he did make his first shot. Is this who and what he is now? And is one a better option for the team than the other right now? Huggins did stray from a slumping Bryant late last season and the team played well without him.

Then again, is there something to Casey’s productivity that works against his teammates? He had  22 points. No one else had more than nine. Not the first time he’s been active/productive and no one else has. Casey also has eight turnovers in those four games and just three assists. He doesn’t move the ball as well as Truck. One reason Huggins likes Truck and Joe together is because they can move the ball, which eventually creates easier shots.

Perhaps there’s room for all of them. Truck, Joe and Casey were on the floor together Thursday. Another lineup that had Truck, Mazzulla, Mitchell, Pepper and Jones was fairly effective. Those groups can do things a group that features Thoroughman/Kilicli cannot do. Then again, there are also things that group cannot do. The matchups can be a negative and matchups matter more than anything else.

And remember, the Panthers are a tough-to-bad matchup for WVU … and a lot of other teams. Figure there were  20 scholarship players available — healthy, not redshirting — last night. Put them on the blacktop and pick two teams of 10. You’re probably picking a lot of Pitt players before WVU players. The Mountaineers have players, don’t get me wrong. Pitt has more players.

That thing Huggins likes to say about getting to the point where you walk on the court, see the other team and know you’re going to be all right that night? Pitt has that. And yet, WVU was right there for a half. Again.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments  appear as posted. In other words, think things through.

Karl said:

Admittedly, I don’t follow WVU baseball that closely, but I was surprised to read all of the comments in your chat about Greg Van Zandt possibly being on the way out. I remember reading about Pat White’s not so flattering assessment of him, but doesn’t he have a decent record? I saw this clip of some pretty impressive hitting down in Tampa a while back, so he must be able to coach: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoE3fHi97hg

And we’re off!

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Greetings from the Zoo

February 24, 2011 by Mike Casazza
This is your scorecard/program for the evening — and even you have to admit it’s pretty neat.

 

What’s that? You don’t? Oh.

Well, this is your live blog for the game — and even you have to admit it’s pretty neat.

Commence!

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