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

Tough job

November 9, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Dan Hawkins no longer coaches DIVISION I FOOTBALL and his dismissal at Colorado generates an interesting note.

Bill Stewart has 24 wins as WVU’s interim and full-time coach. Eight are against men who’ve since been fired: Mark Snyder twice at Marshall, Steve Kragthorpe twice at Louisville, Tommy Tuberville once at Auburn, Jim Leavitt once at South Florida, Greg Robinson once at Syracuse and Hawkins. (Stewart also lost to Hawkins and Leavitt, to be fair).

The club can always expand. For future reference, keep an eye on North Carolina’s Butch Davis, Maryland’s Ralph Friedgen and UNLV’s Bobby Hauck.

Game plan

by Mike Casazza

I’m curious how you, relative to your situation and your schedule, would prioritize this weekend. Here’s the situation at a very busy Coliseum complex:

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Bill Stewart press conference at 1 p.m.

by Mike Casazza

As always, follow here.

In the meantime, quoting Chris  Neild, via Twitter, “This what we workin with.”

Entrepreneurial WVU grad: Hero or villain?

by Mike Casazza

Vince Skolny (1995, B.S. Economics) sent an email to 3,000 WVU students and engaged in other dealings on the Web Monday to sell T-shirts and mugs and other trinkets in his attempt to go from concerned graduate to movement leader.

 The items pointed specifically at WVU athletic director Oliver Luck read, “Mr. Luck, ‘Leave No Doubt’ We demand better.”

Stewart has been highly criticized by the Mountaineers’ fans following two straight losses. Skolny said 25 percent of the profit he makes on the items sold will go to the Mountaineer Athletic Club.

“I expect to be accused of profiteering or being disloyal,” Skolny said. “The fact is, (West Virginia) is completely out of the national picture, and if the program doesn’t change direction that’s just going to remain the case.”

I guess Skolny saw the whites in Stewart’s eyes and fired the first of what we can expect to be many shots in this development. I’m curious to see Mr. Skolny’s results, as well. Vince, if you’re reading …

Attention road-trippers

November 8, 2010 by Mike Casazza

WVU at Louisville: Noon kickoff on Big East Television. Carry on.

Making cents of Stewart’s future

by Mike Casazza

(Not a typo!)

By now you can lay out or recite just about any practical argument or arrangement for keeping or jettisoning Bill Stewart in just a few weeks. And by now the hope is everyone realizes the decision involves more than wins and losses, public disposition or even the way Stewart “spins” to defend himself, his program and his progress.

And really, it’s not so much about Stewart as it is about his boss and the people who enable Oliver Luck’s job. There is a wide-ranging financial component to all this and it’s interesting to think about and explore, particularly in its fluid state as the season progresses.

Luck has a lot to consider. Maybe he wants his “own guy.” If he’s a bottom line guy, then here’s something he’ll consider:

According to filings with the U.S. Department of Education last month, for the 2009-10 school year, West Virginia’s football revenue for 2009 was $29.47 million. That’s about $10 million more than six other Big East programs, and $7 million more than Pitt.

Of the Mountaineers’ total revenue 2009-10 of $62.03 million, football provided 47.5 percent of that (men’s basketball 21.5 percent).

Watch Stewart if you want, but I think the guy to focus on is Luck. His call is bigger than any that Stewart and his staff might make in the next month.

Meghan Lewis strikes back

by Mike Casazza

WVU’s women’s soccer team — criminally underpublicized, by the way … and yes, I’m one to blame — won its 12th straight match Sunday and its second Big East Tournament title.

You’d like to say the Mountaineers are without a blemish since a scoreless draw Sept. 26 against Sunday’s victim, USF, but Meghan Lewis would probably disagree.

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Friday Feedback

November 5, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Welcome to the Friday Feedback, which does what it does and isn’t interested in showing people all the things it can’t do. You think about that. It must be basketball season!

I go into tonight’s exhibition/Jonnie West reunion special fully aware I’ll come out with nothing too relevant, but I want to get an eyeful. Bob Huggins had one of those “That doesn’t make any sense … except it makes total sense” statements yesterday. “We’re not as tall this year, but we are bigger.”

(3, 2, 1 …) WVU lacks the height and reach of Devin Ebanks to guard and rebound. Gone is the the vertical ability of Wellington Smith near the basket. The Mountaineers will miss Da’Sean Butler under the basket. He wasn’t really athletic or long or tall, but he did have a knack for finding the ball in crowds on offense and defense.

Stepping forward: 6-8, 260-pound Kevin Jones and Danny Jennings and 6-9, 270-pound Deniz Kilicli.

True, they all played last year, but the latter two will play far more this season. They’ve got wider, more massive bodies that Huggins hasn’t featured at WVU and I’m interested to see how they play and how the team plays around them. I can’t imagine, for example, the 1-3-1 will be as reliable, but I suppose that’s what exhibitions are for.

I’m also watching the situation in the backcourt and the stats for when Truck/Mazzulla play together, the new and improved John Flowers, freshman Kevin Noreen’s game and who has treadmill legs.

The Mountaineers have to get ready in a hurry because, while not filled with the big names of the past, the non-conference schedule is actually very tough. I wonder who has a better lineup of mid-major opponents than Oakland, Davidson,VMI, American, Robert Morris, Cleveland State, and Duquesne. Some good teams and players in that mix and people will expect WVU to stroll because, well, it’s WVU.

Did you forget about football? I think it’s a good week for an open week. There’s no result this week to support or take down the past two and, truth be told, people do get a little tired of talking about or listening to bad news. They need something new and, for that reason alone, Nov. 13 can’t come fast enough. Good week for those Mountaineers.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, pay attention to detail … or not.

Yackety Sax said:

Miss me?

So glad you’re back.

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This is what happens when you use your bench

November 4, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Today was our finest hour in the WVU sports chat. I insisted more people take the bats off their shoulders. I went to the bench for more input from the audience. The people listened and we had more questions from a greater number of inquisitors.

The result? You make the call.

Bill Stewart will not cash in the towel

by Mike Casazza

My soccer match experience was dotted with texts and emails from people trying to describe Bill Stewart’s radio show last night. I didn’t listen and — sorry — never do, so I can’t say what happened. But, man, there were some interesting adjectives and descriptions, like reverence for waves and something about a towel.

And now there’s a transcript with some equally interesting excerpts that include “totally” disagreeing with callers, reminders Stewart pledged to step down if he wasn’t performing and an admission the offense has lacked an identity. Enjoy.

 And keep it in mind for our 2 p.m. chat.