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

It seems Ebanks inks an agent

May 5, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Jeff Goodman reports — per sources, and he’s never wrong with regard to WVU — Ebanks will sign with Andy Miller. This was as expected, too, because these two have been mentioned together for quite some time, but Devin didn’t want to talk about his representation last night.

Still, it wasn’t long ago one did not know much about the other.

The rumors of a player/agent relationship never die. West Virginia sophomore Devin Ebanks was rumored to be locked with Miller. Both vehemently deny there is any relationship.

“I’ve heard of him, but never met him,” Ebanks said. “I know runners work for agents and an agency and they’re trying to get kids to make an early commitment to sign with an agent. But I haven’t seen it firsthand.”

“It’s an urban myth,” Miller said. “I’ve never met Devin Ebanks. I don’t have an advisory role and never advised him about West Virginia. That’s an urban legend. There’s no reality to it.”

Big Ten + ? continues to make life interesting for WVU

by Mike Casazza

That conference up north, which may destroy the Big East in the future and in the past has come to WVU for coaches, refreshed its interest in tormenting the Mountaineers last week. Penn State requested and was granted permission to speak with men’s soccer coach Marlon LeBlanc about the same position in Happy Valley.

Neither Pastilong nor Hawes, who oversees WVU’s Olympic sports, knew of any discussions between LeBlanc and Penn State. LeBlanc declined comment and wouldn’t confirm the details or the existence of any interaction with the Nittany Lions.

“Really at this point all I’m aware of is they have permission to talk to him,” said Hawes, who was contacted by the chair of PSU’s search committee. “As far as any negotiations or any other type of activity, I don’t know anything about that.”

Pastilong said he hasn’t spoken with LeBlanc or PSU. Hawes said while she and LeBlanc speak regularly, the opening in State College, Pa., has never been part of their conversation.

LeBlanc was a player and assistant coach at PSU … so this is at least worrisome for WVU.

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Ebanks officially gone … as is Jonnie West

May 4, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Two stories spill out of tonight’s end-of-the-year basketball banquet.

Where they are now

by Mike Casazza

Lost in the March madness — and this is entirely my fault — was the fact the first WVU basketball commit for the Class of 2012, Elijah Macon, became the first to de-commit. He could still end up at WVU, but after a nice junior season attention came from Xavier, Ohio State and UCLA, among others, and Macon decided he’d look around a bit.  Not sure how WVU feels about that, but we’ll see. 

Two other 2011 commits won’t play for WVU after opting out and heading elsewhere.

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Izzy does it

by Mike Casazza

The draft and post-draft process wasn’t very kind to WVU. Selvish Capers was drafted in the seventh round and Alric Arnett and Jarrett Borwn were the only undrafted free agents to sign — and Brown didn’t have the gretest debut in the 49ers rookie camp.

Good news arrived Tuesday, though, in the somewhat unexpected form of Greg Isdaner.

A lot to be said, but not much being said about AD search

by Mike Casazza

Part of me doesn’t like the tight lid being kept on WVU’s search for it’s next athletic director. Nothing against those keeping this thing under wraps. It’s just that I’ve always like to find little leaks and tap them for valuable information … but that’s just me doing this job.

Another part of me finds the secrecy kind of commendable. There’s a lot happening, but there’s just not a lot emanating from within the parameters of the search. As far as WVU is concerned, that’s terrific.

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Tonight’s top 10 list from the home office on Prospect Ave.

May 3, 2010 by Mike Casazza

The Daily Athenaeum goes top 10 with the spring review. Discuss and dissect accordingly.

Darwin Cook wants to be somebody

by Mike Casazza

Just about the most grounded, most loaded compliment for a redshirt freshman new to his position — “college football isn’t interested in 5-foot-11, 179-pound defensive ends” — is that he wants to be somebody. Despite inexperience in college and in a new spot, it means the player gets it and understands not just what he has to do, but that he can do it.

This is what safeties caoch Steve Dunlap has to say about Darwin Cook, the head-turning defensive back from Cleveland’s Shaw High (also gave WVU Will Thomas). For now, Cook is a backup to Sidney Glover, who has moved from spur to bandit, which not only makes themost of Glover’s talents, but creates a way to get Terence Garvin on the field at spur. Cook being considered the future at bandit, the somebody he wants to be is Glover — and he’s taking the task seriously.

“I model myself after Sidney,” he explained, referring to hard-hitting Sidney Glover, the senior starter at the position. “They told me to watch him and do what he does. Well, he likes karaoke. Now I’m doing it just like him.”

Clements past v. Clements future

by Mike Casazza

WVU will open the 2014 season against the Towson / quick google search / TIGERS!

Towson, in Baltimore’s suburbs, has an NCAA Football Championship Subdivision program as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Tigers’ next five schedules include games at major foes Indiana, neighboring Maryland, Kent State, Connecticut and WVU. They faced Navy and Northwestern the past two seasons.

While there’s been no word from WVU on the game, the Towson news release on future scheduling says, “Dr. Clements played a key role in scheduling the Towson-West Virginia game.”

Towson was outscored 402-148 last year — and 267-76 in the first half, something not cured during the spring game — while being outgained on the ground and through the air. The Tigers committed 34 turnovers and lost 18 and finished, not surprisingly, 2-9. That said, they played a truly tough schedule in the CAA alone.

There’s a point here, honest, and it goes beyond me reeling in the Baltimore demographic. The Towson game leaves WVU with the following schedule openings.

2011: One home game (FBS, probably non-BCS league)
2012: One home (FCS), one road game (FBS, probably non-BCS)
2013: One home game (FBS, probably non BCS-league) 
2014: One home (FCS) and one road game (FBS, probably BCS league)
2015: Two home (FCS, FBS BCS league) and one road (FBS non-BCS league)

There’s a gigantic buffalo in the room, of course, and that school could fill a hole in 2013-15. This  is where I’d normally ask you to fill the vacancies, but it’s nearly impossible when you don’t know, for example, if Rutgers will be a part of the schedule as a regular Big East opponent or an option as a non-conference series.

Friday Feedback

April 30, 2010 by Mike Casazza

Welcome, to the Friday Feedback, which had a decision to make: Gold-Blue Game or Willie Nelson? Well, a coin was flipped and the night is planned. I’ll probably never tell which won … but if you’ve got the money, I’ve got the time.

Looks like the weather will cooperate for the first Friday-night spring game so there are just a few other things to monitor. Some have to do with the actual game.

Five concerns

1) Center, RG, RT
2) Second cornerback
3) Second slot receiver
4) Nos. 6-7-8 on offensive line
5) Spur safety

Five curiosities

1) Shawne Alston/Daquan Hargrett
2) TE play
3) How to use The Poet
4) Pass rush from the defensive front
5) Depth on defense

I’m also curious about the crowd. The new toy appeal of the Friday-night thing may speak to many, but it may deter just as many from coming from far away to see the game after a normal day at work. The Mountaineers may have made some progress in the spring, but enough to inspire a large crowd? It may turn out fine. It might miss. I don’t know, but given the slightly lagging sales of season tickets, it’s something to monitor, especially since WVU absolutely plans to make this an annual thing.

Onto the Feedback. As always, comments appear as posted. In other words, mind your python.

Mack said:

Random question to chew on. WVU has a stadium that seats approximately 60,000 and if it stays relatively competitive, it will fill it up.

If WVU got left completely out of every conference and had no choice but to play as an independent… couldn’t it still survive?

Given that WVU usually draws well at its away games, travels well, and fills up its own stadium… wouldn’t teams like Pitt, USF, UConn (and I’m sure many others) be happy to play a home-and-home series with WVU? Obviously, LSU, Mississippi State, Maryland and others have been happy to schedule WVU when under no conference obligation to do so. Also, if WVU plays those games, they are likely to be televised by one national TV channel or another.

I understand that not being in a conference makes scheduling a lot more difficult, but my main question is whether this issue is exaggerated at all.

I read that the Big East gets $7 million annually for televising its games, which would break down to less than $1 million per school. I find it hard to believe that losing the $1 million from television would kill WVU football. If you factor in BCS money and bowl payouts, perhaps that is what kills WVU, but I would again have to think that some sort of alternative deal would be worked out.

This is interesting and it’s about the only angle that hasn’t been covered with much detail. The negative — and this presumes the BCS would continue to exist, in some form or by some name — is WVU wouldn’t have an association with the “BCS” or “TBA” mega bowls bowls or a map to a national championship. I think. WVU would also have to accept making far less money from football, which means giving less to other sports. Take away the mega bowl payday. Now pay seven guarantees for all the home games every year — right now, it’s three or four, depending on the number conference home games, which alternated between three and four every year. You even lose the revenue sharing as a conference member. Now there is money to be made off of television, as mentioned, but also in bidding out broadcast rights, but that’s another topic for another day … and in all honesty, it’s not a reality. Independence is, at the very least, fun to think about.

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