If by chance you haven’t heard, rising junior guard Noah Cottrill, who last July committed to WVU basketball’s class of 2010, is leaving Poca High and will play his final two seasons at Mountain State Academy. It’s a pretty interesting decision, though one that has a lot of people talking and, well, fuming.
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Robert Sands is out there.
“I put fear in their hearts,” Sands said. “When I was in high school, my coaches told me the first two minutes of every quarter, make sure you put fear into the receiver’s heart. Always hit them. Don’t go for the pick. Hit them first. Once you put fear in their hearts, they always think, ‘He’s coming for the big hit. He’s not worried about the ball.’ Then the receivers get alligator arms and that’s when you go for the pick and try to score.”
So the University Chapter of the WVU Alumni Association was looking for a guest and someone asked who might be a good guest. The reason, I suppose, was that the crew thought head coach might be a little too busy, you know, preparing for the season. Either that or … well … refer to the headline.
Nevertheless, unimpeachable sources tell me Bill Stewart will be the special guest speaker at the Countdown to Kickoff. That makes it a gala.
I can hear you now: Mike, how do I register?
Proceed to the jump.
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Something about junior college players always seems to intrigue me. More often than not, there’s a good story behind a player’s decision to go juco. It’s usually a matter of academics and that he couldn’t qualify where he committed. Even then, there’s often a side story.
Maybe a kid really wanted to get into that Division I school and decided juco was a worthy sacrifice to one day live his dream. Maybe he had a bunch of offers, but didn’t want to settle on D-II or low D-I. Maybe he wasn’t being recruited at the position he wanted to play or maybe he was injured and juco was a proving ground.
There’s always something and it’s always a neat story. WVU’s Zach Hulce is another example.
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I ask because I know what it looks and sounds like. It was one of the signature plays from Saturday’s scrimmage as running back Terence Kerns and safety Robert Sands, two of the most impressive freshmen in preseason camp, met in a goal line drill.
It wasn’t merely a meeting. It was a collision. A car wreck. They both met at the line of scrimmage. They both hit hard. They both fell. Heads turned, teammates yelped and pens scribbled on note pads.
Kerns had already dashed 41 yards once in this scrimmage and showed his toughness at other moments, seemingly seeking out defensive backs to run over.
“I like to get the hit on them before they can get it on me,†Kerns explained.
This time, though, the back was free safety Robert Sands, an angular 6-feet, 4-inches tall with a wingspan that never has been measured but really need not be, considering it stretches from Morgantown to Fairmont.
Kerns closed into the hole and squared up on Sands, dipping lower than the running back and stopping him dead in his tracks, standing him straight up.
Symbolically, it was the merging of a pair of budding Mountaineer stars.
“Back in high school, I used to play in the box and I was used to taking on big backs like that, so it wasn’t any big deal with me,†Sands explained.
Monday’s press conference was bizarre, to say the least, in that Bill Stewart came to the press conference with a purpose. He opened with an unprompted, though impassioned testimonial likely aimed at setting a tone for the second week of preseason practice.
Here and just about everywhere else, people have wondered if perhaps Stewart is too optimistic and that it might have an effect on the players. Stewart would like you to think otherwise.
“People say, ‘Geez, he’s so positive. He’s an optimist,'” Stewart said. “No. I’m not a pessimist, but I’m a realist.
“If someone does well, he will be told that. If someone doesn’t do well, he will be told that. If he doesn’t like that, he will be shown the door.
“So all this ‘Sunny Bill Stewart’ or ‘Welcome to Mr. Rogers’ neighborhood,’ I’m telling you I’m in control of my attitude. That’s my right. You may not like that, but you know what? I don’t care what you think.”
Edgy! Never fear: He’s gotten that point across to his players already.Â
Junior college cornerback Chaz Russell, who committed to WVU Monday, visited Memphis Friday and took time to do an interview in the airport. He’ll introduce himself to the Mountaineers when he arrives this weekend, but we already know from the interview he’s a confident fella.
“I’m shutting down one side of the field pretty much. There’s no points on that side of the field.”
He immediately compared himself to all-pro cornerback Asante Samuel and was then pressed on his pledge to cut the field in half.
“I can promise that. Matter of fact, I can swear that. Ain’t nothing happening on that side of the field.”
Well, you’ve got to believe in yourself to play that position and play it well — and, of course, Russell believes he’ll do just that. Immediately eligible, he said the amount of time between his arrival and the first game is “more than enough” time to get ready.
By the way, what’s going on at the Memphis airport?
The Bob Fitzsimmons question has been answered. The Wheeling attorney donated his services to WVU as a gesture of loyalty and pride in that the lawsuit against P-Rod helped “unify the state.” I maintain Fitzsimmons — who beat the NFLPA on the behalf of former Steelers center Mike Webster’s estate — was the most intriguing character in the drama and his decision to work pro bono for the 468 hours of legal work solidifies that. Turns out he enjoyed his role, too.
Last year, Fitzsimmons was on the other side, helping former WVU basketball coach John Beilein mitigate his $2.5 million contract buyout clause after leaving the university prematurely – the same thing Rodriguez sought to do when he took the job as Michigan’s coach.
Through negotiations, Beilein was able to lower Beilein’s obligation to WVU to $1.5 million.
In the Rodriguez case, Fitzsimmons took the deposition of Mike Brown, Rodriguez’s agent, and revealed that Brown had been involved with a gambling radio show while working for a research company in Ohio County.
“It was a really fun experience,” Fitzsimmons said.
Mountaineers rifle coach Jon Hammond did his best in his worst event.
In what is purportedly Jon’s “worst†event, he shoots a 589! Unfortunately, I cannot confirm this information, but I am almost certain that this is a PERSONAL BEST for Jon!!! Despite a rather poor start, Jon came on strong. After a dismal first string of 95, Jon only dropped six of his final 400 points for a total of 589 (95, 98, 100, 99, and 99). Without speaking with him directly, I am going to attribute the poor start on nerves, but they quickly passed.
The WVU press release follows the jump.
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