West Virginia Season Preview

Propelled by a surprising March run deep into the Big East and NCAA tournaments last season, expectations for the 2005-2006 West Virginia season, the most highly anticpiated WVU basketball season in a long time, are at a fever pitch in the Mountaineer state. Head coach John Beilein, a very well respected tactician for decades in basketball circles, and his West Virginia program held their national coming-out party last March and will look to capitalize on the increased media attention, national television exposure and the return of five experienced seniors to the roster.

With all the excitment of an NCAA tournament run to the elite 8, where only blowing a 20-pt lead in an overtime loss to Louisville kept WVU out of the final four, it can get lost a little in the shuffle that the Mountaineers were just 8-8 in the conference last season. In fact, on the morning of February 5th, the Mountaineers woke up with a 2-6 conference record and a recent loss to lowly Marshall, and found out that starting C D'or Fischer would not be able to go that afternoon against nationally ranked Pittsburgh, season looked to be slowly fading into another dissappointment.

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However, that afternoon, something happened. Kevin Pittsnogle, who had been averaging just 6 PPG and 14 minutes a game in Big East action would have to face the powerful Panther front line by himself, literally. Things did not start out well for WVU, quickly falling behind on their home court and trailing by 15 early in the second half, then, it clicked. Led by Pittsnogle's 27 points and spreading out the Panthers and launching 3-pt bombs by Patrick Beilein and Pittsnogle, long rebounds chased down by Joe Herber, key plays by Mike Gansey, flawless ball-handing by JD Collins and backdoor cuts by Tyrone Sally, WVU came from behind and pulled the upset over Pitt in overtime. The finished winning 5 of the next 7 in the conference, inlcuding a similar road victory at Pittsburgh just 18 days later. The Pittsburgh road victory and a 1st round Big East tournament win over Providence probably secured WVU of an NCAA bid, but they did not stop there in NYC, beating Boston College and Villanova before losing to Syracuse in the finals. Then, a thrilling 1st round NCAA tournament win over Creighton followed by a classic double overtime win over Wake Forest and a sweet 16 win over Texas Tech, the Mountaineers had captured the hearts of the country with their unselfish play, stories of being overlooked players beating the giants of college basketball with a coach that had paid his dues along the way as a head coach at the JUCO level, Division III, Division II and a few more lower level 1-A stops before getting the chance in the Big East. Then, with a 20 point lead and a chance for the final four, maybe the clock struck midnight...

Or, maybe not! West Virginia and coach Beilein welcome back Pittsnogle, Gansey, Herber, Collins and Patrick Beilein, all seniors, along with junior Frank Young who became very important late in the season and sophomore Darris Nichols to give them a returning nucleus of seven of their top nine players from last season. The also welcome 7'0 Penn St transfer Rob Summers and a pair of recruits, Joe Alexander and Alex Ruoff to the team for an exciting time at WVU.

There are some losses, important losses, from last year's team. Led by Tyrone Sally, the Mountaineer's leading scorer last year at 12.2 PPG. Sally was a versatile and athletic player that could play on the wing or inside and had the length and athletic ability to cause some havoc defensively in their 1-3-1 scheme. Replacing him might prove to be a little more difficult than some assume. Also graduating was D'or Fischer, a 6'10 post player that turned in a very solid 2-year career for WVU. He mostly found himself as Pittsnogle's back-up during the late season surge, but he was still second on the team in rebounding and easily led the team in blocks. He allowed coach Beilein to go with some offensive and defensive strategy late in games and was the only consistent source of post defense and rebounding. WVU also saw Luke Bonner and Brad Byerson opt to look elsewhere for their futures. Both would have been a source of depth for this season, something that they do have little of.

JD Collins and Darris Nichols return to run the point for coach Beilein and WVU. Neither is much of a scorer, combining for 40 minutes a game last season, they averaged just a combined 6.8 PPG, shooting less than 40% from the floor and 33% from beyond the arc, but they were 100% pass first guards that kept the Mountaineer offense running smoothly, something that an outside observer will certainly gloss over. They played their roles on defense and distributing the ball to the players in position for them to succeed. Too often, casual observers only worry about stats and individual production, these two worry about wins. Not too many teams will have their point guard position average JUST 2.3 turnovers a game total for the position. They combined for 5.1 assists for an assist to turnover ratio of 2.2 to one! Collins hit some big shots throughout the season and Nichols proved invaluable in overtime against Wake Forest after Collins fouled out, so both can not be overlooked as players willing to step up and make a difference.

You probably will not find a pair of wings with a higher basketball IQ than Joe Herber and Mike Gansey anywhere in the conference or the country for that matter. Gansey played two seasons at St Bonaventure and left after an academic scandal rocked the small campus and landed with Beilein and WVU. It took a little time for Gansey to adjust to the play in the conference, but once he did, he became one of the league's better players. He finished the season as their second leading scorer at 12 PPG and led WVU (at just 6'4!) in rebounding with 5.1. He also led the team in steals and averaged 2.9 assists per game. He hit the winning FT against Villanova in the Big East tournament and exploded on the national scene with his 29-pt performance, including clutch play against Wake Forest. Gansey's stock rose so high that he earned a spot on the USA Under-21 team that competed in the World University Games. Along side him is another do-everything player in Joe Herber. Herber played for his native Germany in the same World University Games and is a stat sheet stuffer. he is always good for 8-10 points, 4-5 rebounds 3-4 assists a coupel steals and some excellent defense with some great hands in the passing lanes. Their experience will make them a tough duo in all facets of the game.

The need for some athletic creativity on offense will fall on the shoulders of Frank Young this season. Young will be first in line to replace Sally and he did very well in that role in the Big East tournament when Sally went down with a stomach ailment. Young stepped in and scored 14 against BC and 12 against Villanova in an emergency role. He was pretty much a forgotton man for much of the seaosn, but once he found the range from beyond the arc, his confidence rose and he became a very solid contributer for WVU. A pair of freshmen, Joe Alexander and Alex Ruoff, will also factor in the mix. Alexander is a very athletic wing that played on the loaded Hargrave Military Academy team last year. He could provide some early minutes. Ruoff is a tall wing that likes to shoot it from deep. The Florida native gives WVU another top shooting option on the floor and his size will make him suited very well in the 1-3-1 zone defense WVU likes to use.

And, of course, Kevin Pittsnogle returns. The 6'11 mad bomber has one of the best shooting touches for a big man you will ever see. When he can spot up and set his feet, it is surprising when it does not go in, almost shocking! Pittsnogle averaged nearly 12 minutes and 3.7 rebounds last year, in under 20 minutes a contest. During the WVU run, starting with the first Pittsburgh game, Pittsnogle averaged closer to 17 PPG. He will not rebound or block many shots, but he will not just sit behind the 3-pt land. Only 41% of his made field goals were from beyond the arc and he attemped 55% of his shots inside the 3-pt line, but it only seems like he is a mad bomber from beyond the arc. He is a deadly face-up shooter from anywhere and will show some other moves in set plays as well. he will not create much, but he will take advantage of a small opening and bury a shot with anyone in his face. Instead of teaming with Fischer this year, Rob Summers, a 7'0 PSU transfer will have to do. Summers is not the shot blocker or rebounding presence that Fischer was. He averaged less than 4 PPG and 4 rebounds in about 22 minutes a game in 2 years at Penn St. He will need to get a lot more physical and assertive on the glass and on defense to fill the important shoes of D'or Fischer this season. Rebounding and interior defense is going to be major keys for WVU this year and it should be a concern at this point.

This is an interesting season for West Virginia. They will not be able to sneak up and surprise anyone, the cat is out of the bag and more teams will be aware of the things they like to do and try to take them out of their comfort zone. However, they have the experience to fight through that adversity. They also do not beat themselves, they do not turn the ball over and they hit thieir free throws at great rates. They way they like to shoot the 3-pt shot and are willing to depend on it keeps them in almost any game and can see them cut a defecit considerably in a short period of time.

The Big East was not overly taxing to them, scheduling Cincinnati, Georgetown and Pittsburgh as their mirror games. Connecticut and Louisville also have to come to the Coliseum to play, which, when things are going well for WVU is one of the toughest venues to play for an opposition as the home fans are very intense. The road schedule has more than its share of winnable games. They have also upgraded on their out of conference schedule with a slot in the very tough Guardians Classic and a trip to LSU. Added television exposure means a lot is expected of WVU this season.

I do feel that WVU, with their experience, is going to deliver this season. You have to like a team that is unselfish, experienced and does not beat themselves. They showed last year they can bounce back from some tough lows and regain their focus. Confidence will be a big issue with the team, but their experience should help them stay on a more even keel than most teams. I do think teams will attack them a little differently and their rebounding and interior defense does bother me, but their are less and less in terms of teams that concentrate in those areas that can take advantage of it. I think this is a very solid 10-win conference team, I do not think they will stray too far from that mark, a cold spell shooting could damage this prediction, but, I feel they are a solid team here, not quite the upside of the teams left to cover, but a very safe team to rely on.

Projected Big East Record: 10-6