Sifting through some of WVU Director of Athletics SHANE LYONS' remarks during his hour-long visit with the media earlier this week …
 
Lyons recently returned to Morgantown following two days of meetings in New Orleans with the other nine Big 12 athletic directors.
 
Among the many discussions they had, one topic that continues to catch Lyons' attention is another prominent lawsuit currently working its way through the court system. This would be the Martin Jenkins legal proceeding being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the same court that presided over the Ed O'Bannon case.
 
Jenkins is arguing that the NCAA and its member schools, conferences and affiliated organizations have unlawfully conspired to cap the value of athletic scholarships to just tuition, room, board, books and fees.
 
If the suit is successful it could upend the NCAA's long-standing tradition of amateurism.
 
Arguing on behalf of Jenkins are well-known sports attorneys Jeffrey Kessler and David Greenspan.
 
Kessler is regarded as one of the top antitrust attorneys in the country, the New York City native once handling the McNeil vs. the NFL case, which led to the establishment of free agency in the National Football League.
 
"What's continued to be talked about is free market and what that means for college athletics," Lyons said. "The thing you have to focus on is if something would happen in that regard, how does that change what we're doing as an institution?
 
"How does that change Olympic sports? What people aren't really talking about is if that happens … we're the training ground for the Olympic sports programs and the Olympics in general. Seventy-some percent of Olympians come from college institutions and another 20 percent from that we're training for international competitions. What happens? That is a big-picture issue and nobody has a crystal ball that you can look in to."
 
Lyons said collegiate athletic departments industry wide spend "about $2 billion dollars a year" in training Olympic sports athletes in all levels in Division I, Division II and Division III.
 
"This (lawsuit) has a lot of people thinking from a sport-program standpoint, what does that mean in the future for college athletics as this case continues to evolve?"
 
Lyons also touched on the "cord-cutting" phenomenon that continues to see cable television subscribers dropping at an alarming rate.
 
In the first quarter of 2017, the pay TV industry lost another 762,000 subscribers, according to the Business Insider. Recode senior media editor Peter Kafka called the drop a "historically horrible number."
 
"If technology keeps advancing, what is that going to look like three years, five years from now?" Lyons said. "I think we can now all sit back and say, 'Is a (conference) TV network the right thing? Our consultants have told us to pump the brakes a little bit and not be too overzealous because they are not sure the (conference) networks are going to be the same three to five years down the road as they are today.
 
"It's still being researched and talked about among our television partners of where this is headed, but I have an 18-year-old and a 14-year-old and they don't watch TV. They watch their phones," Lyons continued. "I have 60-inch TVs in my house and they walk around watching their five-inch screens. They sit at the table with it; they carry it around; they have their headphones in so that's our future. Old people like me, I turn on the TV. I can't even see (a TV screen) to begin with, let alone look at a five-inch screen.
 
"What does that mean? Where do the Amazons, the Googles, the Netflixs of the world come in?
 
Those are questions with which athletic directors across the country continue to struggle.
 
More notes to get your week started …
 
* Lyons said he was very pleased with the unprecedented success his athletic department enjoyed last year, but he doesn't want it to be a "one-year anomaly."
 
"How do we continue to build?" Lyons said. "We break into the top 20 in the preseason (college football coaches' poll), how do we continue to finish in the top 20, or the top 10? How do we continue to finish in the top five and compete at that level?
 
"It's having that vision, working together and thinking, 'Why not?' My theory is if you've got to think, why not think big? That's what we need to do. We need everybody together to support our programs across the board."
 
He continued, "If you live this business like I do, to win championships is very, very difficult. You have to have the right shot go in, the ball to bounce the right way and there is some luck associated with it. We were right there in men's basketball. In football Dana (Holgorsen) did a great job. Women's soccer was right there. What did they have, 20 shots on goal and the other team had seven or something and we end up losing?
 
"It's the breaks, and how do we start catching some of the breaks? How do we continue to build this program? That's what is exciting and that's what gets me up each and every day and that's the competitiveness in me saying, 'We can do this and why not West Virginia?'"
 
* The director noted that having "10 to 15 percent" in debt service is a reasonably comfortable place for athletic departments to be. Getting into the "20 to 25 percent" area in facility debt service is probably getting a little too high, he says.
 
"There is a balancing act that's associated with that and you have to look at what's coming off your books in debt service, what you're adding back on and continue to balance that," he said. "But (facility improvements) are not something you can slow down. If you start slowing down you are going to get behind.
 
"For our fans that have had the ability to travel within the Big 12 and see what we're competing against … there's some great facilities (in this league). Not that we don't have some here, but we can't just say ours is good enough and see what happens because we all know five years goes by in a flash. Now you're really behind."
 

* West Virginia is beginning a football season in the AP Top 25 for the 17^th time since 1953, the first time the Mountaineers cracked the preseason writers' poll. It is the third under veteran coach Dana Holgorsen.
 
Season-opening foe Virginia Tech begins the year ranked No. 22.
 
* In ESPN.com college basketball writer MYRON MEDCALF's "way too early top 25" he has West Virginia slotted No. 8.
 
Medcalf writes, "Last season, the West Virginia Mountaineers forced turnovers on 27.6 percent of their opponents' possessions. They neutralized more than one-quarter, on average, of an opposing team's trips down the floor. That harassment won't stop in 2017-18. Jevon Carter (13.5 PPG, 39 percent from the 3-point line), a candidate for Big 12 Player of the Year, tested the NBA waters but quickly announced his return to Morgantown. Esa Ahmad, Daxter Miles Jr. and a fleet of durable reserves will help West Virginia maintain its identity as a swarming unit that gobbles offensive boards like french fries and makes opponents feel like they're trapped in a hurricane."
 
Here is the link: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/20360600/marvin-bagley-iii-duke-blue-devils-jump-arizona-wildcats-no-1-way-too-early-top-25
 
* Very exciting news late last week with the announced construction of the Mountaineer Center currently underway out at Mylan Park.
 
The estimated $40 million facility will be the future home to WVU men's and women's swimming and diving, women's track and field and women's cross country. This will also serve as a first-class venue for prep sports and community recreation.
 
The entire complex is being termed a "wellness center" for Monongalia County and is touted as one of the premier facilities of its kind in the region.
 
I think back to my first year as a WVU student living in Morgantown in 1986 and the only recreational option at the time was Stansbury Hall, so it's truly amazing how much progress this city has made in the last 30 years.
 
Now, about those roads …
 

* It's unbelievable how much bad luck MIKE CAREY has had with preseason injuries. Last week, star guard TYNICE MARTIN announced she will be on the shelf until at least November following a foot injury sustained at the USA U23 National Team Trials being held out in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
 
It seems like just about every year Carey has had to deal with something like this, yet he still continues to produce 20-win seasons and NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
Carey's Mountaineers have reached NCAA Tournament play seven of the last eight years.
 
* Speaking of injuries, veteran men's soccer coach MARLON LEBLANC is dealing with the loss of his top player, senior midfielder JOEY PIATCZYC, to a preseason knee injury. The Mountaineers, recently predicted to finish second in the Mid-American Conference, will open the regular season on Friday, Aug. 25, at California.
 
West Virginia's home opener is Friday, Sept. 1, against Wright State.
 
* Former Mountaineer men's soccer standout JACK ELLIOTT is having a tremendous rookie season with the Philadelphia Union. In fact, the defender is playing so well that many, including his coach, believe he is worthy of rookie of the year consideration:
 
https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/07/30/jack-elliott-worthy-rookie-year-consideration-curtin-says
 
* Last week was sort of a dead week for WVU football news with the start of the fall semester last Wednesday, but news will pick up again tomorrow when coach DANA HOLGORSEN, assistant coaches and select players are scheduled to visit with the media.
 
West Virginia begins its regular media schedule next week with Holgorsen's participation on the Big 12 coaches' teleconference on Monday, followed by his weekly Tuesday afternoon news conference.
 
You can catch Holgorsen's Tuesday pressers once again this year on AT&T SportsNet, formerly known as ROOT Sports, on Tuesday evenings at 5:30 p.m.
 
AT&T SportsNet will also carry West Virginia's game against Delaware State played at Milan Puskar Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 16, at noon.
 

* Our TONY CARIDI will be in his native Lockport, New York, this Thursday to take part in Lockport High School's Distinguished Alumni ceremony, presented by the LHS Foundation.
 
Tony will be one of nine Lockport graduates recognized for their career achievements.
 
This year's recipients include an astronaut, an expert in the field of genetics, an accomplished musician, an author and an innovator in the adult health care field.
 
That's some mighty fine company our mighty fine broadcaster is keeping these days.
 
Congratulations, Tony!
 
* Sticking with distinguished broadcasters, if you happen to be in the New York City metro area and you are listening to New York Jets preseason coverage on 98.7, WEPN-FM, ESPN New York, that voice you are hearing analyzing the action is none other than former Mountaineer tight end ANTHONY BECHT.
 
Anthony is filling in for regular analyst Marty Lyons, who is still recovering from a mid-summer stroke but is expected back in the booth for regular season action.
 
Anthony is working the Jets broadcasts with veteran play-by-play man Bob Wischusen, whose work may be more familiar to you on ESPN describing college basketball.
 
In addition to offering pre- and post-game analysis on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Radio Network, Becht will continue to analyze college football games on Saturdays for ESPN and ABC. He will be paired with Beth Mowins and Rocky Boiman.
 
* And finally, former Mountaineer JEDD GYORKO slugged his 17^th of the season, against Pittsburgh last night in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Jedd is now four home runs shy of 100 for his Major League career.
 
Have a great week!