By John Antonik for MSNsportsNET.com
July 17, 2003
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia University senior linebacker GRANT WILEY’s softball career is officially over. Last year Wiley played recreational league softball to give him something to do during evenings.
| |
 |
| |
Linebacker Grant Wiley's softball career is now officially over. (WVU Photo Services) |
|
However, the 6-foot-1, 230-pounder wasn’t too keen on legging out infield hits or racing down fly balls in the gap.
“I didn’t want to hurt myself, either pull a hamstring or twist an ankle trying to run the bases,” he said. “Then everyone was getting mad at me because I wasn’t running full speed so I was like whatever.”
It’s probably for the better.
Wiley is considered one of the nation’s top 100 players in one Internet poll and is a strong candidate to be drafted by an NFL team once the 2003 season is over. Wiley has already been named to the Bronko Nagurski and Lombardi Watch Lists, and he was the only West Virginia underclassmen named to the all-Big East first team last year.
News and Notes
College Football News.com ranks all of the nation’s Division I-A football coaches and the web site lists West Virginia’s RICH RODRIGUEZ 48th, one spot behind Florida’s Ron Zook. Also ranked were the nation’s top 100 players at all positions. WVU linebacker GRANT WILEY came in at 94th.
Surprisingly, College Football News.com lists the nation’s top 25 running backs and QUINCY WILSON is no where to be found.
Hmm.
When West Virginia coach RICH RODRIGUEZ talks to his players about his collegiate career, he often uses the 1982 Oklahoma game as a reference point.
“He talks about how their season went that year,” said linebacker Grant Wiley. “He mentioned when they played Oklahoma how their attitude was. He mostly refers to attitudes and team camaraderie when he talks about his playing career.”
According to Wiley, he believes there will be some subtle alterations to West Virginia’s 3-3 stack defense this year. Perhaps the biggest change will come at the top from defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel, who likes to pressure the quarterback.
“He likes to get after it,” said Wiley.
More Football 101 with Grant Wiley: According to the senior, if you’re new to football and you want to know what’s going on during the game, don’t watch the quarterback. Watch the guards. The guards tip off the play – whether it’s a run or a pass and which direction it’s going.
“You can tell by the way the guards lean which direction the play is going. If they’re heavy on their hands it’s going to be a run or if they are sitting back it is probably going to be a pass,” he said. “The guards will tell you.”
West Virginia’s new football strength and conditioning coach MIKE BARWIS noted that 103 Mountaineer players are back in town for second semester workouts this summer. “As far as I know, that’s the most that have ever been back at one time,” he said.
New York Jets tight end ANTHONY BECHT was in town visiting friends and family last weekend. Becht, who stopped by the Puskar Center to get in a quick workout, is expecting his first child in November. He is married to the former Deeann Gonzalez.
Becht’s New York Jets will square off against LANCE NIMMO’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tokyo on Saturday, August 2. Nimmo was a fourth round draft pick by the World Champion Buccaneers last spring and is beginning his rookie season in the NFL this fall.
Rising NFL star JERRY PORTER was also in Morgantown recently looking fit and ready to build on his 51-catch, nine-touchdown season of a year ago. Porter is in the last year of his current contract with the Oakland Raiders and could be in line for a substantial pay raise in the near future.
This and That
I ran into former Mountaineer assistant basketball coach RON BROWN, who was in town last weekend to observe the AAU Summer Jam Fest. Brown was a nine-year assistant on Gale Catlett’s staff at WVU before leaving to take over the head coaching job at Florida A&M.
Brown had several updates on former Mountaineer roundballers:
* Forward RICKY ROBINSON is living and playing basketball overseas
* Guards LAWRENCE POLLARD and SELDON JEFFERSON are teaching school in New York City
* Guard MIKE BOYD is working for New Jersey Department of Transportation and is living in Northern New Jersey
* Guard TRACY SHELTON is living and working in Northern Virginia
* Center WILFRED KIRKALDY is living and working on Long Island
* Forward TYRONE SHAW is living and working in the Washington, D.C. area
JILL POE, a West Virginia University graduate and the younger sister of WVU Sports Information Director SHELLY POE, was recently named head women’s basketball coach at St. Francis, Pa. Poe spent seven seasons as an assistant coach at Duquesne.
More fallout from the ACC’s raid of Big East: it now looks like other BCS Conferences are making moves to make it extremely difficult for its members to jump to ship. The Sporting News recently reported that the SEC is planning on instituting a buyout clause that could be as high as $15 million if a school chooses to leave.
All four of West Virginia’s basketball recruits are enrolled in summer school for the second semester. They are taking advantage of a recent NCAA rule change allowing student-athletes an opportunity to get a leg up on academics before practice starts in October.
Righthanded pitcher JEREMY CUMMINGS was recently promoted to Memphis where he is 1-1 with a 6.60 earned run average in three appearances for the St. Louis Cardinals Triple-A affiliate. A teammate of Cummings in Memphis is former Mountaineer third baseman SCOTT SEABOL, who is hitting .322 with 11 home runs in 43 games.
Also in Triple-A is former first round pick CHRIS ENOCHS, who is 3-1 with a 4.02 earned run average in 23 appearances for the Sacramento RiverCats, an Oakland A’s affiliate.
Ex-West Virginia pitcher CLAYTON EWEN is a member of the Washington Wild Things and is 1-2 with a 3.99 earned run average in nine appearances this season.
Others are beginning to take notice of women’s soccer coach NIKKI IZZO-BROWN’s strong recruiting efforts. Soccer Buzz.com recently rated West Virginia’s latest recruiting haul 18th in the country – the highest ranking ever for the Mountaineers. At the top of the list is Michigan Gatorade Player of the Year NICOLE CAUZILLO, who was a part of the U.S. Under-16 team.
West Virginia’s recruiting efforts were among four Big East schools rated in the top 25: Notre Dame’s ranked fifth, Connecticut’s 20th and Boston College’s 24th.
Former Syracuse football coach Dick MacPherson is the next scheduled lecturer in the DON NEHLEN Lecture Series. The MacPherson lecture will be held Wednesday, Sept. 17, at 7 pm at the Erickson Alumni Center. The public is invited to attend.
The 2002-03 Men’s Basketball highlight video “The Road Back” is now available in VHS and DVD format at the Mountaineer Ticket Office. Copies can be purchased by calling toll-free 1-800-WVU GAME.
Sports Publications Director JOE SWAN noted that the 2003 Mountaineer Football Guide will be available for sale early next week. Press guides can also be purchased at the Mountaineer Ticket by calling 1-800-WVU GAME.
