Turkey Bound
August 03, 2005 02:06 PM | General
August 3, 2005
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Nine months ago Mike Gansey was feeling his way through his first college basketball season at West Virginia University. Today, he is one of 12 players selected to represent the United States in the World University Games to be played in Izmir, Turkey, Aug. 12-22.
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| Mike Gansey is one of 12 players representing the United States in the World University Games to be played in Izmir, Turkey, Aug. 12-22.
Kevin Kinder/Blue & Gold News photo |
In between, the 6-foot-4-inch senior forward helped lead West Virginia to the championship game of the Big East tournament and the school’s best NCAA tournament run in 46 years advancing all the way to the Elite Eight.
“It’s been unbelievable. To play here with the top guys in the country and to do what we did in the tournament, it’s been a year that I will never forget for the rest of my life,” said Gansey.
In addition to Gansey, the 12-member team is made up of Matt Haryasz and Chris Hernandez of Stanford, Greg Brunner (Iowa), Randy Foye (Villanova), Gerry McNamara (Syracuse), Vincent Grier (Minnesota), Eric Hicks (Cincinnati), Bobby Jones (Washington), Craig Smith (Boston College), Patrick Sparks (Kentucky) and Shelden Williams (Duke).
Smith, McNamara and Williams each earned All-America honors in 2005.
Gansey averaged 12 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 2005 for WVU, scoring a career-high 29 points in a two-overtime victory over Wake Forest in the NCAA tournament second round. He shot 49.8 percent from the floor including 34.6 percent from three-point distance.
The USA World University Games players and coaches were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Collegiate Committee chaired by Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim. Other members of the committee include Michigan State coach Tom Izzo, Oregon coach Ernie Kent and Kentucky coach Tubby Smith.
The team is coached by Villanova’s Jay Wright and his assistants are VCU head coach Jeff Capel and Manhattan head coach Bobby Gonzales.
“We’re very excited to finish trials and to have a team that can now focus on playing against somebody else and go to the World University Games and experience that,” said Wright. “I can tell these guys are really looking forward to the trip and to the competition.”
Gansey thought he played pretty well in the scrimmages and games leading up to the team’s final selection.
“Obviously if we had 20 guys here it would be a lot tougher to make it,” he admitted. “Unfortunately two had to go home but I’m real happy I made the team and I’m excited to play with these guys for another couple of weeks.
“I just kind of played my game. I thought I played well and that was able to get me a spot on this team.”
Gansey says Wright plays a much different system than the one he’s accustomed to running at West Virginia.
“At West Virginia we play a little zone and take care of the ball where here it’s just run. It’s a different and it’s hard learning a different system in a week but I’m starting to get a grasp on it every day and it seems like every single day I get better at it,” he said.
Gansey says he is mostly playing the small forward and off-guard positions.
The U.S. team will continue to train in Colorado Springs for the rest of this week before departing for Turkey on Friday, Aug. 5. The USA squad will then continue workouts in Turkey, Aug. 7-10 before taking on Iran in its first game on Friday, Aug. 12.
Team USA is playing in preliminary group F, which is also comprised of Slovakia and Germany. WVU teammate Joe Herber is a member of the German National Team and will face Team USA on Monday, Aug. 14.
“It will be cool,” remarked Gansey of going up against his college teammate. “I hope they get a picture of me guarding him. He’ll try and flop on me or something but it’ll be fun just to see him.”
The Olmstead Falls, Ohio, native says he hopes to get an opportunity to spend some time with Herber when the two aren't playing games.
“I heard when we go there it will be in a little village so I’ll be able to hang out with him a little bit,” he said.
According to Gansey, having two athletes competing in the 32-nation event is a high honor for West Virginia University and the Mountaineer basketball program.
“It shows how well Coach Beilein helps us become great players and our hard work has really paid off,” he said. “It’s really cool when you can say two West Virginia guys are playing in the World University Games.
“It’s pretty special.”
The USA men have dominated WUG competition in the past compiling a 119-17 overall record and medaling in all 17 games they have participated in. Team USA’s streak of six straight gold medals was snapped by China in 2001.
