Hoop Observations
November 07, 2006 10:31 AM | General
November 5, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- Johnny Antonik, the Internet guru that is MSNSportsNET.com, dropped me an email on Monday.
 |
||
| Joe Alexander's rim rattling dunks will get people off their feet at the Coliseum, but will it mean more wins for the Mountaineers in 2006-07?.
All-Pro Photography Dale/Sparks |
“Tony, we need a column this week big boy -- give me something for the hoop fans.”
I was tempted to send him 350 words on flat sales in the Hula Hoop market but chances are Johnny wouldn’t find the humor in it, although John is a humorous, fun-loving guy and perhaps the most under-appreciated athlete in the history of Magnolia High School. At least, that’s what he tells me.
Oh, yeah, the hoop team.
Several observations come to mind after watching WVU and the Fighting Falcons of Fairmont State get together for a Sunday evening of exhibition.
The Mountaineers will record more dunks by December 30th of this year than the last two seasons combined. Joe Alexander may have more dunks than the entire team did the last two seasons. The point is that this year’s crop of players is much more athletic.
However, take a long pause because this is a big however: the ‘older, slower,’ version of yesteryear just knew how to play the game so well.
You ever get into a pick-up game with a bunch of old guys with beer guts wearing Chuck Taylor’s. You and your buddies snicker as they ask who wants to take the ball out. You’re thinking, “Go ahead, take it out, it’s going to be the last time you touch it.”
About 14 minutes later, you’re thinking how in the heck are these guys beating us to death? They can’t move, but they shoot like snipers and make passes like Paris Hilton.
Such is the dilemma facing this year’s Mountaineer team. They look prettier than the old model, but simply lack the invaluable commodity known as experience. Unfortunately, that only comes from playing real games and even more unfortunately, you really don’t maximize the learning process unless you lose.
Here is a stat dug up by the statistician of statistician’s Mark DeVault: since World War II only two teams in Mountaineer basketball history have entered a year with less previous scoring experience: the 1999 team with 488 points and the 1973 team with 231 points.
The players on this year’s roster managed a total of only 634 points last year.
Oh, I can hear you howling now … Why, that’s, that’s, that’s -- go ahead and say it -- that’s, BASKETBALL BLASHPHEMY.
If you’re in the camp that nothing good ever comes from losing, then you’ll never get this concept. However, for you members of the jury still with me, please direct your attention to the record book where we’ll submit the following:
Those defeats were painful when they occurred, but invaluable as time passed. Losing like that ignited the desire of that group to learn how to win.
John Beilein’s team only had seven scholarship players his first season. I don’t compare this year’s team with that first group, however, it’s probably similar to Beilein’s second season when they consistently improved and earned a berth to the NIT.
Just how quickly will this year’s team learn the nuances of the Beilein system? How quickly will they learn that individual sacrifices must be made for the team as a whole to succeed? How will they bounce back from a double-digit pounding?
These are the questions that will ultimately determine this team’s success.
Yes, they can dunk and they do have the ingredients for success. But, the real highlights won’t come until they learn how to deal with some of the lowlights that await them.
