Senior Salute
February 28, 2006 02:33 PM | General
February 28, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Who could have imagined this night four short years ago? West Virginia University’s five seniors ended their careers at the WVU Coliseum in style Monday night with a thrilling 67-62 victory over No. 9 Pitt. The Mountaineers did so by leading the higher-ranked Panthers from wire to wire.
Consider what this fantastic group of seniors has accomplished so far:
Kevin Pittsnogle tried to put his lasting memories of his West Virginia experience into perspective after the game.
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| West Virginia's group of five seniors pose with their framed jerseys before the start of Monday's game against Pitt.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks |
“We came into this building with a win over Delaware State and we’re leaving it with a win against Pitt. Hopefully my two major memories of this building will be of winning,” Pittsnogle said.
Pittsnogle admits that when he came to WVU in the fall of 2002, he never would have imagined this team and this program coming so far.
“It has been a total 180 since we got here. We won 14 games the first year, 17 the second year and now we have won at least 20 the past two seasons. These last two seasons have been nothing but a lot of fun and hopefully we can keep it going,” Pittsnogle said.
J.D. Collins says that of all the memories he has made at WVU, running out onto the carpet to the cheers of thousands of fans is one thing he will always take with him.
“It is such a great tradition when the players come on the floor and run onto the carpet. I am just fortunate to have had the opportunity to have run out on it 100-some-odd times,” Collins said.
Collins, who had his mother, grandmother, and father in attendance, said that the atmosphere for his final home game is something he won’t soon forget.
“It was packed and the fans were so into it. It was just a great atmosphere tonight. The fans showed us how much they appreciated us by rushing the floor. We wanted to wave goodbye to them like we did last year but we never got the chance,” Collins said.
Patrick Beilein says that when his playing days are done, he will take pride knowing that he was a crucial part of the class that turned West Virginia basketball around.
“Our goal and expectation coming in as freshmen was to get this team and this program back to where it has to be and to try and make the NCAA Tournament. The way we have come out and won over these last two years has just been amazing. This is the best time of my life and I’ll never forget it,” Beilein said.
Senior guard Joe Herber talked about his legacy at WVU.
“I would like to be remembered as a hard-nosed player, a good teammate, and a guy that always put the team before himself,” Herber said.
What a perfect self-description, and also a very good description of Herber’s other four teammates in this very special 2006 senior class.
