Opportunity Knocks
February 09, 2006 12:00 PM | General
Feruary 9, 2006
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| John Beilein |
Can someone give me a hand here? I’m having a comprehension problem as to WHY so many people are lining up on the nearest bridge with a rope and a cinder block tied around their ankle in anticipation of WVU’s final eight games of the regular season.
WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?
Yes, the Mountaineers have to play at Pitt, Georgetown, Seton Hall, Syracuse, and Cincinnati. That’s not a problem -- that’s an opportunity. It’s an opportunity that this current group of Mountaineer players have been preparing for since they walked on the floor together four years ago to post a 56-49 victory over Delaware State.
If by chance, my words intended to calm your inner-being have failed and your knees are still knocking, then listed below is another reason why you shouldn’t fear the remaining schedule:
Daniel Gibson, Lamarcus Aldridge, P.J. Tucker, Rajon Rondo, Patrick Sparks, Jordan Farmar, Arron Afflalo, Glen “Baby” Davis, Darrell Mitchell, Taj Gray, Terrell Everett, Randy Foye, Allen Ray, Eric Hicks, Dominic James, Steve Novak, Chris Quinn and Colin Falls.
Those are the names of some of college basketball’s best players who perform on some of the nation’s best teams and they also happen to be the names of players West Virginia has already faced.
Can you see where I’m going here?
John Beilein’s basketball team is as prepared and tested as humanly possible for this final stretch of the season. The Mountaineer coach came to a scheduling “Y” in the road last spring. He decided to take the road less traveled. Already knowing that his team would be playing in the toughest conference in the country, Beilein went three steps further and created the most difficult non-conference schedule in school history.
The method behind his scheduling madness was to push and test his veteran squad beyond its comfort zone. The by-product is a Mountaineer team that doesn’t blink regardless of who the opponent is or the game’s location.
Fear is the product of the unknown; confidence is the product of experience. This Mountaineer team carries with it an invaluable amount of confidence; they’ve literally been there and done that from coast-to-coast. This isn’t to say that West Virginia will win all of its remaining games -- that’s not the point. But rather, like a well-trained group of thoroughbreds, this Mountaineer team is prepared and ready to hit the final stretch in full gallop and that’s all you could really ask for.
So stop being nervous and just enjoy the ride.
