Last Guy Standing
June 14, 2006 04:44 PM | General
June 14, 2006
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Frank Young has to feel like the last guy left cleaning up the dishes after a really good party. The senior-to-be is the only returning starter from last year’s nationally ranked NCAA tournament “Sweet 16” team.
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| Forward Frank Young averaged 7.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game last season as a junior.
Brent Kepner photo |
“Darris (Nichols) and I are trying to take on that leadership role and just trying to help everybody work hard and let everybody know that this is when teams are made,” said Young, in town for both summer school sessions.
Despite enduring massive losses that include a pair of potential NBA draft picks in center Kevin Pittsnogle and forward Mike Gansey, Young isn’t about to concede his senior season. He knows there are other prominent teams in the Big East recovering from heavy losses, too.
“There are a lot of new faces in the Big East,” he said. “That gives us an even better chance to kind of make some noise because there are not going to be a lot of familiar faces around.”
In many ways, West Virginia is returning to the position it enjoyed a couple of years ago when expectations were not so high in Morgantown. The 6-5 forward sees that as a positive.
“We like being the hunters and people not knowing who we are,” Young said. “After the game they have to try and figure out who we are.”
For at least a while, Young is also going to have to figure out who is on his own team. West Virginia coach John Beilein is bringing in a large freshman class loaded with talented 2s, 3s and 4s.
“I met a few of them on their visits and I’m looking forward to getting to know them and working out with them on a daily basis when they come in in July,” Young said.
Because Beilein operates one of the more complex systems in college basketball, Young says it is important for the freshmen to start paying attention right away.
“It’s hard for some people but I’m actually one of the few players that really understand the offense,” Young said. “I told Coach the other day that I basically know all the plays -- even his little crazy terms.”
Simple math reveals that with only five scholarship players returning, perhaps as many as two or three newcomers will have to play this year. Because precision is such a critical component in West Virginia’s system it is important that all five players be on the same page. Having four very bright players and one not-so-bright player out on the floor at the same time won’t work, according to Young.
Because of that, Young admits that the most talented newcomers won’t necessarily play if they can’t figure out what’s going on.
“That’s because you’ve got to do a lot of thinking on the move,” Young said. “You’ve got to make decisions right away and if you’re a second late that can mess up the whole play.”
Young believes the coaching staff might reduce some of the stuff they do initially just so they can keep the newcomers from staring off into space.
“I’m thinking with the way our coaching staff is and how smart they are they might try and simplify the offense to make it easier for the freshmen coming in,” Young said.
Now that he’s one of just two seniors on the team and the only one to have played in the program all four years, Young is taking his leadership role seriously.
“We’ve talked about how the last two years have been fun for West Virginia basketball and that we’ve got to keep working hard to keep it going this year,” he said.
“We’re bringing in a whole new group of players that are going to be the future of West Virginia basketball. We’ve got to try and keep the tradition going that we’ve started the last couple of years.”
Unlike last year’s large senior class, Young says this year’s group of freshmen will have the benefit of observing the older players that have been in the system and know what to expect from the coaching staff.
“The players that have been through Coach Beilein’s offense and know what you have to do day in and day out, that will help the freshmen come along faster than the five seniors were when they were freshmen,” he said.
And while a great deal has been made about WVU’s new recruits, Young says don’t count out sophomores Alex Ruoff and Joe Alexander either. Ruoff earned more playing time as the year wore on and Alexander has got all the physical tools to be a solid college player.
“Everybody knows about Joe Alexander’s athleticism, but I’m thinking Joe can come on and Alex can keep playing the way he is … they are going to be a good 1-2 punch for the sophomore class,” he said.
Because coaches are now permitted to work with 12 players at a time instead of small groups, when the fall semester begins Beilein will have two extra months preparing the younger players for his terminology and play calls. That is about like giving a jewel thief the combination to the safe.
“The main thing for the freshmen will be the repetition,” Young noted. “Keep seeing the plays and running through them over and over again so they know what they’re doing.”
Young says he wants to return to the NCAA tournament, but admits that with such a young team a more realistic goal this year might be a return trip to New York.
“That’s our main goal,” Young said. “The critics are saying it’s going to be a down year for West Virginia but I think if we keep working hard it could be another great year for us.”
If that happens, there will be a lot more people around next time to help clean up the dishes.
