Basketball Notebook
March 09, 2008 03:38 PM | General
March 9, 2008
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| Joe Alexander |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The coaches will say Joe Alexander has done all the work, but some of the credit must go to Bob Huggins and his assistants for transforming Alexander from a skinny, jump-shooting wing player into one of college basketball’s better power forwards.
Keep in mind this has happened in less than nine months.
Last year Alexander was at best a second option in John Beilein’s system and an afterthought during the last nine games of the season when he failed to score double figures in all nine of those games. Alexander’s lone double-double of the 2007 season came against Maryland Eastern Shore. He’s had four so far this year including a 29-point, 10-rebound performance on Saturday against St. John’s.
The coaches believe they have just scratched the surface with Alexander, who has scored 93 points in West Virginia’s last three games against Connecticut, Pitt and St. John’s. Plays are now being called for Alexander in the post in crunch time and he’s responding. Against St. John’s, Alexander scored seven of West Virginia’s 13 points in overtime and his four free throws down the stretch in regulation helped erase a four-point St. John’s lead.
Anthony Mason Jr. and Justin Burrell both fouled out trying to guard Alexander. A similar thing happened six days ago in Morgantown when Pitt’s Sam Young and DeJuan Blair both got five fouls trying to contain Alexander, who wound up with 32 points and six boards.
And Alexander’s 32 points against Connecticut came against UConn’s best defensive player Jeff Adrien.
Alexander still mostly relies on his athletic ability in the paint, often resorting to fall away jumpers he sometimes makes. There is still a lot of room for growth around the basket and on the offensive glass where even more offense could be available to him.
Alexander has grabbed just 58 offensive rebounds this year – 13 fewer than sophomore Da’Sean Butler’s team-leading 71 offensive boards. Offensive rebounding is as much about determination and instincts as it is natural athletic ability.
Judging from Huggins’ past track record developing pro-caliber players, another year in his system and an added 10 pounds of muscle could make Joe Alexander a very, very wealthy man.
Briefly:
Here are the top six four-year periods in school history:
A compelling argument could be made that West Virginia’s present run has come against far more difficult competition. Back in the 1950s the Mountaineers played in the traditionally weak Southern Conference where they posted a 97-9 record from 1955-63.
West Virginia also tied its season high of four Big East road wins first accomplished in 1997. The Mountaineers that year won at Syracuse, St. John’s, Rutgers and Seton Hall and finished the season with a 21-10 record.
Some Big East insiders point to 1997 as the year the conference changed from a communal, close-nit group of schools to the mega conference it has become today. That was the first time some league coaches openly campaigned against other Big East teams for NCAA Tournament consideration.
Ironically, West Virginia will be trying to do something it last did against the Friars in 2005: beat the same team three times in the same season. WVU swept the Friars during the regular season that year, winning 82-78 in Providence and then pulling out a 67-65 decision in Morgantown before knocking off PC 82-59 in New York.
