April 28-May 2 Blog
April 28, 2008 10:05 AM | General
We’re changing things up a little bit. For the past four years Campus Connection has kind of been like a weekly blog full of tidbits, notes, commentary, quasi-opinion and weak stabs at humor that have sometimes hit the mark and at other times completely missed. Well, to keep up with the Jones', we’ve decided to turn Campus Connection into a daily blog. If we miss a day then you know we’re struggling.
Hope you enjoy it ...
Rich Get Richer
Posted By John Antonik: April 30, 2008 (9:45 am)
The 15-player all-USA Girls Basketball team was announced today and 12 of the 15 players on the three teams are going to five schools: Tennessee, Rutgers, Connecticut, Stanford and Maryland. The other three members of the all-USA team are high school juniors.
Of those 12 all but two have signed with three schools - Rutgers, Tennessee and Connecticut; Rutgers and Tennessee inked four each while the Huskies managed to land the national player of the year Elena Delledonne, a 6-foot-5-inch guard from Delaware, and second team all-USA guard Tiffany Hayes of Winter Haven, Fla.
If these 15 girls are indeed the 15-best players in the country then women’s college basketball will continue to be skewed toward an elite few. In fact, the competition in recruiting has gotten so intense at the top that the sport’s two biggest names – Tennessee and Connecticut – are no longer playing because Volunteer coach Pat Summitt has accused the Huskies of cheating. Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma denies the charge.
Summitt won her record eighth NCAA title earlier this month.
Last year West Virginia faced three of those five teams: Tennessee, Rutgers and Connecticut.
Sacrifice Hitters
Posted By John Antonik: April 29, 2008 (4:28 pm)
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| Jedd Gyorko |
The sacrifice bunt has always been a major part of Greg Van Zant’s offensive strategy at West Virginia University. This year the Mountaineers rank ninth in the country in that category with 53 sacrifice hits in 43 games.
“There are some different situations where you possibly don’t SAC but we like to SAC because a lot of teams don’t practice defending it and we end up getting big innings out of the SAC bunt,” Van Zant explained.
However, this year Van Zant doesn’t have to manage runs home from first base as much as he has in the past because he’s got perhaps the strongest hitting team in school history. West Virginia is ranked No. 1 in the country this week in team batting average at .359. The Mountaineers are also ranked third in triples per game (0.58), fourth in slugging percentage (.561), fifth in doubles per game (2.70) and ninth in total hits (531).
West Virginia has four hitters ranked among the nation’s top 40 including senior Tyler Kuhn, ranked 16th this week with a .429 batting average.
“It makes the game a lot easier when you’ve got guys that can hit like we do this year,” Van Zant said.
During last Sunday’s 17-3 win over Connecticut West Virginia scored 17 runs on 13 hits. That is a clear sign that the Mountaineers don’t necessarily have to string together a lot of base hits in a row to score runs because they have a lineup full of gap hitters.
“We have some guys that have some hitting ability,” Van Zant said.
Van Zant evaluates power hitters this way: “If a guy has 100 at-bats and he has seven extra base hits then he’s got below average power. If he’s got 10 he has average power and then there is a guy like (Justin) Jenkins who would give you an extra base hit every 5-5 ½ at-bats,” Van Zant said.
Based on that formula West Virginia has three bona-fide power hitters in its lineup this year in Joe Agreste (5.2 extra base hits per at-bat), Tyler Kuhn (6.1) and Austin Markel (6.7). The Mountaineers have four, Jordon Yost (7.0), Jedd Gyorko (7.7), Vince Belnome (7.9) and Tobias Streich (9.0), with above average power.
That is probably why West Virginia is ranked fifth in the country averaging 9.5 runs per game heading into this weekend’s three-game series with St. John’s.
Yet Van Zant says his team will continue to sacrifice bunt despite having such gaudy hitting numbers.
“I’ve told our hitters, ‘Let’s don’t get greedy. Let’s do what we can do.’ We’re still going to sacrifice and bunt for hits,” Van Zant said. “If you look at our sacrifice bunts we’re in the Top 10 as a team (ninth).
“Texas sacrifice bunts a lot. Oregon State has had back-to-back national championships – they’ve had great players but they also play the small-ball game really well,” Van Zant said. “I don’t want to become one-dimensional where we’re just hitting the ball and not being able to sacrifice runners into scoring position.”
Today's Newsmakers
Posted By John Antonik: April 28, 2008 (3:44 pm)
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| Joe Alexander |
It may be the off-season but that doesn’t mean Mountaineer basketball is not in the news. Forward Joe Alexander continues to attract attention after a strong post-season performance and his interest in testing the NBA draft.
ESPN’s Andy Katz wrote today: “It’s pretty simple: if Alexander returns, the Mountaineers have a shot to compete for the Big East title, and who knows, maybe a run for the 2009 Final Four in Detroit.”
According to Katz, Alexander “would have a shot to be a first-team All-American if he comes back. But he’s got the athletic and scoring abilities to convince at least one team to take him high enough.”
Katz says if Alexander leaves West Virginia has enough talent to remain competitive in the Big East.
> > > Early entrants leave teams playing the waiting game
In a separate story, ESPN’s Chad Ford examines the growing list of underclassmen available for this year’s draft.
Ford’s take on Alexander: “Alexander is a sleeper. He’s a long, athletic forward who really began to dominate toward the end of the season. He has the physical tools to be a very good NBA player, but he needs quite a bit more polish. Look for him to go somewhere between 20 and 35 if he stays in the draft.”
> > > Complete list: Who’s in, who’s out of 2008 draft?
Last week, CNNSI.com NBA writer Ian Thomsen had a lengthy article on Russian professional baskeball. Near the end of the article Thomsen referenced former WVU forward Marcus Goree, playing professionally for CSKA Moscow in the Euroleague.
Thomsen quoted CSKA Moscow’s coach Ettore Messina on his forward, “(Goree) could be the European Ben Wallace.”
The 6-8 forward has found a niche playing in the European professional leagues after last playing at WVU for former coach Gale Catlett in 2000 when he averaged 14.5 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
> > > Russian Revolution
A story on the rebirth of Quin Snyder by ESPN Page 2’s Jeff Pearlman also included a quote from former Mountaineer star Kevin Pittsnogle on Snyder. Said Pittsnogle, “He’s different than any of the other coaches you see here. Most coaches here are all about my-way-or-the-highway. But Coach Snyder was very detailed, very into his players, very into seeking our input.”
Pittsnogle played 15 games for Snyder at San Antonio in the NBA Developmental League before being dealt to Albuquerque. In 33 games with Albuquerque Pittsnogle is averaging 15.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.
> > > Quin Snyder is in Austin … but a long way from the Big 12
More football notes: WV Metro News.com is reporting that four Mountaineers have now signed free agent contracts. Wide receiver Darius Reynaud signed with Minnesota, defensive end Johnny Dingle signed with Kansas City, defensive tackle Keilen Dykes signed a two-year deal with Arizona and linebacker Marc Magro signed with St. Louis.
Yesterday, the Seattle Times announced that safety Eric Wicks signed with the Seahawks.
> > > Four Mountaineers Sign Free Agent Deals on Sunday
The Seattle Times has a story on Owen Schmitt in today’s online edition. Times NFL reporter Danny O’Neil basically recycles all of the old stories we’ve come to know and love about Owen including a reference to our web site. As always, anything on Owen is a good read.
> > > Seahawk pick Owen Schmitt might be as daring as he is tough
ESPN's Jeffri Chadiha lists his 10 best marriages of talent and team needs and picks Steve Slaton 10th. Wrote Chadiha: "You put him into assistant head coach Alex Gibbs' zone-blocking run game, and he's guaranteed to be effective."
> > > Draft: 10 best marriages of talent, team needs
And today’s Houston Chronicle examines the Houston Texans draft class that includes running back Steve Slaton.
> > > Texans hope hard work pays off for draft selections
Draft Notes
Posted By John Antonik: April 28, 2008 (10:07 am)
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| Steve Slaton |
You could say West Virginia is doing more with less in the eyes of the pro football scouts. The Mountaineers have been ranked in the Top 10 in each of the last three seasons and they join USC as the only two programs to have gone to five straight New Year’s Day bowls.
Since then, West Virginia has had eight players drafted by NFL teams with just one player (Pacman Jones in 2005) selected in the first round.
USC, meanwhile, had 10 players taken in this year’s draft including four picked in the first round. During the same span of time the Trojans have had 35 players drafted, nine of which went in the first round.
Amazing.
Here is proof that good players just don’t go to the big schools. I took a quick glance through the 252 players taken in this year’s draft and according to my unscientific count I had 32 of those players coming from non-Division I-A schools.
I-AA power Appalachian State, where WVU wide receivers coach Lonnie Galloway came from, produced a pair of draft picks in wide receiver Dexter Jackson and safety Corey Lynch.
There were seven non-D-I players taken ahead of West Virginia star running back Steve Slaton and a total of eight were among the top 100 players drafted. Two, Tennessee State’s Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Delaware’s Joe Flacco, were selected in the first round.
The eight Big East Conference schools produced 19 players that were taken in this year’s draft. Louisville led the way with five while Pitt had four players drafted. Pitt actually had a fifth player drafted if you count Delaware transfer Joe Flacco, who started his career with the Panthers. If you recall, Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt would not release Flacco from his scholarship which forced him to sit out the 2005 season.
Ironically or coincidentally, both Pitt and Louisville failed to make bowl games last year.
I can see why West Virginia coach Bill Stewart is making such a strong recruiting push in Virginia. Virginia Tech had eight players drafted this year and the Hokies have now had 46 players selected during this decade.
Virginia has had 29 players drafted this decade while Hampton University of the MEAC has had seven drafted since 2000.
By comparison, the Mountaineers have had 14 players selected this decade with four of them coming in 2000 - Don Nehlen’s final season at WVU.
