Mountaineers Open Sunday
November 13, 2009 11:56 AM | General
November 13, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – West Virginia begins the 2009-10 basketball campaign with a giant bulls-eye on its chest and Bob Huggins wouldn’t have it any other way.
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| Casey Mitchell scored 19 points in West Virginia's exhibition win over Mountain State last Sunday at the Coliseum.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
The Mountaineers are ranked eighth in one preseason poll and ninth in another (the first time that has happened in almost 50 years). Some are picking West Virginia to win the Big East. Others say with the right breaks the Mountaineers have enough talent to get to Indianapolis.
The excitement in Morgantown has already led to a record number of season tickets sold.
“This is what you work for,” said Huggins Thursday afternoon. “You work for the chance to be the best and beat the best. We’ve worked hard at it. The players have worked hard at it. The staff has worked hard at it and we’ve gotten great support. I want every year to be like this. I don’t want this to be a one-time thing. I want it to be like this all of the time.”
West Virginia opens the regular season Sunday afternoon at the WVU Coliseum against Loyola, Maryland, in a game that tips off at 4 p.m. Last year the Greyhounds had a 12-20 record under fifth-year coach Jimmy Palos. Loyola has a very young team with only one senior expected in its starting five.
“If you’ve seen Maryland play they play a lot like that,” said Huggins. “They are going to pressure full court, three-quarter court, play some man and play some 2-3 zone; run that modified flex.”
Loyola actually gets a jump on West Virginia, opening its regular season tonight against Vermont before traveling down to Morgantown.
Senior guard Brett Harvey is the only returning double-figure scorer (12.4 ppg.) from last year, but the Greyhounds will get a big boost from 6-foot-10 Maryland transfer Shane Walker, who scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds in an exhibition win over Adelphi.
In West Virginia’s exhibition victory over Mountain State last Sunday, the Mountaineers got 21 points and 10 rebounds off the bench from Kevin Jones, and 19 points each from Devin Ebanks and junior college transfer Casey Mitchell.
Da’Sean Butler and Truck Bryant both had nine assists each. Huggins is also hopeful of having guard Joe Mazzulla
“We’ve just got to get him back, get the rust off, and see what happens,” Huggins said.
On Sunday, West Virginia will be introducing a new student seating arrangement aimed at getting the students in a more concentrated area closer to the floor.
“I think it’s going to be terrific,” Huggins said. “It’s what the students wanted. I think it gets more students in a concentrated area where they can enjoy the game more. It ought to be very positive for both them and for us. I think the enthusiasm will be tremendous.”
Briefly:
“We needed another guy with ball skills and I think Noah gives us pretty much the whole package,” Huggins said. “He’s got ball skills. He’s a point guard and he’s got a good understanding of the game and how to play. I think it’s a big bonus when you’ve got a guy who shoots it as well as he shoots it and is able to play off the bounce the way he’s able to play off the bounce. I think he fills a lot of needs for us.”
Huggins says Cottrill has gotten a lot bigger since first making his commitment to the Mountaineers.
“He’s every bit of 6-3. He’s stronger and he’s done a really good job physically of trying to make himself ready to come in and play,” Huggins said.
