Value in Defeat
December 02, 2009 10:40 AM | General
December 2, 2009
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Nearly two weeks ago, the West Virginia women’s basketball team got a dose of reality when it fell to No. 3 Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio. But according to Coach Mike Carey, the loss may have been just as valuable because of the lesson that it taught his squad.
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| Freshman center Asya Bussie was named MVP of the Nugget Classic in Reno, Nev.
All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo |
The game against the Buckeyes served as a wake-up call - a measuring stick that told the players that West Virginia was not up to par just yet. Nine days later, WVU completed its two-game sweep of the Nugget Classic with victories over Iowa and Nevada - which the ninth-year coach believes were shaped by the team’s motivation to improve after its sobering defeat.
“That game motivated us a bit,” Carey admitted. “Not only the players and the coaches, but it showed us the things we needed to work on, how hard we needed to play. I still say it was a great game for us – not the outcome, but it was a great game for us. It motivated our work ethic.”
With a variety of standout performances at the Nugget Classic, one player that stood head and shoulders above everyone else was freshman center Asya Bussie. The Randallstown, Md., native was named the tournament MVP after averaging 15.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and three steals, playing well beyond her years.
Carey, his staff and his players have seen why Bussie was such a top-notch recruit coming out of high school. She is polished in the post with several good moves around the basket, and is always reliable in finishing underneath. Her overall repertoire figures to cause many problems for future opponents.
“She moves her feet extremely well,” Carey said of his talented center. “She gets herself in position before they catch the ball. We call it getting in our pre-defense. She’s done a good job and continues to improve.”
Against Ohio State, Bussie went up against one of the nation’s premier centers in Jantel Lavender. Many times when one plays against some of the best competition, their game instantly gets better. Such was the case for Bussie in the Nugget Classic, with her play posing problems for the Hawkeyes and Wolfpack.
“Asya was a matchup problem for Iowa,” Carey said. “They had a 6-foot-5 girl who wasn’t as strong as Asya. She also got Nevada’s post players in foul trouble early which really helped us. She had a really good tournament.”
However, Bussie didn’t earn MVP honors on her own. She had the help of a team that really clamped down defensively and made key baskets down the stretch against Iowa before pulling away early against Nevada.
“Korinne Campbell stepped up against Iowa. I thought Sarah Miles played a little better than how she had been playing,” Carey said. “We saw a lot of positives and a lot of things we still need to work on, but it was a great tournament with a great atmosphere. There was a great crowd for the championship game and it was good for us to play in front of that type of crowd.”
Although West Virginia is just six games into the season, many get the sense of how fast this season’s team is jelling. There could be more growing pains along the way, but this relatively youthful squad shows the poise necessary to become a dangerous team in an always-difficult conference.
“I like this team. We might be inconsistent for a while, but I really like the makeup of this team,” Carey added. “The chemistry is there, there are no individuals, and hopefully we can improve.”
WVU looks to progress during its upcoming seven-game home stretch, beginning with Radford on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Carey is trying to create a game-like atmosphere with each practice, knowing how important his time spent in the gym is with building his team’s chemistry, schematics and endurance.
“We’re going to play some good teams,” Carey said of his team’s homestand. “Fresno State won its league last year; Santa Clara will be good this year. We have to continue to get better here in practice. We came in (Monday) and had a hard practice. Just because we won a tournament doesn’t mean anything, we’ve still got 20-something games left.
“That’s why we motivate them in practice. We’re going to practice hard. To me, these games will be an extension of our practices. We cannot take these teams lightly. We’re not good enough to take people lightly, so we’ll have to come out and play extremely hard and get after it.”
Trying to peek forward and not look backward, Carey is spending each day preparing his squad for the toughness of conference play. Each game along the way will be a teaching point as the Mountaineers hope to build a strong resume for the NCAA Tournament.
“The WNIT was a good resume-builder. If you look at our RPI right now, I think we’re fourth in the country. Usually at this point in the year you’re not that high, but our RPI is fourth and that’s very good. It’s all based on the teams we’ve played and beat and what we’ve done so far,” Carey mentioned.
Carey will never stop trying to motivate his rising team. And if WVU continues to climb, Carey will likely point to that early-season loss at Ohio State. Because sometimes there truly is more value in defeat than victory.
