Tall (Or Short) Tales
August 25, 2009 04:34 PM | General
(4:34 pm)
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| Daquan Hargrett |
Miami running back Daquan Hargrett was asked last week to describe how he was adjusting to life in Morgantown. Four times he mentioned “the hills” during his answer.
“Wow,” he said. “The hills.”
Make that five.
Hargrett is listed at 5-foot-6 on the team roster. He says being in the same seemingly-cloned backfield with 5-foot-7 Jock Sanders, 5-foot-8 Noel Devine and 5-foot-8 Mark Rodgers is a big ego booster.
“Height-wise I love it here,” he laughed.
“If I would have gone to any other school I would have been the shortest guy, but here I feel very, very comfortable with it.”
Size can make a big difference, says Hargrett. The way he figures it, you can’t tackle what you can’t see.
“We were doing a drill the other day in practice and the guys were like, ‘We need to get them out of there because we can’t see them.’ You can move quicker and hide behind certain backs,” he said.
When Hargrett was done talking to the press, I mentioned that if guys were complaining so much about seeing him, just tell them that they can get a good look at him from behind.
“That’s what I will tell them,” Hargrett chuckled.
Weekly Word
“Once game time rolls around you will see a better Eugene because when the games are here he’s just another kind of player,” Bailey said. “He really turns it up and steps up to the plate.”
That’s good to know because Smith has looked pretty impressive in the on-deck circle.
This is how Chapman is described in the Liberty press guide, “Has unique ability and can do amazing things for a man his size … Gives the Flames solid size in the middle of its defensive line.”
At 377 pounds that might be the biggest understatement of the year, no pun intended.
This year’s opener will be the second consecutive season that WVU will start with an FCS opponent. Last year, the Mountaineers had a harder-than-expected 48-21 victory over Villanova.
Week two opponent East Carolina will also open with an FCS opponent against Appalachian State in Greenville.
Here are the previous years West Virginia has been ranked in the AP preseason poll:
Speaking of polls, look for a preseason top 10 start for Coach Bob Huggins’ Mountaineer basketball team later this fall. Slam Magazine’s online edition already has the Mountaineers rated 10th.
http://www.slamonline.com/online/college-hs/college/2009/08/college-basketball-preseason-top-25-no-10-west-virginia/
Wrote Slam’s Joey Whelan: “The Mountaineers have appeared in the Sweet 16 in three out of the last five seasons which makes this the most successful stretch of West Virginia basketball since Jerry West was still wearing the old gold and blue. Bob Huggins and Co. return essentially everyone from last year’s squad save for shooting guard Alex Ruoff who will of course be missed, but his scoring void will be filled easily by a group of very talented youngsters who now have a year under their belt. After finishing in the middle of the pack last season in the Big East, WVU has a legitimate shot at finishing in the top two or three in the upcoming season if everything clicks on the court.”
ESPN.com’s Summer ShootAround yesterday featured the Big East Conference. Jay Bilas picked West Virginia second behind Villanova.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/notebook?page=notebook/shootaround/bigeast
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| Da'Sean Butler |
Wrote Bilas: “The Mountaineers will play hard, and they will defend and rebound. With another outstanding recruiting class, Bob Huggins has more talent to put around Da'Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks. Butler is an outstanding scorer, and Ebanks is an emerging star. West Virginia is long, athletic and hard to guard. If Truck Bryant plays, West Virginia can be the best team in the Big East.”
I know I have written this before, but I will gladly repeat it - for my money Jay Bilas is the best analyst in the business and there is not a close second.
You can throw football analysts in there as well. I know Bilas is a Duke grad, but he tries hard to play it straight down the line, unlike so many other college football and basketball analysts that have become so agenda-driven these days.
Look for a third appearance in the AP preseason poll for the Mountaineers later this fall.
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| Nikki Izzo-Brown |
But watch out for the Mountaineers in October and November as Izzo-Brown gets an opportunity to mold this young team.
Next Wednesday’s show will take place in the grand ballroom and Mountaineer fans are invited to attend. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m. and appearances will be made by Mountaineer soccer coaches Marlon LeBlanc and Nikki Izzo-Brown, new Mountaineer Rebecca Durst, the WVU cheerleaders, and the Mountaineer pep band.
In addition, prizes will also be given away.
I am certain that is pleasing news to our social media experts Tony Caridi and Mike Montoro.
Former players returning to Morgantown will be recognized on the field during the game.
Peach Bowl players wishing to attend can contact the Mountaineer Athletic Club toll free at 1-800-433-2072 for more information about the reunion or Varsity Club Weekend.
Have a great week!
