Basketball Notebook
December 10, 2010 03:25 PM | General
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It’s been a little bit of a mixed bag for West Virginia University’s men’s basketball team through the first eight games of the season.
The Mountaineers’ scoring total is up but their rebounding numbers are down and Bob Huggins wants to see his defense giving up fewer chances around the basket.
“I think the worst thing we’re doing defensively is we’re giving up too many offensive rebounds,” said Huggins Friday. “Our rebounding margin is not even close to what it was a year ago – and we padded it a little bit the last game.”
West Virginia is almost plus-six versus its opponents in rebounding margin. That’s about a rebound per game less than the Mountaineers’ margin last season.
“It’s a different team,” Huggins said. “We don’t have the length we had a year ago and Devin (Ebanks) was obviously a terrific offensive rebounder. But I think we’re going to be fine.”
What Huggins is looking for is more consistency from his players.
“Not being consistent in your play is one thing, but not being consistent in your work ethic is troubling,” he said.
Huggins said he hasn’t made up his mind which five will start Sunday against Duquesne. Huggins replaced all five starters shortly after the start of the second half and he did not put some of them back into the game. Huggins said some of them have responded in practice while others have not.
“We had some days off and generally they’re not very good after days off,” Huggins said. “You think they would be but they’re not and that’s been the case historically.”
Huggins joked that he was going to poll the media to see which five he should start against the Dukes.
“We’ve got two more practices to figure that out,” he said.
Briefly:
- Huggins pointed out that West Virginia’s defensive numbers through eight games have been pretty good. West Virginia is holding opponents to 37.8 percent shooting, including 32.4 percent from 3. Teams are averaging 66.2 points per game, which is slightly higher than a year ago, but West Virginia is scoring more points than it did at this time last year.
- Huggins said John Flowers (hip) practiced Thursday while Kevin Jones did mostly shooting. “I thought (Flowers) was our best player yesterday,” Huggins said.
- Huggins said he will continue to wear a suit since the team defeated Robert Morris earlier this week. For most of the last two years Huggins has opted for a black pullover and slacks.
“I just decided to put one on,” Huggins said of his decision to change attire. “I’m very superstitious.”
- Huggins said he saw improvement in his two big guys Deniz Kilicli and Danny Jennings on Tuesday against Robert Morris.
“I thought they were more active. Sometimes it’s harder to be more active against smaller guys,” he said. “They can’t just stand around. They’ve got to get involved in the fray. I thought they got themselves involved a little better. But we’ve still got a long, long way to go with both of them.”
- Huggins and Duquesne coach Ron Everhart are longtime friends from Huggins’ days as a WVU player while Everhart was growing up in Fairmont. Huggins talked about their friendship on Friday.
“Ronny would get a ride down from Fairmont and sometimes when he wouldn’t have a ride back he would stay with me in the dorm,” Huggins said. “I would stay afterward a lot of times and shoot and he would stay there and rebound for me.
“When Ronny got into coaching he was the GA at Georgia Tech and when he went to Tulane with Perry (Clark) we were in the same league and we played them a couple of times a year,” he said. “I thought he did a heck of a job. He got the McNeese job and then the Northeastern job and I actually talked him into keeping Frank Martin on his staff at Northeastern. Then I knew some people at Duquesne.
“Ronny is like some of us – he doesn’t have a Godfather. We’ve kind of made it on our own.”
- What Huggins says West Virginia will be facing on Sunday against Duquesne at the CONSOL Energy Center is an athletic Dukes team that likes to run the floor and shoot 3s. He said Everhart’s teams always play hard.
“I think he’s a situation that a lot of us are in that everybody wants to talk about somebody’s system and it’s hard for a lot of people to recruit to a system. You’ve just got to recruit the best guys you can get and then figure out what they can do and try and have them do what they can do,” Huggins said. “This year they’re shooting the 3-ball extremely well. They’re leading the country with like 12 3s made a game; they’re shooting 45 percent from 3 and they shot 27 a year ago.
“He’s trying to accentuate what they do well - which is what good coaches do.”
- Duquesne has three regulars averaging double figures, led by 6-foot-5 senior Bill Clark’s 16.4 points—per-game average. Clark has hit at least five 3s in a game four times for his career. The Dukes also bring a pair of double-digit scorers off the bench in 6-foot-5 junior B.J. Monteiro (12.4 ppg.) and 6-foot-2 sophomore Sean Johnson (10.1 ppg.).
Last year, West Virginia defeated Duquesne 68-39 in Morgantown and two years ago in Pittsburgh, the Mountaineers held on for a 68-63 victory at the A.J. Palumbo Center.
- Sunday’s game should be entertaining: Duquesne is averaging 83.4 points per game while West Virginia is averaging 79.2 points per game.
- Huggins has won all four meetings against Duquesne and the Mountaineers have won seven straight against the Dukes dating back to 2002. Duquesne holds a 22-15 record against West Virginia in games played in Pittsburgh.
- Duquesne also faced Pitt at CONSOL earlier this year, dropping an 80-66 decision to the third-ranked Panthers. Duquesne’s four wins have come against Bluefield State, Bowling Green, UMBC and Green Bay. Last year, the Dukes finished 16-16 after going 21-13 and advancing to the NIT in 2009.
- CBS College Sports (Roger Twibell and Pete Gillen) is televising the game nationally.
The Mountaineers’ scoring total is up but their rebounding numbers are down and Bob Huggins wants to see his defense giving up fewer chances around the basket.
“I think the worst thing we’re doing defensively is we’re giving up too many offensive rebounds,” said Huggins Friday. “Our rebounding margin is not even close to what it was a year ago – and we padded it a little bit the last game.”
West Virginia is almost plus-six versus its opponents in rebounding margin. That’s about a rebound per game less than the Mountaineers’ margin last season.
“It’s a different team,” Huggins said. “We don’t have the length we had a year ago and Devin (Ebanks) was obviously a terrific offensive rebounder. But I think we’re going to be fine.”
What Huggins is looking for is more consistency from his players.
“Not being consistent in your play is one thing, but not being consistent in your work ethic is troubling,” he said.
Huggins said he hasn’t made up his mind which five will start Sunday against Duquesne. Huggins replaced all five starters shortly after the start of the second half and he did not put some of them back into the game. Huggins said some of them have responded in practice while others have not.
“We had some days off and generally they’re not very good after days off,” Huggins said. “You think they would be but they’re not and that’s been the case historically.”
Huggins joked that he was going to poll the media to see which five he should start against the Dukes.
“We’ve got two more practices to figure that out,” he said.
Briefly:
- Huggins pointed out that West Virginia’s defensive numbers through eight games have been pretty good. West Virginia is holding opponents to 37.8 percent shooting, including 32.4 percent from 3. Teams are averaging 66.2 points per game, which is slightly higher than a year ago, but West Virginia is scoring more points than it did at this time last year.
- Huggins said John Flowers (hip) practiced Thursday while Kevin Jones did mostly shooting. “I thought (Flowers) was our best player yesterday,” Huggins said.
- Huggins said he will continue to wear a suit since the team defeated Robert Morris earlier this week. For most of the last two years Huggins has opted for a black pullover and slacks.
“I just decided to put one on,” Huggins said of his decision to change attire. “I’m very superstitious.”
- Huggins said he saw improvement in his two big guys Deniz Kilicli and Danny Jennings on Tuesday against Robert Morris.
“I thought they were more active. Sometimes it’s harder to be more active against smaller guys,” he said. “They can’t just stand around. They’ve got to get involved in the fray. I thought they got themselves involved a little better. But we’ve still got a long, long way to go with both of them.”
- Huggins and Duquesne coach Ron Everhart are longtime friends from Huggins’ days as a WVU player while Everhart was growing up in Fairmont. Huggins talked about their friendship on Friday.
“Ronny would get a ride down from Fairmont and sometimes when he wouldn’t have a ride back he would stay with me in the dorm,” Huggins said. “I would stay afterward a lot of times and shoot and he would stay there and rebound for me.
“When Ronny got into coaching he was the GA at Georgia Tech and when he went to Tulane with Perry (Clark) we were in the same league and we played them a couple of times a year,” he said. “I thought he did a heck of a job. He got the McNeese job and then the Northeastern job and I actually talked him into keeping Frank Martin on his staff at Northeastern. Then I knew some people at Duquesne.
“Ronny is like some of us – he doesn’t have a Godfather. We’ve kind of made it on our own.”
- What Huggins says West Virginia will be facing on Sunday against Duquesne at the CONSOL Energy Center is an athletic Dukes team that likes to run the floor and shoot 3s. He said Everhart’s teams always play hard.
“I think he’s a situation that a lot of us are in that everybody wants to talk about somebody’s system and it’s hard for a lot of people to recruit to a system. You’ve just got to recruit the best guys you can get and then figure out what they can do and try and have them do what they can do,” Huggins said. “This year they’re shooting the 3-ball extremely well. They’re leading the country with like 12 3s made a game; they’re shooting 45 percent from 3 and they shot 27 a year ago.
“He’s trying to accentuate what they do well - which is what good coaches do.”
- Duquesne has three regulars averaging double figures, led by 6-foot-5 senior Bill Clark’s 16.4 points—per-game average. Clark has hit at least five 3s in a game four times for his career. The Dukes also bring a pair of double-digit scorers off the bench in 6-foot-5 junior B.J. Monteiro (12.4 ppg.) and 6-foot-2 sophomore Sean Johnson (10.1 ppg.).
Last year, West Virginia defeated Duquesne 68-39 in Morgantown and two years ago in Pittsburgh, the Mountaineers held on for a 68-63 victory at the A.J. Palumbo Center.
- Sunday’s game should be entertaining: Duquesne is averaging 83.4 points per game while West Virginia is averaging 79.2 points per game.
- Huggins has won all four meetings against Duquesne and the Mountaineers have won seven straight against the Dukes dating back to 2002. Duquesne holds a 22-15 record against West Virginia in games played in Pittsburgh.
- Duquesne also faced Pitt at CONSOL earlier this year, dropping an 80-66 decision to the third-ranked Panthers. Duquesne’s four wins have come against Bluefield State, Bowling Green, UMBC and Green Bay. Last year, the Dukes finished 16-16 after going 21-13 and advancing to the NIT in 2009.
- CBS College Sports (Roger Twibell and Pete Gillen) is televising the game nationally.
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