Campus Connection: Adjusting to the Big 12

When WVU made the move to the Big 12 Conference four years ago in 2012, I recall Oliver Luck once telling me that Mountaineer fans would eventually adjust and familiarize themselves with the outstanding teams, coaches and players in our new league.

Of course, at the time we were quite familiar with our two longtime rivals in the Big East – Pitt and Syracuse, and to a lesser degree Rutgers, Louisville, Cincinnati, South Florida and so forth.

We knew their key players, styles, strengths, weaknesses, etc., etc., etc.

Well, in my case, it turns out he was absolutely right.

How many of you today can name the key players for any of our former rivals? I know I would flunk any multiple choice test taken on Jamie Dixon’s current Panther basketball roster.

And I used to know Pitt’s personnel extremely well - same deal with Syracuse - but presently I would be hard-pressed to name a single player on this year’s Pitt team, any of their key wins (if they even have any) or how they’re doing in the ACC.

It took a few minutes of morning research to discover that Pitt is currently 19-8, 8-7 in the ACC, tied in eighth place with our old friends from Syracuse.

According to the latest ESPN Bubble Watch, the Panthers and Orange still have work to do to get into this year’s NCAA tournament.

Now, I suppose I could keep up with our friends in Oakland by watching the Steel City TV sports coverage that still invades our cable systems, but as I get older it is becoming tiresome seeing a bunch of middle-aged men with hockey hair scream at each other for 30 minutes a night. I’d rather spend that time watching the history of cheese on the Food Network.

At any rate, five of our new friends in the Big 12 have already locked up NCAA tournament bids. “Press Virginia” is playing for a top seeding in this year’s tournament, and Texas Tech is about to become the seventh Big 12 team to punch its ticket to the Big Dance.

Incidentally, West Virginia’s Senior Day date with the Red Raiders on Wednesday, March 5, has become the real sleeper game on this year’s men’s basketball schedule. Tubby Smith’s Red Raiders are currently 18-9 overall, 8-7 in the No. 1 basketball conference in America, with an RPI of 23.

Hopefully, Mountaineer Nation doesn’t sleep on Texas Tech next Wednesday night the way I have fallen asleep on some of our old friends from the old Big East.

***

I thought the Hot Rod Hundley statue presentation before last Saturday’s Oklahoma game was first-class in every way, right down to the miniature-sized statues WVU director of athletics Shane Lyons presented to each of Hundley’s daughters.

Speaking of Hundley’s daughter Kimberly, she did a fantastic job of capturing the essence of what he meant to West Virginia University basketball fans over the last 60 years or so when he first arrived on campus back in 1954 as a freshman.

WVU director of athletics Shane Lyons speaks at the official unveiling of the new Hot Rod Hundley statue located outside the WVU Coliseum prior to last Saturday's game against Oklahoma (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo).

The other invited speakers also did a terrific job on behalf of Rod, who unfortunately died last March at age 80.

The only thing I can add to what was said last Saturday was how the pose of Hundley shooting a hook shot came to be – and this comes from local artist Jamie Lester, who also sculpted the Jerry West statue next to Hundley’s.

The easy thing for Lester to have done was to sculpt Hundley in the classic pose we knew so well: a smiling basketball player about to make a behind-the-back pass. The magician doing one more magic trick for Mountaineer fans to enjoy.

Well, I asked Lester about this: Why not sculpt a smiling Hundley making a behind-the-back pass, or, perhaps even with a wink?

“Because that’s not how he envisioned himself as a basketball player,” Lester said.

A year or so before Hundley’s death last March, when momentum was gaining to have a Hundley statue erected outside the WVU Coliseum, Lester began working on a small-scale version of the statue we see today. He researched Hundley, reading his autobiography “Clown” and whatever else came up on Hundley through Google, and the artist soon realized Hundley was far more complex than his public portrayal, which is probably the case for just about everyone.

Lester then recalled the hook shot Hundley made during halftime of the Ohio State game in 2010 when his jersey No. 33 was officially retired. He realized that hook shot would live on forever through YouTube and the Internet, so he immediately had a clear tie from the older generation of Mountaineer fans to the current ones.

So that’s how he came up with the idea of depicting Hundley shooting a hook shot, which makes a great deal of sense to me.

When Lester took a similar version of what we see sitting outside the Coliseum today to Hundley to seek his approval, Hot Rod loved everything about the statue except for one thing – he didn’t want to be depicted smiling.

He wanted a serious look on his face because he didn’t want future generations of Mountaineer fans to get the false impression that he didn’t take the game seriously.

That was the biggest knock on Hundley when he was a player, and it was something that obviously stuck with him through the years.

Hundley grew up an orphan, his childhood spent often not knowing where he was going to sleep from one night to the next or whether he was going to have three meals to eat the following day. Basketball gave him a life he never imagined growing up in the Charleston pool halls, and he was forever grateful for what the game did to improve his personal situation.

And that’s why Hundley wanted a statue of him looking the way he looks.

As they say, now you know the rest of the story.

***

Former two-time Ohio player of the year Esa Ahmad came to WVU with outstanding prep credentials, much like Devin Williams three years prior. Ahmad has performed like a typical freshman this season – good at times, not so good at other times.

Williams knows exactly what he’s going through having once gone through it himself, and that’s why he’s been so willing to offer him advice from time to time.

“I’ve just been in his ear because I know how (demanding) coach Huggs can be,” Williams said. “I know how it can be to be a freshman. You just feel lost, especially a guy that came in highly recruited and highly talked about. You don’t ever want to see a guy like that lose his confidence and be out of it.

Forward Devin Williams was once in freshman Esa Ahmad's shoes and has been offering him some advice and encouragement (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo).

“I didn’t really have that much (help from the older players when he came to campus) … they tried to bring my confidence back, but not the way I’ve talked to Esa,” Williams said. “I’ve sent him some inspirational videos for him to watch and things that have helped me to this day. I’ve never really been a vocal leader – I try to lead by example – but I’ve got his number so in the back of my mind I was like, ‘Why not send him the same stuff I’m watching since it’s helping me?’”

Williams sees a lot of himself in what he’s observing from Ahmad today.

“I came in as a freshman and started. He came in as a freshman and is starting and when I was a freshman more was put on my plate than I could eat and you’ve just got to eat it up,” Williams explained. “If you want to progress, keep climbing and become a better player, you’ve just got to eat it up and that’s where I’m at during this point in my life.”

The most important message Williams has relayed to Ahmad is that he doesn’t have to be the main course this year – there are older players around him to do that – just be a garnish and help the team in the ways that he can right now. The time will come for him to be the main course down the road.

“He’s just got to go out there and play hard and get his work in so next year his eyes won’t be quite as bright because he’s been around the block one time,” Williams explained. “The more he can withstand now the better off he will be next year.”

That’s sage advice for a young player to heed, and most importantly, he’s getting it every day right from the locker room.

***

West Virginia has three former baseball players I am aware of taking part in spring training activities now underway.

Of course, Jedd Gyorko is a member of the St. Louis Cardinals and my friend Jim Hess, a former Mountaineer golfer now living in the St. Louis area, has been sending me frequent updates on Jedd this spring.

Reliever David Carpenter battled injuries last season pitching for the New York Yankees and Washington Nationals before being released. He is now in camp with the Atlanta Braves, his former team, as a non-roster invitee.

And former Mountaineer pitcher Harrison Musgrave, who pitched at Double-A New Britain last year, was recently added to the Colorado Rockies spring training roster. He is expected to begin this season at Double-A, but could be in line for a promotion to the big club later this year as a left-handed reliever.

Musgrave was a combined 13-5 last season in the minors, including a 10-1 record at Single-A Modesto before making the jump to Double-A.

One other Mountaineer player still active in professional baseball is right-handed pitcher Dustin Nippert, who has spent the last five seasons playing for the Doosan Bears in the Korean professional league. During that time, Nippert has posted a 60-34 record with a 3.47 earned run average and 647 strikeouts in 802 innings of work.

***

Spring football practice will begin on Sunday, March 13, and will continue through Saturday, April 23 when drills conclude with the spring game.

Five of the 15 practices will take place in March, but the bulk of the work will occur in April following spring break when the weather is better. The Mountaineers have several key players returning on offense, including Cactus Bowl MVP Skyler Howard, but they must retool a defense that loses eight regulars from last year’s opening day starting lineup against Georgia Southern.

In addition, the Mountaineers are seeking a replacement for cornerbacks coach Brian Mitchell, who will likely be hired at Virginia Tech in the coming days. That means WVU will be breaking in at least one new defensive coach for the fourth straight year; however, the defensive system Tony Gibson is using has been in place now for three consecutive springs.

Last year, the theme throughout the spring was how much farther along the defense was compared to the offense.

I would anticipate the opposite taking place this spring.

***

Mark this date on your calendars: November 4, 2016. On that date the WVU Varsity Club is planning to honor Hall of Fame coach Don Nehlen for his contributions to West Virginia University during his 21-season coaching career.

Players and former coaches will be invited back to town to celebrate this special occasion. Look for more details and information regarding the event from the Varsity Club in the weeks ahead.

***

Senior Bria Holmes is making her final regular season appearance at the WVU Coliseum this Saturday against Oklahoma State (All-Pro Photography/Dale Sparks photo).

And finally, one of the all-time West Virginia University greats will be making her final regular season appearance at the WVU Coliseum on Saturday night when the Mountaineers play host to No. 22-ranked Oklahoma State.

I am referring, of course, to senior Bria Holmes, whose 30 points helped West Virginia overcome a 13-point third quarter deficit to defeat TCU on Wednesday night. Holmes is now 16 points shy of becoming the first player in school history to score 500 points in three consecutive seasons, and she is also just 104 points away from becoming the third 2,000-point scorer in school history.

The other two are All-American guard Rosemary Kosoirek and guard Cathy Parson.

Following Saturday’s game against the Cowgirls, the Mountaineers conclude the regular season at Iowa State before taking part in this year’s Big 12 Championship in Oklahoma City.

At 21-8, 10-6, West Virginia should be no worse than a five-seed for this year’s tournament, and could finish as high as a three-seed if it wins its two remaining regular season games.

That’s something certainly worth keeping an eye on.

Have a great weekend!

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