Photo by: Katie MacCrory
WVU’s Carey Begins Preparing For a Season Like No Other
July 23, 2020 05:00 PM | Women's Basketball, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Earlier this week, veteran West Virginia women's basketball coach Mike Carey started a basketball season like no other.
Voluntary activities began for his 20th Mountaineer team on Tuesday. He was forced to hit the pause button on workouts in late June when six of his players tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and were required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
There's simply no chapter in the Basketball 101 coaching manual for COVID-19.
"Hopefully, we can put five in a position out on the floor, that's all I know," Carey said following Wednesday morning's workout. "That's how it's going to be this year and mentally I'm ready for that, I really am."
Every player except for senior guard Kysre Gondrezick is back in town going through voluntary workouts.
Gondrezick remained home in Michigan to continue working out on her own, Carey said.
"I told her if she's not comfortable coming back yet then don't come," he explained. "We were going to bring her down when we went mandatory, but she was going to have to sit out eight days (to self-quarantine). I told her she was better off staying where she was and working out twice a day than to come down here and have to sit in a room for eight days.
"If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't have brought the returners back this early," he admitted. "Just get the new kids in here and get them accustomed to what we do and all of that."
West Virginia is in a similar position to everyone else in the country having to play catch-up this summer. Once the virus shut down the season in March, basketball activities ceased everywhere, and it's going to take a while for programs to get back up to speed.
Carey said he's apprehensive about doing a lot of team stuff right now, focusing instead on working out four players at a time in three different groups.
When the players are in the basketball facility all of the safety precautions are being administered. When they leave is when Carey becomes concerned.
"Who is to say they aren't all getting together?" he said. "They tell me they are not, but I really don't know. Are they getting with other people? Are people from out of state coming down to visit them or whatever?
"We even sent a letter to the parents asking them to help us. We can't guarantee anything because we're not with them 24 hours a day. We are telling them the right things, but we need (the parents) to help support us, too. It only takes a couple to get it to a bunch of people."
What is helping his messaging is the six players who have recovered from the virus and are taking things much more seriously now.
They understand the value of wearing a mask in public and demonstrating proper social distancing practices and hand washing.
"I think what happened with the people that were positive is it scared them," Carey said. "It really educated them on wearing masks and doing the social distancing things. They understand that this could happen to any of us."
Overall, Carey said his players have returned in just average shape. The two weeks off to quarantine really put some of them behind, and it's going to take a while for them to get back into basketball condition.
"This started in March. They say they are working out, but it's not the same as what they are required to do when our strength people have them," he said.
"The problem with us is we've got seven new players so half of our team is new. We've got to go slow. We can't do what we normally do, but everyone in the country is in the same boat," Carey added.
Presently, his staff only has eight hours a week to work out the players, and Carey can only be with them for four of those hours himself for personal instruction.
The same goes with his strength and conditioning coaches.
However, Carey admits he's much more equipped to deal with this in year 20 at West Virginia than he would have been in year five or 10.
"I'd be going crazy because we're not where we need to be," Carey said. "We're not getting anything in. We've got to start them out slow, and people have to understand this year is just going to be like that.
"It's going to be very limited, but it is what it is. I'm going to coach them and if a trainer tells me someone has to sit out they sit out. Some days I may have 14 and other days I might only have five … I don't know."
Nevertheless, the veteran coach said he's happy to be back out on the floor working with his players, particularly the newcomers.
"It's been good for me to be back on the floor coaching them," he noted. "We have a couple players signed that never made a visit. This is the first time they've ever been here."
In the meantime, he indicated he's going to rely on the medical advice that he receives daily from the athletic training staff and the team doctors.
"They have all of the say – which they should. It's as simple as that. If somebody tests positive and we're together talking for more than a half hour within 6 feet you sit out," he said. "Once you start team stuff, if one person gets it then everybody has to quarantine. How do you have a game? How do you practice?
"What if you play somebody and then we find out later two of their players had it? We were guarding them. What does that mean?"
What it means is a season like no other, that's for sure.
Briefly:
* Two of Carey's seven newcomers, Georgia Tech transfer Jasmine Carson and Mississippi State transfer Jayla Hemingway, must sit out this season. Of the five incoming players, Carey believes 6-foot-3 junior college forward Ariel Cummings is one who could immediately help the team this season.
She played last year at Chipola Community College in Chipola, Florida.
"We have Kari (Niblack) back. Rochelle (Norris) and Blessing (Ejiofor) started for us last year at times. We have Esmery (Martinez) who has really improved," he noted.
"We have Kysre, Madisen (Smith) and (Kirsten Deans) and a couple of these freshmen can help us so we will be okay, but are we going to be consistent enough in practice doing things, especially for the new kids?"
And, will Carey have enough developmental time with his players before practice begins this fall?
"It's about skill development for us. We're not getting a lot of those big-name players so we've got to develop them. We need to get into the gym," he said.
* Now Carey's 2021 class is a different story. He said the players he has committed right now comprise the best recruiting class he's ever had at West Virginia. The coach indicated recruiting for '21 and is now finished and his staff is working solely on '22 players.
All of the players committed in this upcoming class were recruited virtually.
"As long as they don't have to come down and meet me I can recruit like hell," he laughed. "I'll do this virtual stuff for the '22 class too!
"The longer they get to meet me the worse we do!" he joked.
Carey said there are services out there now for coaches to watch games to evaluate prospects on their computer, but it's not quite the same as watching them in person.
He mentions guard Liz Repella, who he evaluated in person where he was able to see all of the valuable things she did when the video camera was not on her.
Realistically, Carey said he doesn't see on-campus recruiting resuming until next spring.
"Luckily, in our '21 class we were able to get some high-caliber kids that I've seen before and we were fortunate enough to get. In '22, it's going to be a big challenge."
Voluntary activities began for his 20th Mountaineer team on Tuesday. He was forced to hit the pause button on workouts in late June when six of his players tested positive for the COVID-19 virus and were required to self-quarantine for 14 days.
There's simply no chapter in the Basketball 101 coaching manual for COVID-19.
"Hopefully, we can put five in a position out on the floor, that's all I know," Carey said following Wednesday morning's workout. "That's how it's going to be this year and mentally I'm ready for that, I really am."
Every player except for senior guard Kysre Gondrezick is back in town going through voluntary workouts.
Gondrezick remained home in Michigan to continue working out on her own, Carey said.
"I told her if she's not comfortable coming back yet then don't come," he explained. "We were going to bring her down when we went mandatory, but she was going to have to sit out eight days (to self-quarantine). I told her she was better off staying where she was and working out twice a day than to come down here and have to sit in a room for eight days.
"If I had to do it all over again I wouldn't have brought the returners back this early," he admitted. "Just get the new kids in here and get them accustomed to what we do and all of that."
West Virginia is in a similar position to everyone else in the country having to play catch-up this summer. Once the virus shut down the season in March, basketball activities ceased everywhere, and it's going to take a while for programs to get back up to speed.
Carey said he's apprehensive about doing a lot of team stuff right now, focusing instead on working out four players at a time in three different groups.
When the players are in the basketball facility all of the safety precautions are being administered. When they leave is when Carey becomes concerned.
"Who is to say they aren't all getting together?" he said. "They tell me they are not, but I really don't know. Are they getting with other people? Are people from out of state coming down to visit them or whatever?
"We even sent a letter to the parents asking them to help us. We can't guarantee anything because we're not with them 24 hours a day. We are telling them the right things, but we need (the parents) to help support us, too. It only takes a couple to get it to a bunch of people."
What is helping his messaging is the six players who have recovered from the virus and are taking things much more seriously now.
They understand the value of wearing a mask in public and demonstrating proper social distancing practices and hand washing.
"I think what happened with the people that were positive is it scared them," Carey said. "It really educated them on wearing masks and doing the social distancing things. They understand that this could happen to any of us."
Overall, Carey said his players have returned in just average shape. The two weeks off to quarantine really put some of them behind, and it's going to take a while for them to get back into basketball condition.
"This started in March. They say they are working out, but it's not the same as what they are required to do when our strength people have them," he said.
"The problem with us is we've got seven new players so half of our team is new. We've got to go slow. We can't do what we normally do, but everyone in the country is in the same boat," Carey added.
Presently, his staff only has eight hours a week to work out the players, and Carey can only be with them for four of those hours himself for personal instruction.
The same goes with his strength and conditioning coaches.
However, Carey admits he's much more equipped to deal with this in year 20 at West Virginia than he would have been in year five or 10.
"I'd be going crazy because we're not where we need to be," Carey said. "We're not getting anything in. We've got to start them out slow, and people have to understand this year is just going to be like that.
"It's going to be very limited, but it is what it is. I'm going to coach them and if a trainer tells me someone has to sit out they sit out. Some days I may have 14 and other days I might only have five … I don't know."
Nevertheless, the veteran coach said he's happy to be back out on the floor working with his players, particularly the newcomers.
"It's been good for me to be back on the floor coaching them," he noted. "We have a couple players signed that never made a visit. This is the first time they've ever been here."
In the meantime, he indicated he's going to rely on the medical advice that he receives daily from the athletic training staff and the team doctors.
"They have all of the say – which they should. It's as simple as that. If somebody tests positive and we're together talking for more than a half hour within 6 feet you sit out," he said. "Once you start team stuff, if one person gets it then everybody has to quarantine. How do you have a game? How do you practice?
"What if you play somebody and then we find out later two of their players had it? We were guarding them. What does that mean?"
What it means is a season like no other, that's for sure.
Briefly:
* Two of Carey's seven newcomers, Georgia Tech transfer Jasmine Carson and Mississippi State transfer Jayla Hemingway, must sit out this season. Of the five incoming players, Carey believes 6-foot-3 junior college forward Ariel Cummings is one who could immediately help the team this season.
She played last year at Chipola Community College in Chipola, Florida.
"We have Kari (Niblack) back. Rochelle (Norris) and Blessing (Ejiofor) started for us last year at times. We have Esmery (Martinez) who has really improved," he noted.
"We have Kysre, Madisen (Smith) and (Kirsten Deans) and a couple of these freshmen can help us so we will be okay, but are we going to be consistent enough in practice doing things, especially for the new kids?"
And, will Carey have enough developmental time with his players before practice begins this fall?
"It's about skill development for us. We're not getting a lot of those big-name players so we've got to develop them. We need to get into the gym," he said.
* Now Carey's 2021 class is a different story. He said the players he has committed right now comprise the best recruiting class he's ever had at West Virginia. The coach indicated recruiting for '21 and is now finished and his staff is working solely on '22 players.
All of the players committed in this upcoming class were recruited virtually.
"As long as they don't have to come down and meet me I can recruit like hell," he laughed. "I'll do this virtual stuff for the '22 class too!
"The longer they get to meet me the worse we do!" he joked.
Carey said there are services out there now for coaches to watch games to evaluate prospects on their computer, but it's not quite the same as watching them in person.
He mentions guard Liz Repella, who he evaluated in person where he was able to see all of the valuable things she did when the video camera was not on her.
Realistically, Carey said he doesn't see on-campus recruiting resuming until next spring.
"Luckily, in our '21 class we were able to get some high-caliber kids that I've seen before and we were fortunate enough to get. In '22, it's going to be a big challenge."
Players Mentioned
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