West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Columbuseer]

FYI WLU National D2 stat ranking (through midnight Feb 24)
NCAA ranks the 312 D2 schools in 31 national statistics, of which only 26 are relevant to the WLU style (see note below).

WLU ranks:

• #1 in Scoring Offense
• #2 in Assist to turnover ratio, Rebound Margin, Scoring margin, Total Rebounds / game
• top 5 in 9 categories
• top 10 in 15 categories
• top 20 in 21 categories
• top 28 in 24 of the relevant 26 categories

Note: The WL style is incongruous with some statistics, such as fewest fouls, personal fouls per game, fewest turnovers, turnovers per game, scoring defense, etc., which leaves only 26 relevant stats for WLU.

Date	Stat	Rank	Value
2/25/2021	Scoring Offense	1	105.9
2/25/2021	Assist to turnover ratio	2	1.72
2/25/2021	Rebound Margin	2	11
2/25/2021	Scoring margin	2	26
2/25/2021	Total Rebounds per game	2	45.93
2/25/2021	Assists per game	3	20.9
2/25/2021	Turnover margin	3	6.1
2/25/2021	Total Assists	4	314
2/25/2021	Turnovers forced per game	4	18.33
2/25/2021	Offensive rebounds per game	5	16.27
2/25/2021	Steals per Game	6	10.1
2/25/2021	Defensive Rebounds per game	7	29.67
2/25/2021	Total steals	7	152
2/25/2021	Three-point FG per game	8	11.3
2/25/2021	Total Rebounds	12	689
2/25/2021	Free Throw Made	16	289
2/25/2021	3-point FG attempts	17	465
2/25/2021	FG percentage	18	49.09
2/25/2021	Free Throw Percentage	19	77.69%
2/25/2021	Three Point FG Defense	19	30.50%
2/25/2021	Total three-point FG Made	20	169
2/25/2021	Free Throw Attempts	23	372
2/25/2021	Total Blocks	27	56
2/25/2021	Blocked shots per game	28	3.7

[Columbuseer]

• WLU won 126-96, and the lead was 39 with 4 minutes left, when we relented. WLU played without Will Yoakum, who is injured.

• Points Per Possession - 1.59 - This is highest I have ever seen for a game. Only 7% of D1 teams average over 1.0.

• Assist to Turnover Ratio - 3.25 - This would have put the team at #8 nationally in the individual assist to turnover rankings!

• Effective FG% (weights 3 pt. shots) - 76.4%

• Assists per 100 possessions - 32.9

• Assists / FG Made - 54%

WLU put continuous, python-like pressure on FSU on both defense and offense. They were extremely aggressive in attacking them without respite. It was required, for FSU is well-coached and has at least 3 All-Conference level athletes.

• Rapid outlet passes to half court on missed shots
• Long inbounds passes after an FSU score for layups
• Near instantaneous transition from defense to offense, resulting in fast breaks. Everyone was sprinting down the floor.
• Treating every offensive possession like gold, making extra passes to teammates, and making FSU work very hard on defense. Eventually, it led to wide open looks. Just one example: Owen gets the ball in corner and has an open shot; instead, he passes it to Patrick on the wing; Patrick then fires a bullet under the basket to a cutting Bryce Butler for a layup; all within the space of 3 seconds.
• The rapid passing and ball rotation exhausted FSU, where they were a second late on the close-out, enabling Dalton, Zach, Malik, Bryce, Patrick, and Owen to drill threes. Zach was the newcomer to the three-point party, but I expect him to be a regular attendee (as his Ohio record of 485 threes in high school may never be broken and he is only the 2^nd person to score over 3,000 points in Ohio, behind Jon Deebler).
• The avalanche of threes forced the defense to spread out to defend, which left defenders on an island against Malik and Patrick for open drives to the rim against tired legs.

After scoring 70 points in the first half, one naturally expected WLU to cool off in the second half. They did not. They kept playing WLU ball with the same intensity.
For the second straight game, WLU got a 10 second call against the opponent. That is a very difficult accomplishment, especially against a good team who only turned the ball over 12 times.

Areas for improvement
This is difficult to identify after this game.

• Only had a couple of out-of-control drives and low percentage shots, which is a huge improvement.

FYI here are the stats

Statistic	West Liberty	FAIRMONT ST.
POINTS	126	96
FGM	48	31
FGA	74	65
FGPCT	64.9%	47.7%
3FGM	17	14
3FGA	27	34
3FGPCT	63.0%	41.2%
FTM	13	20
FTA	13	22
FTPCT	100.0%	90.9%
REBOUND OFFENSIVE	9	9
REBOUND DEFENSIVE	26	17
REBOUND TOTAL	35	26
ASSISTS	26	15
TURNOVERS	8	12
BLOCKS	1	1
STEALS	6	7
Num Possessions	79	78
Points per Possession	1.59	1.23
Assists per 100 Possessions	32.9	19.2
Assists / FG Made %	54.17%	48.39%
Assist to Turnover Ratio	3.25	1.25
Turnovers per 100 Possessions (< better)	10.1	15.4
Opponent Defensive Rebounds	17	26
Offensive Rebound Efficiency %	34.6%	25.7%
Effective FG %	76.4%	58.5%
Effective FG% Difference (team - Opp.)	17.9%	-17.9%
FGA % Diff ((team FGA - Opp. FGA) / Opp.)	13.8%	-12.2%

[boatcapt]

Quiz:
you are a top 25 team.
You have the following stats:
48% FG, 41% three FG, 91% FT, 12 turnovers, 15 assists and 7 steals.

Do you win by:
a) 12
b) 20
c) 30
d). Other

if you answered c, you are incorrect.


The correct answer is YOU LOSE BY THIRTY!

That is, when you are playing against WLU basketball, composed of elite athletes playing unselfishly at 100% effort.

That was a 40 minute display of the highest level of basketball against a top 25 opponent that i have ever seen.

Even if you follow another team, it might be enjoyable to watch on mountaineast.tv replay.

Close to perfect example of the WLU style of play...crisp passing to find the open man who takes and makes the 3...moving inside and taking/making the intermediate jumper...driving and kicking out to an open player...and when appropriate, finishing at the rim. Trading 2s for 3s...constant harassing pressure

[Columbuseer]

Quiz:
you are a top 25 team.
You have the following stats:
48% FG, 41% three FG, 91% FT, 12 turnovers, 15 assists and 7 steals.

Do you win by:
a) 12
b) 20
c) 30
d). Other

if you answered c, you are incorrect.


The correct answer is YOU LOSE BY THIRTY!

That is, when you are playing against WLU basketball, composed of elite athletes playing unselfishly at 100% effort.

That was a 40 minute display of the highest level of basketball against a top 25 opponent that i have ever seen.

Even if you follow another team, it might be enjoyable to watch on mountaineast.tv replay.

[IUPalum]

We were wrong, IUPalum. Will Yoakum was seen on crutches at tonight's game.

That's worse than what I was thinking then. I was just thinking holding him out for precaution.

[IUPalum]

DESTROYED Fairmont 126-96. WLU claims the MEC North crown!

Still three losses in that High School league.

[Scrub]

We were wrong, IUPalum. Will Yoakum was seen on crutches at tonight's game.

[boatcapt]

Absolute massacre tonight, getting hot right before the tourney

DESTROYED Fairmont 126-96. WLU claims the MEC North crown!

[Layton]

Absolute massacre tonight, getting hot right before the tourney

[Scrub]

FYI
Unconfirmed rumor is that a 6-10 player from Japan is considering WLU. His is strong, without an ounce of fat. His parents work for Toyota. He a great 3 point shooter now, but is constantly improving. Holds school record for consecutive free throws made, so you would not want to foul him. But he needs to work on improving his mobility.

But he would placate the folks who think we need a big on the WLU team.

Where Americans say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", the Japanese philosophy is, "If it is not perfect, improve it."

So I expect him to continuously improve his game.
Purportedly, he plans on announcing his decision by the first of April.

Name is Koofor-san (don't know his first name)

I found some highlights.
https://autojosh.com/toyotas-basketb...oting-contest/

Indeed, mobility seems to be the Achilles heel. Can't argue with the accuracy. And he has an incredibly repeatable motion--no wasted movements there!

[Columbuseer]

FYI
Unconfirmed rumor is that a 6-10 player from Japan is considering WLU. His is strong, without an ounce of fat. His parents work for Toyota. He a great 3 point shooter now, but is constantly improving. Holds school record for consecutive free throws made, so you would not want to foul him. But he needs to work on improving his mobility.

But he would placate the folks who think we need a big on the WLU team.

Where Americans say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it", the Japanese philosophy is, "If it is not perfect, improve it."

So I expect him to continuously improve his game.
Purportedly, he plans on announcing his decision by the first of April.

Name is Koofor-san (don't know his first name)

I found some highlights.
https://autojosh.com/toyotas-basketb...oting-contest/

[Columbuseer]

Austin Webb Sighting #1

I have only been able to find highlights of his games this year. They are having a great season and are close to the top of their conference.
Austin was injured early in the season and is wearing a leg brace from thigh to shin, but he is still very effective. Great shooter, aggressive player who can finish at the rim, but is very unselfish. Started out as a post player early in his career, so he is comfortable with his back to the basket too.

On target to be valedictorian of his class.

Of the current players, he reminds me most of Will Yoakum, and like Will, Austin will need to get stronger for the college game.
???????Another gym rat who is always putting in extra time to improve his game. Future is bright for him.

???????--------------------------------------------
Another signee, Aiden Satterfield, has just started practicing for the start of the WV season in March. I can't wait to see how much he has progressed since his junior year.

[Columbuseer]

• Atrocious shooting from three, from two and from the FT line; An effective shooting % of only 44%, when a typical game is 60%.
• Only a 5-possession margin in turnovers and forcing 30% fewer turnovers (13) than their average.

• They have the athletes to play tight half-court defense for the whole shot clock against shot creators, keeping pressure on the opponent on both defense and offense.
• The are an amazing rebounding team, especially on the offensive glass, where they rebounded an incredible 43% of their missed shots.
• They handled the ball incredibly well and refused to panic against the slow-down tactics, committing only 8 turnovers.
• They used rapid passing and ball rotation to spread the defense and create openings for slashes to the rim to get and-ones or get fouled. We have several great finishers at the rim who only need a sliver of an opening and who can make shots after significant contact.
• The great three-point shooters continued to take the wide-open three that D&E was giving them; in the second half they started dropping, which got the lead to double digits. Also, to their credit, lesser shooters passed up open threes to get the ball to a great three-point shooter, even though everyone has the green light to shoot at WLU. Very unselfish and IMHO the right decision against a slow-down team.
• Despite the shooting woes, WLU averaged a very good 1.13 Points Per Possession (PPP). Only 7% of D1 schools average over 1.0 PPP.

Given the open looks D&E was conceding to WLU, if WLU had been shooting their typical %, they would have scored 100 points and had at least 1.3 PPP.
These are the type of games that complete, championship-caliber teams find a way to win. Very impressive.

Areas for Improvement

1. Still crashing into motionless defenders at the rim and getting called for offensive foul, instead of taking an 8-foot jumper. We are not doing it as much, but it can be reduced further. To me, it seems like officials are siding with defender if he is motionless, even if he made some contact.

Statistic	West Liberty	at Davis & Elkins
POINTS	77	59
FGM	26	21
FGA	71	54
FGPCT	36.6%	38.9%
3FGM	11	4
3FGA	42	22
3FGPCT	26.2%	18.2%
FTM	14	13
FTA	22	18
FTPCT	63.6%	72.2%
REBOUND OFFENSIVE	21	8
REBOUND DEFENSIVE	28	28
REBOUND TOTAL	49	36
ASSISTS	17	13
TURNOVERS	8	13
BLOCKS	2	3
STEALS	7	5
Num Possessions	68	67
Points per Possession	1.13	0.88
Assists per 100 Possessions	25.0	19.4
Assists / FG Made %	65.38%	61.90%
Assist to Turnover Ratio	2.13	1.00
Turnovers per 100 Possessions (< better)	11.8	19.4
Opponent Defensive Rebounds	28	28
Offensive Rebound Efficiency %	42.9%	22.2%
Effective FG %	44.4%	42.6%
Effective FG% Difference (team - Opp.)	1.8%	-1.8%
FGA % Diff ((team FGA - Opp. FGA) / Opp. FGA)	31.5%	-23.9%

[IUPalum]

Came up gimpy in the second half of the Frostburg game (rolled ankle, buckled knee, something like that). So either: a) his injury is serious enough to warrant holding him out, or b) they didn't want to risk re-rolling the ankle (or whatever it was) in a game against D&E with FSU looming. I would guess the latter. But saying so essentially means I'm agreeing with IUPalum (what is this world coming to?)! ; )

Now you're getting it!!!

[Scrub]

What's up with Yoakum? Sub'ed out with 18:23 left in the second half vs Frostburg Saturday and then didn't play at all vs D&E.

Came up gimpy in the second half of the Frostburg game (rolled ankle, buckled knee, something like that). So either: a) his injury is serious enough to warrant holding him out, or b) they didn't want to risk re-rolling the ankle (or whatever it was) in a game against D&E with FSU looming. I would guess the latter. But saying so essentially means I'm agreeing with IUPalum (what is this world coming to?)! ; )