West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[boatcapt]

Yeah ... it's been five years now since the last game.

We've been waiting!!!

[Columbuseer]

He's going to do just fine there but I don't see it this year (unless he can sneak Will Vorhees on to the team).

They lost a TON and he got there late.

That said, moving forward he should be able to recruit to FSU dramatically easier than to ND.

I am going to have to take a Missouri "Show me" on him. When he had Voorhees bringing the ball up against WL at the game at ND, I was left shaking my head. Voorhees was totally gassed late in the game. Especially when you have an all Philly CIty League guard on the team in Thurman. FSU with Mazulla and WL often competed for the same type of players. I hope that his style will reduce this competition, but who knows?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

And don't sleep on Koenig as an X-factor. He seemed to really come into his own as a coach during NDC's impressive MEC tourney run last spring. I would bet on him finding a creative way to use the pieces he has left at FSU and putting together a little run.

He's going to do just fine there but I don't see it this year (unless he can sneak Will Vorhees on to the team).

They lost a TON and he got there late.

That said, moving forward he should be able to recruit to FSU dramatically easier than to ND.

[Scrub]

I agree. Charleston has the right mix to win. Big man plus great scoring guard and 3 point shooter. If they catch them on a bad night, I could see them winning. Fairmont is an unknown with their graduation and transfer losses.

And don't sleep on Koenig as an X-factor. He seemed to really come into his own as a coach during NDC's impressive MEC tourney run last spring. I would bet on him finding a creative way to use the pieces he has left at FSU and putting together a little run.

[Columbuseer]

I don't see WL going undefeated, I see a loss at Charleston or Fairmont or somewhere in the regular season, but more than 2, and that's a huge upset...They will be really good and deep..and can see WL and IUP in a collision course in March....It will be alot of fun to see how they get there though...

I agree. Charleston has the right mix to win. Big man plus great scoring guard and 3 point shooter. If they catch them on a bad night, I could see them winning. Fairmont is an unknown with their graduation and transfer losses.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I don't see WL going undefeated, I see a loss at Charleston or Fairmont or somewhere in the regular season, but more than 2, and that's a huge upset...They will be really good and deep..and can see WL and IUP in a collision course in March....It will be alot of fun to see how they get there though...

Yeah ... it's been five years now since the last game.

[IUP Extra Mile]

I don't see WL going undefeated, I see a loss at Charleston or Fairmont or somewhere in the regular season, but more than 2, and that's a huge upset...They will be really good and deep..and can see WL and IUP in a collision course in March....It will be alot of fun to see how they get there though...

[Columbuseer]

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I wanted to try out a post on the new board and bump the WL thread...Can't let it get buried.

Also, where does everyone think WL will be ranked in the preseason top 20? I'm saying top 4...They'll be good, but typically the national folks inflate WL in the rankings, just a hair...

And better question- Will IUP or WL be higher in the preseason rankings? (I know, I know, each team would rather be ranked higher at the END of the year...)

Doesn't WL start every year No. 1?

IUP ... depends how in-depth they actually research it. Typically, the preseason rankings are a stooge festival. IUP will be better this year than last year but from afar the roster transition could scare people in such 'researched' preseason lists.

Unless somebody else comes out of nowhere, they are the clear two front-runners in the Atlantic. UPJ is getting a lot of buzz (and will be very good).

My pick is if WL wins up at Daemen ... they go undefeated in the regular season. I see the 'second' team in the MEC being about 5 miles behind WL this year (talent-wise). I still think WL will run in to issues under the basket in March, however.


West Chester and Virginia State both lost a ton. Neither roster is posted yet. I suspect they reload quickly. Same with Slippery Rock.

Kutztown, Shippensburg, UPJ and Millersville will all be very solid. Fairmont State is in transition and lost a ton (graduation and players leaving).

With the very bad news out of East Stroudsburg it's hard to say what course its season will take.

Mercyhurst brought in some real intriguing imports -- especially under the basket. The guards are a different subject, however. They won't be near what they were a year ago.

[boatcapt]

I wanted to try out a post on the new board and bump the WL thread...Can't let it get buried.

Also, where does everyone think WL will be ranked in the preseason top 20? I'm saying top 4...They'll be good, but typically the national folks inflate WL in the rankings, just a hair...

And better question- Will IUP or WL be higher in the preseason rankings? (I know, I know, each team would rather be ranked higher at the END of the year...)

WLU will be ranked #1 by at least two of the pre-season polls.

[IUP Extra Mile]

I wanted to try out a post on the new board and bump the WL thread...Can't let it get buried.

Also, where does everyone think WL will be ranked in the preseason top 20? I'm saying top 4...They'll be good, but typically the national folks inflate WL in the rankings, just a hair...

And better question- Will IUP or WL be higher in the preseason rankings? (I know, I know, each team would rather be ranked higher at the END of the year...)

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

I read a news article from Monteroso's football days at Perdue. It was an interview of players on the basketball team. One of the questions asked was who is the best basketball player not on the team. To a man they all said Monteroso. They said he would practice with the team sometimes and just light them up!! Hard to say he would have started (didn't follow the team so I don't know who they had) but it seems like the players thought that if he was on the team, he would have contributed quite a bit.

Scored over 2000 pts in high school.
At wl he once played basketball game on Friday, played football on Saturday afternoon, and then played second basketball game Saturday night. Incredible athlete!

[boatcapt]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Maybe Monteroso as a d1 hoop player...he played d1 football, not sure his jumper is D1 worthy, his athleticism was easily thpugh.

I read a news article from Monteroso's football days at Perdue. It was an interview of players on the basketball team. One of the questions asked was who is the best basketball player not on the team. To a man they all said Monteroso. They said he would practice with the team sometimes and just light them up!! Hard to say he would have started (didn't follow the team so I don't know who they had) but it seems like the players thought that if he was on the team, he would have contributed quite a bit.

[IUP Extra Mile]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Hill may be a better shooter when he's wide open but at just 5'10" he would struggle getting shots off at the high D1 level. The 6'8" guys who can launch are a nightmare to defend. By the time he gets to Albany he'll probably put on 20 pounds and maybe grow an inch (it's possible). But, yes, his frame as of now is way to fragile to play at a high level. In the P5 the guards will be more talented and faster in addition to being physically superior. Not a good combination.


In my opinion, I've seen very few players (I'll just use the past decade for reference) in the Atlantic who could have been legitimate contributors at the P5 level. And, this is based on the player they became by their senior season.

Seger Bonifant (although it would likely have been as a guard)
Cobo Diaz
Brandon Norfleet
Thomas Wimbush
Haywood Highsmith
Dustin Sleva
Amir Hinton
Darryl Webb
Patrick Smith

Maybe Monteroso as a d1 hoop player...he played d1 football, not sure his jumper is D1 worthy, his athleticism was easily thpugh.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Maybe tyree gaiter from notre Dame or chance from iup? No one could handle tyree in the summer league. Big reason they won the championship

Tough question. They'd be both on the short list for sure. Adam Blazek from Gannon was real good.

We get so in to a particular season and as years go by things get foggy.