West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Scrub]

This team is just soooo hot and cold. And there doesn't seem to be any rime or reason to it. Would it surprise anyone if they lost to Frostburg 71-68 and then beat Fairmont 110-85??

Last night didn't surprise me one bit. May always comes in with a lane-clogging plan against WLU. It only works if the players get dribble-happy instead of moving the ball. Well, turns out that some of WLU's players got a bit dribbly, and played right into May's plan (it isn't the first time that's happened against May's teams). WLU's players simply have to play a bit smarter, recognize what Concord wants to do, and avoid falling into the trap.

[Columbuseer]

Last night didn't surprise me one bit. May always comes in with a lane-clogging plan against WLU. It only works if the players get dribble-happy instead of moving the ball. Well, turns out that some of WLU's players got a bit dribbly, and played right into May's plan (it isn't the first time that's happened against May's teams). WLU's players simply have to play a bit smarter, recognize what Concord wants to do, and avoid falling into the trap.

Good points. We took the bait instead of making the extra pass. If Concord had more depth, the outcome could have been diiferent.

[boatcapt]

Last night didn't surprise me one bit. May always comes in with a lane-clogging plan against WLU. It only works if the players get dribble-happy instead of moving the ball. Well, turns out that some of WLU's players got a bit dribbly, and played right into May's plan (it isn't the first time that's happened against May's teams). WLU's players simply have to play a bit smarter, recognize what Concord wants to do, and avoid falling into the trap.

Dribble happy seems to be a common theme with this Topper team. They need to figure it out before the NCAA Tourney or it will be an early defeat. Beating Willmington, Bowie and Concord is one thing...beating eight NCAA Tourney caliber teams in a row doing it is quite a different proposition.

[Columbuseer]

Dribble happy seems to be a common theme with this Topper team. They need to figure it out before the NCAA Tourney or it will be an early defeat. Beating Willmington, Bowie and Concord is one thing...beating eight NCAA Tourney caliber teams in a row doing it is quite a different proposition.

So true. Ironically, making the extra pass actually leads to more points for our talented one-on-one scorers because it distorts the defense and Ieaves bigger openings for rim runs with no help defense, resulting in easier shots and more and-one chances. Also accelerates defensive fatigue due to ball movement.

[boatcapt]

So true. Ironically, making the extra pass actually leads to more points for our talented one-on-one scorers because it distorts the defense and Ieaves bigger openings for rim runs with no help defense, resulting in easier shots and more and-one chances. Also accelerates defensive fatigue due to ball movement.

For the most part, they don't seem overly interested in fatiguing rhe other team. When was the last time we had a true "black out?" WLU is good enough to beat many teams playing dribble drive but when competition ramps up in the NCAA Tourney, I fear they will be found lacking when opposing defenses are able to match their athletic ability.

[Columbuseer]

FYI

West Liberty National Ranking after Concord Game as of Jan 7, 2022

Here are stats where WLU is above 90^th percentile.

Notes:
Season FT percentage has improved from 66.7 to 70.5 over last month
Season Offensive rebounding per game has increased by 6% to over 14
Season 3 pt% holding steady at around 38%
Nova SE #1 in Scoring Offense, with WLU #2.

Date	National Ranking	West Liberty rank	Value
1/7/2021	Scoring Offense	2	95.90
1/7/2021	Steals Per Game	3	12.60
1/7/2021	Turnovers Forced	3	20.64
1/7/2021	Assists Per Game	4	19.80
1/7/2021	Turnover Margin	4	7.60
1/7/2021	Scoring Margin	8	19.00
1/7/2021	Offensive Rebounds per game	11	14.15
1/7/2021	Assist Turnover Ratio	16	1.52
1/7/2021	Free-Throw Attempts	16	290.00
1/7/2021	Three-Point Field Goals Per Game	16	10.70
1/7/2021	Free-Throw Made	17	218.00
1/7/2021	Three-Point Attempts	18	369.00

[Scrub]

All playing the same style yes. But maybe more importantly, all coached from the Crutchfield Coaching Tree. There are certainly variations on that style throughout the country (even in our own region at places like ESU, Glenville, etc.). But it only seems to work to a national level of prominence when executed by St. Crutch or one of the disciples. It'd be interesting to see if/when Brandon Smith takes over a team (at Glenville or elsewhere) if he can execute it to the level that both Howlett and Hearn have so far.

[Columbuseer]

Wlu 2022 signee luke denbow became leading scorer in ashland hs history on dec 28 at 1,316 points.
Great player. Here is a video of him in action.
https://twitter.com/i/status/1473843148782804992

[Columbuseer]

9:26 left
west liberty 97 frostburg 53

Great sharing of ball and pressure speeding up bobcats.

[Columbuseer]

WLU Observations: Frostburg State

• Everyone is making the extra pass, giving up a good shot for a wide-open great shot for a teammate
• Because of the dribble drive skills of WLU, opponents were sagging, resulting in late close-outs on our 3-point shooters and wide-open looks from 3 for WLU. The result is higher shooting %.
• WLU is getting over 20 assists per game.
• In the first half, WLU had 23 made FGs. There were 12 assists. More importantly, on the remaining 11 FGs, there were zero forced shots or missed opportunities for assists. This is a result of the sharing the ball, which leaves wide open opportunities for easy scores on the rim run because opponents are spread to defend the three.
• Players are taking the easy 10 ft. jumper rather than attempting a contested finish at the rim. This avoids charges, blocks, and reduces missed shots.
• WLU had 8 players in double figures.
• WLU is doing a great job of forcing steals (35% of all turnovers), which results in a live ball turnover and fast break opportunities.
• Because they are sharing the ball, the points per possession the last two games exceeds 1.3, which is incredible. When the ball was sticking against Concord, the pts per possession was a 1.06, which is a consistent stat for high-ball screen, dribble drive teams.
• The new, less experienced players are getting more and more comfortable in all aspects of the game and playing more effectively.
• Because WLU plays 12 players, normal game stat comparisons are misleading, unless you extrapolate the stats to 40 minutes of play. Using this approach, WLU has 10 players who would average over 16 points over 40 mins.
• 5 players have an effective FG % that exceeds 60% (accounts for 3-point shots). Most traditional teams would expect these stats mainly from their big, dominant, inside player. WLU has the equivalent of 5 big men in terms of this stat.
• 3 players have an assist to Turnover ratio of > 2.5, which is outstanding.
• Although turnovers could be reduced, most are coming from inexperienced players after the game is out of hand. In addition, they are typically unforced turnovers, resulting from a player trying to make an extra pass for an assist.

Opponent	CONCORD	at Glenville St.	at Frostburg St.
Date	01/05/22	01/08/22	01/12/22
Score	85-67	101-90	124-84
w/l	W	W	W
FG	31	38	48
FGA	71	63	82
Pct	44%	60%	59%
3 FG	7	9	12
3 FGA	26	24	31
3 FG PCT	27%	38%	39%
FT	16	16	16
FTA	22	19	28
FT PCT	73%	84%	57%
Off Reb	18	8	13
Def Reb	31	24	36
Tot Reb	49	32	49
Reb Per Game	39.2	38.6	39.3
PF	17	21	26
Assist	15	22	24
Turnovers	17	14	13
Blk	1	2	5
Steal	5	6	6
Pts	85	101	124
Avg Pts Per Game	95.9	96.3	98.1
Steals per Forced Turnover	29%	38%	35%
Assist to TO Ratio	0.88	1.57	1.85
Assist per FG	48%	58%	50%
Points Per FGA	1.20	1.60	1.51
Points Per Possession	1.06	1.31	1.32
Num Possessions	80	77	94
OppDefReb	23	19	24
Off Reb Efficiency	44%	30%	35%
Forced Turnover	17	16	17
Game num	13	14	15

[Columbuseer]

FYI

West Liberty National Rankings in 90^th percentile as of games completed 1/13/2022 (after Frostburg)

• More rapid passing and and movement without ball are resulting in FG % climbing from 47% to over 50%.
• Assists per game are steadily climbing.
• Turnover margin and assist to turnover ratio are deceptively low, as many WLU turnovers are unforced and due to playing new combinations of players for extended minutes after the outcome has been decided. However, this playing time for younger players will pay dividends in March.

Date	National Ranking	West Liberty rank	Value
1/13/2022	Scoring Offense	2	98.10
1/13/2022	Steals Per Game	3	11.70
1/13/2022	Turnovers Forced	3	20.40
1/13/2022	Assists Per Game	4	20.20
1/13/2022	Turnover Margin	4	7.30
1/13/2022	Scoring Margin	6	19.00
1/13/2022	Free-Throw Attempts	10	337.00
1/13/2022	Free-Throw Made	12	234.00
1/13/2022	Assist Turnover Ratio	14	1.55
1/13/2022	Three-Point Attempts	14	424.00
1/13/2022	Offensive Rebounds per game	16	13.67
1/13/2022	Three-Point Field Goals Per Game	17	10.70
1/13/2022	Field-Goal Percentage	19	50.09

[Scrub]

That's a very bad--potentially season altering--loss. Up 15 at home, you have to close that out. They simply stopped sharing the ball and stopped playing Hilltopper basketball in the second half. They got dribble-happy in the second half and paid the price for it against a very good Fairmont team. Gotta learn from that. But the damage is done. Now, you have to go into Retton Arena and win the second match-up against the Falcons, and that's an incredibly tough place to win a road game. And now there's no room for a hiccup (such as, say, a loss at Concord--and make no mistake, Athens is a very tough place to emerge with a win). Really disappointing second half performance after an almost perfect first half. Gotta put two good halves together to beat good teams.

[Layton]

Wowzer, I was shocked at the final score after seeing what it was in the second half

[Scrub]

Was anyone at the game to see what happened after the handshakes? On the feed, it looked like a Fairmont bench player (in a full warm-up suit) got in Sarson's face after the handshakes as Sarson and McKinney made their way toward the locker room. The camera never panned to the "action," but the announcer did make a cryptic reference to the AD having to go down to the floor to clear up a situation. So, I'm wondering if a little scuffle ensued. Anyone have any intel?

[Columbuseer]

That's a very bad--potentially season altering--loss. Up 15 at home, you have to close that out. They simply stopped sharing the ball and stopped playing Hilltopper basketball in the second half. They got dribble-happy in the second half and paid the price for it against a very good Fairmont team. Gotta learn from that. But the damage is done. Now, you have to go into Retton Arena and win the second match-up against the Falcons, and that's an incredibly tough place to win a road game. And now there's no room for a hiccup (such as, say, a loss at Concord--and make no mistake, Athens is a very tough place to emerge with a win). Really disappointing second half performance after an almost perfect first half. Gotta put two good halves together to beat good teams.

Once again our players took the bait and went one on one. On many occasions, all 5 fsu players had at least one foot in the lane in a pack line defense. Also teammates quit moving without the ball, leaving no one to kickout the ball to in 2nd half.

When will our players learn that one on one is not a winning strategy against good teams? The system, not the players' individual skills, is what make wlu hard to beat

Fsu chose to leave our best rebounder open outside and take their chances with his open three; if he misses, he is no rebound threat. Many shots were taken with no one under to rebound. Losing viktor with 4 fouls really hurt the team as no one could guard him.

I have no patience with players getting technicals by mouthing off to the ref. It is childish, self centered and fruitless. No ref ever changed a call. Let the coaches do the talking.