West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Columbuseer]

West Liberty has assembled a Swiss army knife roster.

The scoring balance of this team is amazing!

Opponents cannot focus on just one or two players.

After 5 games:
- 5 different high point scorers (counting ties) in first 5 games.
- Only one repeat high point scorer.
- No player has scored more than 17 pts
- Avg of 6 double figure scorers per game.
- 7 players avg between 9.8 and 13.0 ppg
- 11 of 12 players have scored in double figures at least once.

[boatcapt]

Just really outdated from a looks standpoint. Can’t speak to how good it is to play on but I’m sure it’s fine for that aspect. Although I’m a stickler for aesthetics

From that standpoint, I agree. One of the top DII teams in the nation should have a more visually appealing floors. The only avenue to WLU for many (most) potential players and fans is what their eyes see on broadcasts. There is certainly much more to WLU basketball, but the first hook is what they see. Kind of like Boise State and their blue field. Probably not many can tell you how they did back in the day, but they always remembered the carpet and maybe tuned in a couple of extra times because of it.

[Layton]

Layton you are much closer than I am. Is there a problem with the surface or is it an ascetic thing? It doesn't come across on line as a bad surface. But it is pretty standard. Doesn't make it bad persay...just not eye grabbing.

Just really outdated from a looks standpoint. Can’t speak to how good it is to play on but I’m sure it’s fine for that aspect. Although I’m a stickler for aesthetics

[boatcapt]

Has there been any talks about getting a new floor anytime soon? We could really use a refresh

Layton you are much closer than I am. Is there a problem with the surface or is it an ascetic thing? It doesn't come across on line as a bad surface. But it is pretty standard. Doesn't make it bad persay...just not eye grabbing.

[Columbuseer]

FYI
West Liberty national stats thru Nov 21

#1 Assists 26.4
#1 Turnovers margin 16.2 #2 Nova se 15

#2 Turnovers forced 27.2. #1 Nova se 30.67
#2 Steals 17.2 #1 nova se 22
#2 Bench points 52.2

#3 Scoring margin 35
#3 Scoring 105.6
#3 3pt attempts 37
#3 Assist to turnover ratio 2.36

#4 3pts made 13

#10. 3 pt defense 25 %
#10. Fast break pts 20.2

[Columbuseer]

Has there been any talks about getting a new floor anytime soon? We could really use a refresh

Blame it on the men's basketball team who are constantly diving on the floor for loose balls. :-)

Btw for those missed the game, it is worth seeing the on demand replay on mountaineast.tv.
Wreaking total havoc, 23 steals in forcing 31 turnovers.

But a can't miss highlight is between 10:00 and 9:00 in first half. Might need to slow it to 0.25 speed to catch the blur that is Darren Fergus.
As a teaser, for wvu fans it will evoke memories of Sagaba Kanate.

[Layton]

Has there been any talks about getting a new floor anytime soon? We could really use a refresh

[Layton]

The boys are putting on a clinic right now. Executing this system perfectly

[Uindy18]

[QUOTE=Columbuseer;n797824]A Dummy’s Observations on WLU at Salem 11/18/23 WLU 111- Salem 82



Salem Game Plan

Salem is an athletic team with a 6-10 agile, coordinated big who is a double-double machine. They are a dangerous team, especially against a half court opponent who only plays 7. They have very good 1-on-1 players and are very strong rebounders.

Their game plan was to spread the floor, use high ball screen, attack the rim off the dribble. and dominate the boards. To counter the press, they used their big to catch a high inbounds pass at the foul line and then dish. When they broke the press, they did not attack the basket, unless they had a run out. Salem typically plays their starting 5 more than 30 minutes, as they have little depth. That is a huge risk against WLU.

First Half

WLU had a good start, with an 8-0 run to lead 15-6 at 17:32. The lead reached 10 at the 11:55 mark, and WLU was threatening to open a large lead. To Salem’s credit, they responded. Aided by a WLU cold spell, Salem erased the deficit and took a 1-point lead with 5 minutes left in the half. Salem was using 7 players, but was playing the starters too long, given that Salem was choosing to run with the Hilltoppers. That usually is a bad omen for the second half. The half ended with WLU leading 49-46.


Second Half

After a very short stint in the locker room, Salem returned, walking like old men. They went to the sideline and sat on the chairs and drank liquids before briefly warming up. But many warmup shots were bricks.

When the Bravo platoon entered the game at 16:39, the lead was 4.

When the Alpha Platoon replaced Bravo at 14:05, the lead was 14, Bravo having forced 7 turnovers and a Salem player getting a technical foul. Salem was gassed, moving a step slow on defense and making mental errors. The off-balance, difficult shots that were falling for Salem in the 1st half were now clanging off the rim.

When Alpha Platoon left at 11:10, they had increased the lead from 14 to 29 in less than 3 minutes.

The game was essentially over. Final score 111-82.


Keys to the game:

• Fatigue – WLU scored 36 points off turnovers, with 25 fast break points, 15 steals among 25 forced turnovers. Salem three point % went from 43% in 1st half to 17% in second half. FG% 1st half was 55%, 2nd half 37%.
• The Alpha and Bravo Platoons continue to perform at high levels – Alpha was +12 over 5 shifts, Bravo was +12 over 4 shifts.
• Quality depth – WLU bench points outscored Salem’s bench 49 to 7, which overcame a significant rebounding advantage for Salem.
• WLU only committed 10 turnovers.
• WLU shooting – 52.9% FG, 38.2% Threes, and 74.3% FT.
• WLU shares the ball effectively, compared to Salem’s dribble dominant offense. WLU had an outstanding 2.10 assist to turnover ratio, compared to a bad 0.44 for Salem
• Despite their fast pace, WLU commits turnovers on only 12% of possessions, compared to 31% for Salem.

The effective shooting % of many WLU players was excellent. This stat weighs the value of the 3-point shot 50% more than a 2-pt shot, which allows more effective comparison with post players, etc. A perfect score for a 2-pt shooter who does not miss is 100%. However, if the shooter only shoots threes and never misses, the maximum possible value is 150%. Here were the top effective shooters for WLU:





Effective Shooting %

number	Player	GS	Minutes	FGMA	3PTMA	FTMA	PTS	Effective FG%
5	Korte, John	*	20	5-6	1-1	5-7	16	91.7%
22	Hinds, Chaz		11	4-7	3-6	3-4	14	78.6%
10	Spadafora, Dante		18	2-4	2-4	9-9	15	75.0%
2	Fergus, Darren		10	3-4	0-0	1-5	7	75.0%
13	Daugustino, Kyler	*	21	6-10	1-3	0-0	13	65.0%
25	Rasile, Zach	*	24	4-8	2-5	4-4	14	62.5%
23	West, Alek		15	2-4	1-2	0-0	5	62.5%
3	Woodward, Finley		16	3-5	0-1	0-0	6	60.0%
1	Montague, Christian	*	26	3-7	2-6	1-2	9	57.1%

Six players scored in double figures for WLU, with Darren Fergus scoring nine. Eleven players saw at least 14 minutes of action, with 5 players at 20 or more minutes (max of 26 minutes).

Salem has good athletes, with quick guards and a 6-10 mobile big who can score in a 1-on-1 style. However, waves of WLU pressure and Salem using only 7 players while choosing to run with the Hilltoppers, resulted in extreme fatigue for Salem in the second half.

WLU offensive rating was 135, which is outstanding, above their typical, excellent 125. In addition, they held Salem to 102.

The effective shooting % as a team was 63%, and they held Salem to 49%.



Advanced Stats

Statistic	Salem 11/18/23	West Liberty 11/18/23
FGM	29	36
FGA	63	68
FTM	20	26
FTA	29	35
Three Point FGM	4	13
three Point FGA	27	34
OFF REB	20	11
Assists	11	21
Turnovers	25	10
Steals	5	15
Turnovers Forced	10	25
Points	82	111
Games Played	1	1
Number of Possessions	81	82
Avg. Possessions per Game	81	82
Pts per Possession	1.02	1.35
Offensive Rating - pts/100 possessions	102	135
Shooting Efficiency (FGM +0.5*3ptFGM)/FGA	49.2%	62.5%
FT %	69.0%	74.3%
3PT%	14.8%	38.2%
2PT%	69.4%	67.6%
Turnovers Per Game	25.0	10.0
Turnover %	31.0%	12.1%
Forced Turnovers per Game	10.0	25.0
Percent Forced Live Ball Turnovers	50.0%	60.0%
Assists % of FG Made	37.9%	58.3%
Assist to Turnover Ratio	0.44	2.10

I appreciate the breakdown of Salem. It wasn't a popular opinion when the deal was announced, but Salem can compete with the majority of Mountain East programs.

[Columbuseer]

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU at Salem 11/18/23 WLU 111- Salem 82



Salem Game Plan

Salem is an athletic team with a 6-10 agile, coordinated big who is a double-double machine. They are a dangerous team, especially against a half court opponent who only plays 7. They have very good 1-on-1 players and are very strong rebounders.

Their game plan was to spread the floor, use high ball screen, attack the rim off the dribble. and dominate the boards. To counter the press, they used their big to catch a high inbounds pass at the foul line and then dish. When they broke the press, they did not attack the basket, unless they had a run out. Salem typically plays their starting 5 more than 30 minutes, as they have little depth. That is a huge risk against WLU.

First Half

WLU had a good start, with an 8-0 run to lead 15-6 at 17:32. The lead reached 10 at the 11:55 mark, and WLU was threatening to open a large lead. To Salem’s credit, they responded. Aided by a WLU cold spell, Salem erased the deficit and took a 1-point lead with 5 minutes left in the half. Salem was using 7 players, but was playing the starters too long, given that Salem was choosing to run with the Hilltoppers. That usually is a bad omen for the second half. The half ended with WLU leading 49-46.


Second Half

After a very short stint in the locker room, Salem returned, walking like old men. They went to the sideline and sat on the chairs and drank liquids before briefly warming up. But many warmup shots were bricks.

When the Bravo platoon entered the game at 16:39, the lead was 4.

When the Alpha Platoon replaced Bravo at 14:05, the lead was 14, Bravo having forced 7 turnovers and a Salem player getting a technical foul. Salem was gassed, moving a step slow on defense and making mental errors. The off-balance, difficult shots that were falling for Salem in the 1st half were now clanging off the rim.

When Alpha Platoon left at 11:10, they had increased the lead from 14 to 29 in less than 3 minutes.

The game was essentially over. Final score 111-82.


Keys to the game:

• Fatigue – WLU scored 36 points off turnovers, with 25 fast break points, 15 steals among 25 forced turnovers. Salem three point % went from 43% in 1st half to 17% in second half. FG% 1st half was 55%, 2nd half 37%.
• The Alpha and Bravo Platoons continue to perform at high levels – Alpha was +12 over 5 shifts, Bravo was +12 over 4 shifts.
• Quality depth – WLU bench points outscored Salem’s bench 49 to 7, which overcame a significant rebounding advantage for Salem.
• WLU only committed 10 turnovers.
• WLU shooting – 52.9% FG, 38.2% Threes, and 74.3% FT.
• WLU shares the ball effectively, compared to Salem’s dribble dominant offense. WLU had an outstanding 2.10 assist to turnover ratio, compared to a bad 0.44 for Salem
• Despite their fast pace, WLU commits turnovers on only 12% of possessions, compared to 31% for Salem.

The effective shooting % of many WLU players was excellent. This stat weighs the value of the 3-point shot 50% more than a 2-pt shot, which allows more effective comparison with post players, etc. A perfect score for a 2-pt shooter who does not miss is 100%. However, if the shooter only shoots threes and never misses, the maximum possible value is 150%. Here were the top effective shooters for WLU:





Effective Shooting %

number	Player	GS	Minutes	FGMA	3PTMA	FTMA	PTS	Effective FG%
5	Korte, John	*	20	5-6	1-1	5-7	16	91.7%
22	Hinds, Chaz		11	4-7	3-6	3-4	14	78.6%
10	Spadafora, Dante		18	2-4	2-4	9-9	15	75.0%
2	Fergus, Darren		10	3-4	0-0	1-5	7	75.0%
13	Daugustino, Kyler	*	21	6-10	1-3	0-0	13	65.0%
25	Rasile, Zach	*	24	4-8	2-5	4-4	14	62.5%
23	West, Alek		15	2-4	1-2	0-0	5	62.5%
3	Woodward, Finley		16	3-5	0-1	0-0	6	60.0%
1	Montague, Christian	*	26	3-7	2-6	1-2	9	57.1%

Six players scored in double figures for WLU, with Darren Fergus scoring nine. Eleven players saw at least 14 minutes of action, with 5 players at 20 or more minutes (max of 26 minutes).

Salem has good athletes, with quick guards and a 6-10 mobile big who can score in a 1-on-1 style. However, waves of WLU pressure and Salem using only 7 players while choosing to run with the Hilltoppers, resulted in extreme fatigue for Salem in the second half.

WLU offensive rating was 135, which is outstanding, above their typical, excellent 125. In addition, they held Salem to 102.

The effective shooting % as a team was 63%, and they held Salem to 49%.



Advanced Stats

Statistic	Salem 11/18/23	West Liberty 11/18/23
FGM	29	36
FGA	63	68
FTM	20	26
FTA	29	35
Three Point FGM	4	13
three Point FGA	27	34
OFF REB	20	11
Assists	11	21
Turnovers	25	10
Steals	5	15
Turnovers Forced	10	25
Points	82	111
Games Played	1	1
Number of Possessions	81	82
Avg. Possessions per Game	81	82
Pts per Possession	1.02	1.35
Offensive Rating - pts/100 possessions	102	135
Shooting Efficiency (FGM +0.5*3ptFGM)/FGA	49.2%	62.5%
FT %	69.0%	74.3%
3PT%	14.8%	38.2%
2PT%	69.4%	67.6%
Turnovers Per Game	25.0	10.0
Turnover %	31.0%	12.1%
Forced Turnovers per Game	10.0	25.0
Percent Forced Live Ball Turnovers	50.0%	60.0%
Assists % of FG Made	37.9%	58.3%
Assist to Turnover Ratio	0.44	2.10

WLU National Stats as of 11/16/23

Assists #1 26.4
Turnovers margin #1 16.0 Nova se #2. 15 Gannon #4 13.3
Turnovers forced # 2 26.67. Nova se #1 30.67
3pt attempts #2 38.3
Steals #2 16 nova se #1 22 Gannon #2 tie 16
Bench points #3 54.0
Scoring margin #3 41
Scoring #5 102.7, Gannon #1 and Nova se #3

Assist turnover ratio #6 2.47
3pts made #10 12.3


Scoring defense #23 61.3
3 pt defense #25. 25.1%
Fast break pts #29 17.0
FG % defense #33 38.462%

[Columbuseer]

Yeah. I think it actually will be good for the PSAC to have a team or two playing that style so it isn't completely exotic to our teams when we get out of the conference. East Stroud has been about the only team in the PSAC to consistently play uptempo in recent years, but they are not as frenetic about it as WL and Nova. Hard to work on a good press offense when you don't see it a lot.

We'll see how Gannon does. They've put up some impressive stats so far and do have some good players, but Penn State DuBois Campus is quite a step below the better PSAC teams.

There is a risk, if history of wlu is any indication.
Crutchfield became coach in 2004. Wlu had no basketball tradition.

From 2009-10 through 2022-2023, wlu was regular season champion, except for one year in 2015-2016.
it forced MEC to upgrade rosters and the type of players they recruit in order to compete.

On the other hand, PSAC has many more schools and much greater population local recruiting area than the MEC, which could make domination difficult.

[IUPHawks24]

I'll be interested in seeing how Gannon does when the caliber of opposition picks up a little bit.

Gannon is good. Much better than I thought they'd be. Ojamafo looks like he could be a star. Their non conference is soft, so I think they'll end up around 20 wins. If they play at the top of their potential, it wouldn't shock me if they contended for an NCAA bid.

[Columbuseer]

Yeah. I think it actually will be good for the PSAC to have a team or two playing that style so it isn't completely exotic to our teams when we get out of the conference. East Stroud has been about the only team in the PSAC to consistently play uptempo in recent years, but they are not as frenetic about it as WL and Nova. Hard to work on a good press offense when you don't see it a lot.

We'll see how Gannon does. They've put up some impressive stats so far and do have some good players, but Penn State DuBois Campus is quite a step below the better PSAC teams.

Curious, I rewatched about 1st 26 min of gannon Glenville game.
glenville looked like a high end naia team...great athletes, great 1 on 1 game, team game lacking.
gannon doing hockey line changes, not as athletic, but much more skilled in team aspects. Gannon winning every hustle play. Gannon went on runs at 6 mins in 1st half, taking lead from 5 to 16 in about 3 mins. Glennville down double digits after shoooting over 55%!
In second half gannon extended lead to 27 in 1st 6 mins.

fee has assembled some team first players. They are still a work in progress in terms of mastering the style,, but the potential is there,

[Ship69]

Good point. I have not watched them, but I have been surprised that they are undefeated. Big change in style and type of player needed to play it compared to last year.
charleston was supposed to be loaded and and they are familiar with the style.

Yeah. I think it actually will be good for the PSAC to have a team or two playing that style so it isn't completely exotic to our teams when we get out of the conference. East Stroud has been about the only team in the PSAC to consistently play uptempo in recent years, but they are not as frenetic about it as WL and Nova. Hard to work on a good press offense when you don't see it a lot.

We'll see how Gannon does. They've put up some impressive stats so far and do have some good players, but Penn State DuBois Campus is quite a step below the better PSAC teams.

[Columbuseer]

I'll be interested in seeing how Gannon does when the caliber of opposition picks up a little bit.

Good point. I have not watched them, but I have been surprised that they are undefeated. Big change in style and type of player needed to play it compared to last year.
charleston was supposed to be loaded and and they are familiar with the style.