West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Columbuseer]

A Dummy’s Belated Observations on WLU vs Cal State DH 3/25/25 CSDH 86 - WLU 84

Cal State Dominguez Hills (CSDH) Game Plan
As a team, CSDH averaged 45% FG, 33% FG, and 75% FT. Their best shooters were Smith 35% 3FG, and Hilstock 34% 3FG. Cheatom was 50% FG, Garcia 50% FG, Afifi 48% FG, and Smith 43% FG. They were very athletic. IMHO, they had 3 legitimate D1 players.

The CSDH strategy seemed to be:
• PASSED– Take care of the ball and keep the turnover margin close. CSDH limited their turnovers to 4 in the second half for a total of 11.
• PASSED – Attack WLU 1-on-1 in transition when they have numbers, for CSDH believed that WLU could not guard them 1-on-1.
• PASSED - Dominate rebounds. CSDH got 44% of offensive rebounds to only 28% for WLU. The D1 90th percentile for offensive rebounds is 33.7%. CSDH got 72% of the defensive rebounds for only 56% for WLU. The D1 median for defensive rebounds is 72%.
• PASSED (marginally)– Get more fast break points. GU had 25 points to 23 for WLU.
• PASSED (marginally)– Shoot significantly above average.
• FAILED - Limit the inside game of WLU. Shuler, D’Augustino, Harper and Woodward had solid inside games, but they missed 5 layups in the last 17 minutes of the second half, which helped CSDH.

Keys to the WLU Loss
WLU played an excellent first half. At the 17:26 mark of the 2nd half, WLU was up by 17 points. Then a perfect storm arrived, even though WLU was getting open looks. In the remainder of the game:
• WLU missed 5 layups (they made 8).
• WLU was 1 for 8 3PTRs.
• WLU was 2 for 8 in jump shots.
• CSDH was 9 for 11 layups.
• CSDH was 4 for 11 from 3PTRS, although fatigue started to cause misses with 6 minutes remaining.
• CSDH was 5 for 8 in jump shots.

WLU played with great effort. However, IMHO CSDH had 3 legitimate D1 players who were extremely hard to guard 1-on-1. As a result, WLU had to play their best defenders much longer than usual, especially in the second half. CSDH was gassed in the last 3 minutes of the game, but they were able to hold on for the victory.

CSDH was a team that peaked at the right time to play at an elite level. CSDH came very close to being the national champion.

Overall, this was an amazing season for WLU, with 9 new players, 3 players lost to injury, and being forced to allocated significant minutes to players that likely would have redshirted. They greatly exceeded even the most optimistic expectations.

Areas for Improvement for WLU

IMHO, some of our second shift players did not match up well to defend CSDH, and CSDH exploited them. As a result, WLU had to play a shorter rotation in the second half. For next season, WLU could benefit from more big men that are better defenders and stronger rebounders. WLU could benefit from another guard who can score at the rim and defend the opponent’s best guard (a Shuler-type player).

[Columbuseer]

Wlu had commitments from 4 freshmen for 2025-2026 based on their twitter.
All were from ohio. So wlu is not struggling to recruit ohio.

wlu was able to sign 3 of the 4 and three did visit nova se before committing to wlu.

The 4th one was 6-6 and co-district player of year. Several wlu fans said he got some $ to go to nova.
He might have had the most long term upside potential due to his size and skill. We will have to wait and see how he does at nova competing with higher level players, as all the undergrad nova starters are on the D1 radar.

There are enough good players to go around. We just have to be willing to accept that some elite players will choose nova se, with its weather, campus, beaches, 70% female student body, facilities and comparable coaching. Do not be surprised if nova is a fixture in the elite 8.

What we as fans must do is to continue to agree with opponents that call the style a gimmick. We must limit its proliferation, especially in the Atlantic Region! :-)

[boatcapt]

Much has been said about WLU's recruiting. Conventional wisdom seems to be that Crutchfield is "taking" the cream of the Ohio DII crop that in years past would have gone to WLU. But is that true? Sure, there have been a number of Ohio players opt for Ft Lauderdale, but not as many as the conventional wisdom suggests. Breaking down this years Nova roster shows four players that players from Ohio High Schools. Sounds like a lot but when you break it down, one of the four came to Nova as a grad transfer (not out of HS) two others were grad students who stayed at Nova (gee, wouldn't that be nice!) and one player is a Sophomore.

By the years:

2024-25 Four players from Ohio (Number of Freshmen from Ohio ZERO)
2023-24 Three players from Ohio (Freshmen from Ohio ZERO)
2022-23 Six players (ZERO)
2021-22 Six players (TWO Freshmen)
2020-21 Five players (ONE Freshman)
2019-20 Five players (TWO Freshmen)
2018-19 Two players (ZERO Freshmen)

Don't know what the final number's will be for this year, but over the last three recruiting years, the "Crutch Effect" on WLU's Ohio recruiting has been ZERO.

So if Nova and their NIL money is not the reason WLU is struggling recruiting Ohio, what is? Just speculating here, but I posit that were WLU struggles is KEEPING the players they sign. Seems every years we hear about some prime HS player who signed with WLU who renigs and goes elsewhere. That needs to stop. If the player signed a contract (which is what a letter of intent is), they need to be held to that contract. If they love playing ball as much as we think they do, then they will show and we will reap the benefit (at least for one season). As a team, we need to do away with redshirts in the players freshmen season. Get them on the floor early and burn the redshirt. Save the redshirt for their second season (if they need it). A player with THREE years of eligibility is less appealing to a poching coach from another program than one with FOUR...a player with TWO is less appealing than one with THREE. The freshman redshirt just set's us up for the "graduate transfer" and our stars going elsewhere to "finish up" their college basketball careers.

[Columbuseer]

Fyi
post season awards wlu 2025 commits
Cam Williams cinci elder special mention d1 all state
Aiden Davis steubenville 1st team d3 all state
Myles Montgomery milford 1st team d5 all state

[Columbuseer]

Great Jim Crutchfield interview yesterday.
Nova se has won 85 consecutive home games, which is a d2 record Last 4 years' record is 135-5.

Select sportsline monday march 31
Start at 3:15 thru 8:00 min
Then go to 33:00

• Crutch has won over 86% of games, breaking Clair Bee's record as best in NCAA history. Caridi said winning 64% is considered elite.
• Said nova scrimmaged dusty may's final 4 team and turned them over.
• Positive it will work at d1 with d1 players.
• Has had d1 offers but none were right situation.
• Talks about morgan wooten clinic giving him an epiphany.

Interesting!
https://wvmetronews.com/podcast/

[Columbuseer]

So you seem to be implying that there is just nothing we can do to improve beyond our current level. That we are an at best Elite 8 team that can't get the players to push us over the top. MAYBE occasionally we get hot at the right time or our seeding is "right" or maybe Nova has injuries and then maybe we have a chance, but realistically, beyond luck, we just can't compete.

My point is that we have several elite 3 point shooters on the team.

There is nothing that 200k per year in nil and recruiting budget or moving campus to Naples, FL will not ameliorate. We cannot even afford to fly euro players here on a recruiting visit.

Athletic, elite 3 point shooters are at the right edge of the bell curve. We would need to expand to a national/international recruiting footprint.
That takes massive $. There are not enough fans that are willing and able to spend the $ to support the program at such a level.

[boatcapt]

Regarding 3 pt shooters. 40% is considered elite. When comparing past teams, it is important to note that the 3pt line distance has increased in recent years.

This year there were only 40 persons shooting >=40% among 304 teams, who also met the required minimum number of attempts.
We are fortunate to have Dragas (46.3%) and Tinsley (44.7%) as freshmen. Had they met the number of attempts, they would have ranked 3rd and 12th, respectively, in 3pt shooting % in D2. The minimum number of attempts seems to assume that there are only 1 or 2 designated 3pt shooters on a team that take most of the attempts. That puts wlu at a disadvantage in terms of individual ranking.

The players that also have the prerequisite athletic ability to play and defend at wlu do not grow on trees.
As we saw against CSDH, some of our reserves who were great shooters were exposed defensively by CSDH.

So you seem to be implying that there is just nothing we can do to improve beyond our current level. That we are an at best Elite 8 team that can't get the players to push us over the top. MAYBE occasionally we get hot at the right time or our seeding is "right" or maybe Nova has injuries and then maybe we have a chance, but realistically, beyond luck, we just can't compete.

[Columbuseer]

Regarding 3 pt shooters. 40% is considered elite. When comparing past teams, it is important to note that the 3pt line distance has increased in recent years.

This year there were only 40 persons shooting >=40% among 304 teams, who also met the required minimum number of attempts.
We are fortunate to have Dragas (46.3%) and Tinsley (44.7%) as freshmen. Had they met the number of attempts, they would have ranked 3rd and 12th, respectively, in 3pt shooting % in D2. The minimum number of attempts seems to assume that there are only 1 or 2 designated 3pt shooters on a team that take most of the attempts. That puts wlu at a disadvantage in terms of individual ranking.

The players that also have the prerequisite athletic ability to play and defend at wlu do not grow on trees.
As we saw against CSDH, some of our reserves who were great shooters were exposed defensively by CSDH.

[boatcapt]

I have a different perspective. Wlu was 36.92% (44th) in 3fg% out of 304 teams while Nova se was 36.33% (60th). Wlu started the season in a 3pt shooting slump. Or the average would have been higher.

Dragas, Tinsley, Autrey and Harper are great 3 point shooters.
I agree that we did not have a Butler, Bolon or Bonifant. But those were all pre nil. If you want that person, better open up the checkbook. I looked at the day of giving on march 26 at 6 pm for men's basketball. It was pitiful given the success of the team, about $3000. The rumor is Nova SE pays $25k per player.

In the elite 8 one may encounter one or more teams with at least 3 legit D1 players. Those teams are hard to beat regardless of the system. Imho, that team was Cal DH. Had just a few of our inside shots fallen in the second half, we would have defeated them, even without a go-to guy. Nova se was lucky to beat them, even with their nil funding and 3 players out of the 12 d2 players on the Bevo Francis list.

What you call a slump to start the season, I call a hot strike that closed the season that artificial bumped our 3pt percentage up. Over the final eight games of the season (From the second Farimont game through the final game of the MEC Tourney) WLU shot .417 from three. In the four games of the NCAA, WLU shot .333 from three. AND we compounded that by taking about eight fewer 3pt shots!

WLU had four .400+ three point shooters (actually two if you throw out Woodard who took 10 three point tries and Kisner who took 26) this year. Last year we had two, year before four, year before that four, and four the year before that so it seems we need to focus more attention on 3pt shooting ability and maybe a bit less on "athletic ability."

If Ben can't find .400 three point shooters, then he needs to figure out how to build them over the summer...Maybe put on a series of "shooters clinics." My understanding is that Coaches can put on clinics within 100 miles of their college and not run afoul of the NCAA. 100 miles covers quite a number of traditional WLU recruiting hot spots. OR, just maybe focus a little coaching love on Garson Kisner. Yea, he only took 26 three point shots last year, but he did drain them at a +.400 clip. Times I saw him he didn't look overwhelmed in the moment. At 6'7" I don't know that I want him bring the ball up but other than that, he seemed comfortable all over the court. Get him to take 75 or 80 threes next season and even if his shooting "dips" 30 points to the .390 range, I'd be very happy.

Some quick back of the napkin math...Over the last 14 seasons, WLU teams that shot below .380 from three averaged losing in the 1.8th "Round" (rounded up to losing in the Second Round) while WLU teams that shot above .380 from three averaged losing in "Round" 3.6 (Round up to the 4th game or the Elite 8 game). Absent this years .366 shooting Toppers going to the Elite 8, sub-.380 shooting Topper teams average losing in the first round of the NCAA Tourney.

[Columbuseer]

Well, we can all agree that the current roster needs some adjustments. They have no knock down 3 point shooter or a player that you can give the ball to and say get me a bucket. Yes, basketball is a team sport, but to win a national title you need to have at least 1 player who can create his own shot at any given moment, WL doesn't have that guy.

I have a different perspective. Wlu was 36.92% (44th) in 3fg% out of 304 teams while Nova se was 36.33% (60th). Wlu started the season in a 3pt shooting slump. Or the average would have been higher.

Dragas, Tinsley, Autrey and Harper are great 3 point shooters.
I agree that we did not have a Butler, Bolon or Bonifant. But those were all pre nil. If you want that person, better open up the checkbook. I looked at the day of giving on march 26 at 6 pm for men's basketball. It was pitiful given the success of the team, about $3000. The rumor is Nova SE pays $25k per player.

In the elite 8 one may encounter one or more teams with at least 3 legit D1 players. Those teams are hard to beat regardless of the system. Imho, that team was Cal DH. Had just a few of our inside shots fallen in the second half, we would have defeated them, even without a go-to guy. Nova se was lucky to beat them, even with their nil funding and 3 players out of the 12 d2 players on the Bevo Francis list.

[boatcapt]

Even with only playing 7-8 guys total, Crutch is still running the system though. You're correct, however, that he has better shooters than WLU and Gannon did. But he's still running the system.. just with less guys. The system isn't so much about having 10 guys to rotate every 3 minutes.. but playing the fast paced, run and gun offense and the chaotic full court press.

There is the ideal version of the System and then changes and variations forced on a coach by personnel. There are also variations in when players are getting minutes in a game and when they aren't...Are players getting the predominance of their minutes early in games and in garbage time or are they getting minutes when the game is on the line?

There is also a difference between what the stat line tells you about a team and what you see on the court. From a statistic standpoint, this years WLU team was consistent with pratty much every WLU team over the last 10 years. But when you watch the games, it was pretty easy to see that something was "missing." Sure, the ultimate "stat," wins and losses, was really good and we went to the Elite 8 which put's this team in the top 10 of WLU teams...But from game 1 it just never seemed quite "right." I said previously that this years team seemed like a collection of 3's...the player that you get production from but they aren't the star or go-to guy when you need a bucket. Occasionally, they will have a big game but typically they get you about 10-12 points per game, a few rebounds and steals and play compatent defense.

[bballfan03]

To me, run and gun is Grinnell.
Nova se took great shots, with 14 assist on 19 made shots. They play fast but commit few turnovers per possession

Grinnell is just take 1000 shots lol I just meant run and gun in the sense you're still putting up more shots than most teams would. Nova SE is very disciplined which is where GU and WLU were lacking this year.

[TopperNation]

Well, we can all agree that the current roster needs some adjustments. They have no knock down 3 point shooter or a player that you can give the ball to and say get me a bucket. Yes, basketball is a team sport, but to win a national title you need to have at least 1 player who can create his own shot at any given moment, WL doesn't have that guy.

[Columbuseer]

Even with only playing 7-8 guys total, Crutch is still running the system though. You're correct, however, that he has better shooters than WLU and Gannon did. But he's still running the system.. just with less guys. The system isn't so much about having 10 guys to rotate every 3 minutes.. but playing the fast paced, run and gun offense and the chaotic full court press.

To me, run and gun is Grinnell.
Nova se took great shots, with 14 assist on 19 made shots. They play fast but commit few turnovers per possession

[bballfan03]

West Lib's system fails them again, as they don't have that 1 guy to get you a bucket when you need it. 18-0 and 23-2 runs in an elite 8 game is unheard of. I believe many of us on this board have said this for years, but I for one no longer care about 6 or 7 guys averaging 10+ points a game. Give me the guy that averages 22 plus points a game that can also get you a bucket when you need it and have 2 or 3 others at 9 points a game. Yes, West Liberty can win 25-30 games in the regular season and maybe win a conference regular season title, but the standard has been raised and now it's time to recruit or bring guys in who can flat out score. I had enough of the WL motto "we recruit H.S. winners", I'll take a H.S. guy who hasn't won much but can average 20 points a game on the Hilltop, lol. See you guys next season when the opening will be how good the guys look in open gym and how we brought in a guy who won 3 state titles, is a winner, and will average 13 points per game, haha.

This "system" guys thing doesn't work, you don't believe me look at Nova with Crutch. He went and got guys who can get you a bucket when the "system" breaks down! I've actually spoken to Crutch and he's made mention to this.

Even with only playing 7-8 guys total, Crutch is still running the system though. You're correct, however, that he has better shooters than WLU and Gannon did. But he's still running the system.. just with less guys. The system isn't so much about having 10 guys to rotate every 3 minutes.. but playing the fast paced, run and gun offense and the chaotic full court press.