West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Scrub]

That was an ugly one. The Hilltoppers let a really sloppy Salem team hang around for a lot longer than they should have. They gotta get it figured out after the break or they're going to struggle in the conference against teams like UC, Fairmont, & WVSU that are familiar with them and have no fear of the "WLU mystique." Gotta play better basketball the deeper they get into the conference.

Glad to see Shull lace them up for the first time this season. He was dressed on Saturday but saw no floor time. Got a couple of shifts tonight. Hopefully he can elevate the three-point shooting amidst the recent funk from deep.

[Columbuseer]

That was an ugly one. The Hilltoppers let a really sloppy Salem team hang around for a lot longer than they should have. They gotta get it figured out after the break or they're going to struggle in the conference against teams like UC, Fairmont, & WVSU that are familiar with them and have no fear of the "WLU mystique." Gotta play better basketball the deeper they get into the conference.

Glad to see Shull lace them up for the first time this season. He was dressed on Saturday but saw no floor time. Got a couple of shifts tonight. Hopefully he can elevate the three-point shooting amidst the recent funk from deep.

Inconsistent play for sure. With 9 new players, it is going to take a while to reduce the inconsistency and increase cohesion. The blackout at the start of 2nd half was impressive, which hinted at this team's potential. The lead went from 12 to 21 in 2 mins. Then we get sloppy on maintaining defensive balance and allowing run outs in transition and not guarding 3 point shooters. Shull could add stability.

[boatcapt]

We are now one game shy of 1/4 through the season. This team has now been playing and practicing together for months. We shouldn't be seeing a team that is "learning" each other or the system. They should be at worst "rounding into shape."

Still...We are 6-0 which is better than 4-2 so that's good.

[Columbuseer]

The wlu style requires folks to unlearn many deeply ingrained habits. Although wlu has some set plays, their ideal goal is to never have to run them.

Wlu players in a dynamically flowing, rapidly changing game have to quickly:
-Identify the situation correctly
-Assess possible responses
- select and act on the correct response

The correct response may be for a player to guard someone who is not his man.

The transition from offense to defense has to occur instantly before the opponent even secures the rebound to prevent leak outs. This is especially important because wlu knowingly takes risks in sending 5 to various possible offensive rebounding areas so some leak outs are inevitable.

There are plenty of online interviews with Crutchfield where he goes into detail on the wlu style and why it is so hard to master.

It takes a long time. Even great players initially redshirted. Look at the improvement in our players from yr 1 to yr 2 to yr 3. The transfer portal makes it so challenging, especially with 1 yr players.

Much slower learning curve than traditional bball.

[Layton]

Probably going to be a season I pass on don’t feel great about this team maybe they’ll surprise me by the end

[Columbuseer]

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU at Salem 11/26/24

Salem (SA) Game Plan

SA had an athletic team that had many experienced transfers. On the year the team averaged 34% from three, 44% from two, and nearly 70% from the FT line. They played most teams close with a margin of -6 points. They had 4 players shooting over 36% from three, including three players shooting over 40%.

The SA strategy seemed to be:

• Marginally PASSED - Substitute liberally in an effort to mitigate effect of fatigue – they played 9 players with only one player playing 30 minutes. They got 37 points from their bench. However, about midway through the second half, many SU shots had no SU players crashing the offensive glass, essentially ceding the rebound to WLU. I think this was due to fatigue.
• PASSED - On live ball turnovers attack in transition. They had 34 fast break points and 21 points off of 13 live ball turnovers.
• PASSED – Encourage taking open look threes – They were 6 for 13 in the second half for 46% from three and 35% for the game.
• FAILED – Win the rebounding battle. WLU outrebounded SU 43-37
• FAILED – Keep WLU off the offensive glass. WLU got an outstanding 37% of potential offensive rebounds.
• FAILED – Take care of the ball. SU had 17 turnovers, which led to 20 WLU points.

Keys to the WLU 101-87 victory

This game saw some improvement in the WLU three-point shooting at 31%, although it is still subpar. Despite mediocre 3PT and FT shooting, WLU’s offensive rating was outstanding at 120 (1.20 points per possession) compared to 106 for SU. Their two-point shooting was an important factor in winning, as they made 70% of their twos. Rebounding was much improved, getting 37% of possible offensive rebounds. The end result was 5 more FGA for WLU.

WLU showed that they have the versatility to win even when the opponent:
• Shoots better % from 3FG, FT and combined FG %
• Scores more points off turnovers
• Forces live ball turnovers on WLU on 13 steals, resulting in 21 points.
• Gets really hot from three in the second half, shooting 6-13 or 46%.

IMHO, for most traditional basketball teams, this performance would result in a nail biter game.

WLU offset these deficiencies by:
• Tremendous effort and pressure on SU, especially on the boards
• Some great passes for layups.
• Making 70% of their twos.
• Getting 37% of offensive rebound opportunities, which is outstanding.
• Younger players showing much more composure and better decision making.
• Showing glimpses of their potential, as shown by the blackout at the start of the second half, when they
increased the lead from 12 to 21 in two minutes.
• Showing confidence and composure, when SU cut the lead to 8 late in the second half.

Areas for Improvement for WLU

• Reduce carelessness in passing the ball, which resulted in some turnovers.
• IMHO, getting Shull back from injury could really help the 3 PT shooting – he is very good. In addition, it will
also allow our players to get more rest, which could improve shooting. If not, players need to figure out how to improve their 3FG %. Eventually we will need to exceed 35% on threes to win some games.
• WLU aggressively attacks the offensive boards. However, players need to quickly assess if the opponent is
likely to get the rebound and sprint back on defense to reduce the number of leak outs.
• In transition, IMHO some players did not take the correct position and angle to prevent the player from driving by them,resulting in a WLU foul or an opponent score.

[boatcapt]

I've been a bit worried about this for a few years as our top stars leave for supposed Greener pastures for their last season or two of college ball and their potential replacements redshirt and end up in the portal before seeing the floor on game day. We are effectively in a situation we're we are getting squeezed from both ends. The net effect is what we are seeing this year, a number of one year rentals who don't really have the time to "unlearn" bad habits and then "relearn"
n" WLU habits and a number of 1st year players who don't really get the WLU style just yet. The result is what we see happening this year...a bunch of gifted athletes at the top trying to figure out a new system but all to often resorting to one in one (after a few early passes) and the underclassmen trying to figure it all out and be useful when on the court.

While obviously it can be successful (6-0 points to that) it really doesn't look or feel like a WLU style team. Gone seems to be three pointers raining down on opponents from seemingly every player 1-10, gone are the black outs that struck opponents with frightening regularity, hitting the century mark seems to be an occasional thing were it used to be a near every night occurrence and seemingly gone are the parade of pressure defence induced turnovers.

Will we recover our WLU style driven swagger this year as the new player learn? Maybe, but we have to face facts, they equally may not. If we don't, I think we still have the chops to win the conference and march into the NCAA. And as the saying goes, you got to be in it to win it so there is always a chance. But beyond that, Ben has got to figure out a way to keep his stars on the Hilltop for their entire careers and figure out a way to convince the new recruits that they will be better served staying at WLU rather than hitting the portal.

[TopperNation]

It's not all doom and gloom guys, I mean plenty of fan bases would kill to be in the top 10 almost every year like WLU. I think us (as well as myself) Hilltopper fans have been spoiled with the "blackouts", 40 minutes of traps and pressing, and 3 point bombs throughout the game. What we have now is a more athletic team that plays solid defense, that can win games when they aren't shooting lights out. It's all about adjusting to the changing in times, where kids don't stay more than 1 or 2 years learning the WLU system, and or want to go somewhere else where they can get more minutes and be "The Guy". Maybe this version of the Hilltoppers can break through, because our previous style hasn't brought home a title. It's still early, so let's give this team some more in-game action of playing together, as I know that coach Howlett will coach them up!

[boatcapt]

It's not all doom and gloom guys, I mean plenty of fan bases would kill to be in the top 10 almost every year like WLU. I think us (as well as myself) Hilltopper fans have been spoiled with the "blackouts", 40 minutes of traps and pressing, and 3 point bombs throughout the game. What we have now is a more athletic team that plays solid defense, that can win games when they aren't shooting lights out. It's all about adjusting to the changing in times, where kids don't stay more than 1 or 2 years learning the WLU system, and or want to go somewhere else where they can get more minutes and be "The Guy". Maybe this version of the Hilltoppers can break through, because our previous style hasn't brought home a title. It's still early, so let's give this team some more in-game action of playing together, as I know that coach Howlett will coach them up!

I said earlier 6-0 is better than 4-2. That said, there is a certain identity that a team and a fan base has built on "how" their team plays. This is true of WLU and the WLU Style. It was (is?) a point of pride that we did it differently that other teams. When we started doing it differently, we were told by experts that you couldn't do it that way...you needed to do it their way and to even try to do it differently showed how little you understood about winning basketball. We didn't recruit stars...we recruited gym rats...We didn't have designated shooters...we green lighted everyone...We didn't ride our starting 5 until the collapsed from fatigue...we went 10 deep...Our practices looked more like high intensity open gym sessions...And we NEVER won pregame warmups!

Now we are being told that we NEED to have top tier "athletes" to win... We're being told that shooting a high percentage of 3's is hard and therefore also unnecessary..That we should focus on offensive efficiency and shooting 3's and missing them negatively impacts that. How far are we away from someone pointing out that full court pressure is inefficient and actually detrimental to the athletic ability in the offensive end...particularly when we truly only have 2 (maybe 3) top tier athletes on the bench.

While I'm happy we are winning, I am more than a bit sad at the demise of what was the WLU Style. Maybe it comes back in first and starts, but I don't think we will ever see it the way it was when a collection of gym rats who were too short, couldn't dunk and were too slow to be taken seriously walked into courts in WV and across the nation and left the supposed top tier teams with their hands on their knees gasping for air looking at a score board showing they lost by 20 and wondering what the F just happened to them.

[Scrub]

While I'm happy we are winning, I am more than a bit sad at the demise of what was the WLU Style. Maybe it comes back in first and starts, but I don't think we will ever see it the way it was when a collection of gym rats who were too short, couldn't dunk and were too slow to be taken seriously walked into courts in WV and across the nation and left the supposed top tier teams with their hands on their knees gasping for air looking at a score board showing they lost by 20 and wondering what the F just happened to them.

This saddens me, too, Boat. That was a heck of time in WLU basketball. And I remember it fondly.

Unfortunately, I suspect that the real trouble is there's a guy who wants to recruit those very same gym rats who has the backing of a brand new facility, a beach steps away, and a $185 million dollar endowment (read: rich alums who probably don't mind throwing some NIL money into the pockets of the players). And if you look at Nova's results so far this season, they're doing it that vintage WLU way. But let's be real, if a prize recruit receives an offer from WLU and an offer from Nova, where's he going?

It reminds me of Billy Beane & Moneyball. Moneyball worked when no one else was doing it, because Beane could go get that OBP machine player that was being overlooked. He was able to maximize a market inefficiency by prizing something no one else wanted. As soon as everyone else recognized that Beane was right about OBP, those players were no longer signing with Oakland. If the Yankees & the A's both want the same player, he's heading to NY. Period.

When Crutch was here at WLU, he wanted guys like Luke Dyer, Dalton Bolon, Eric Meininger, Corey Pelle, etc. when no one else put a premium on what they bring to the table. But now that other schools are emulating the style (most of them, to be honest, coached by folks straight off of Crutch's coaching tree), those players aren't sitting home waiting for Howlett to call. They're heading to Ft. Lauderdale or elsewhere. The market inefficiency has perhaps dried up, just like it did for the Oakland A's who now suck and are heading to LV.

[Columbuseer]

This saddens me, too, Boat. That was a heck of time in WLU basketball. And I remember it fondly.

Unfortunately, I suspect that the real trouble is there's a guy who wants to recruit those very same gym rats who has the backing of a brand new facility, a beach steps away, and a $185 million dollar endowment (read: rich alums who probably don't mind throwing some NIL money into the pockets of the players). And if you look at Nova's results so far this season, they're doing it that vintage WLU way. But let's be real, if a prize recruit receives an offer from WLU and an offer from Nova, where's he going?

It reminds me of Billy Beane & Moneyball. Moneyball worked when no one else was doing it, because Beane could go get that OBP machine player that was being overlooked. He was able to maximize a market inefficiency by prizing something no one else wanted. As soon as everyone else recognized that Beane was right about OBP, those players were no longer signing with Oakland. If the Yankees & the A's both want the same player, he's heading to NY. Period.

When Crutch was here at WLU, he wanted guys like Luke Dyer, Dalton Bolon, Eric Meininger, Corey Pelle, etc. when no one else put a premium on what they bring to the table. But now that other schools are emulating the style (most of them, to be honest, coached by folks straight off of Crutch's coaching tree), those players aren't sitting home waiting for Howlett to call. They're heading to Ft. Lauderdale or elsewhere. The market inefficiency has perhaps dried up, just like it did for the Oakland A's who now suck and are heading to LV.

Interesting points. Indeed, there are new challenges in the era of the tranfer portal and NIL that have changed how coaches recruit. We have to be patient with this team as 9 new players is a huge challenge, and we have also been hit hard with injuries to key players.

I would suggest that the rumors of our demise are greatly exaggerated. (Mark Twain)
- practices have not changed - incredibly intense and fast paced
- we have not given up on threes - averaging 35 attempts a game
- we are loaded with gym rats.
- we have great shooters - i am confident they will break out of their slump.
- the goal of the wlu style is to get more FG attempts and to have a higher offensive rating (points per possession x 100). Why is offensive rating important? At the risk of being Capt. Obvious, it is because it determines who wins the game.
- several games we have exceeded 1.20 Pts. per possession, which is comparable to past great teams.
- imho we had to get better athletes because the MEC has stepped up recruiting to beat wlu.
- I remember past undefeated, great teams getting beaten on a bad 3 point shooting game, like when wlu was #1 and lost at Concord. Now we are finding a way to win due to great defense even when we are shooting abysmally and rebounding poorly. But clearly, we need to improve in shooting and rebounding.
- I have heard NIL(pay to play) is creeping into D2 so we may lose some players. But I believe wlu still provides athletes the best chance to play overseas, which is a better long term financial benefit for players.
- there are only 5 teams out of 300 d2 teams playing the wlu style, so imho there are plenty of players to go around. Two of our new recruits turned down the beach.


-

[Scrub]

U. G. L. Y.

This team can't shoot. The number of outright airballs and bricks last night was really disconcerting. It's not even that they're not running the system or the ball is sticking. They're moving the ball, getting open looks, and then bricking the open look. And you can see it effecting their confidence too. There was one moment in particular from last night where the ball whipped around the perimeter--all 5 guys touched it on that possession . . . and they never got a shot up. They didn't appear to be whipping the ball around to work for a better shot. Three dudes had wide open looks on that possession and none of the wanted to pull the trigger. They're getting gun shy and that doesn't work in a WLU system.

And you know the stronger teams in the MEC are well prepared to take advantage of a WLU team that can't shoot.

[Columbuseer]

FYI

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU at WV Wesleyan 12/4/24

WV Wesleyan (WVW) Game Plan

WVW has upgraded their talent significantly from past years. Their point guard #1 Mirhosseini is one of the better
point guards in the MEC and is a great scorer from three (46%) as well as inside (45% overall). On the year the
team averaged 37% from three, 44% from two, and nearly 69% from the FT line. Last year they were blown out by
many teams with a margin of -16. Now they have reduced the margin to -12 points. They had 5 players shooting
over 35% from three, including three players shooting over 40%. The problem is that they have very little depth.
Only 6 players played more than 6 minutes, and 5 players played more than 30 minutes.

The WVW strategy seemed to be:
• PASSED – Play deliberately after breaking the press to slow the pace of the game.
• PASSED – Encourage #1 Mirhosseini to shoot threes.
• PASSED - Encourage taking open look threes. They were 3 for 10 (33%) in the first half and 5 for 8 (62%) in
the second half and 47% for the game.
• PASSED – Win the rebounding battle. WVW outrebounded WLU 38-25.
• PASSED – Keep WLU off the offensive glass. WLU got a mediocre 24% of potential offensive rebounds.
• FAILED – Take care of the ball and avoid getting sped up in their game against the press. WVW had 22 turnovers, which led to
20 WLU points.

Keys to the WLU 81-66 victory

WLU shooting was horrendous overall at 6-32 (19%) from three, and only 69% on FT. Despite mediocre 3PT and FT
shooting, WLU’s offensive rating was very good at 110 (1.10 points per possession) compared to 89 for WVW. Their
two-point shooting was an important factor in winning, as they made 68% of their twos.

WLU showed that they have the versatility to win even when the opponent:
• Shoots better % from 3FG and combined FG %
• Outrebounds WLU
• Gets really hot from three in the second half, shooting 5-8 or 62%.

IMHO, for most traditional basketball teams, this performance would result in a nail biter game.

WLU offset these deficiencies by:
• Tremendous effort and pressure on WVW, forcing 22 WVW turnovers, resulting in 20 points and 20 more FG
attempts.
• Creating fatigue and turnovers due to lack of depth by WVW, leading to 16 fast break points
• Shutting down #1 Mirhosseini by double teaming him on high ball screens and making him pick up his dribble.
He could not take advantage of the open screener rolling to the basket. The offense flowed through him and
this strategy forced long droughts in WVW scoring. WVW had a terrible offensive rating of 89 for the game.
Had WLU been making their threes, the game would have been a blow out at half time. In the second half,
Mirhosseini did get hot, hitting some deep contested threes, which kept them in the game.
• Using a combination of different taller players as well as Shuler to guard Mirhosseini, thus giving him different
looks
• Limiting WVW to 2 fast break points, even though they tried to throw over the top of the press on several
occasions.
• Taking care of the basketball, committing only 7 turnovers with an excellent 2.29 assist to turnover ratio
• Some great passing and movement without the ball to get layups
• Tremendous effort inside to score two-point goals when the threes were not falling, making 68% of their twos.
• Younger players showing much more composure and better decision making. Tinsley played 27 minutes,
Dragas 18 minutes and Shull 15 minutes, as Clanet did not play.
• Showing confidence and composure, when WVW cut the lead to single digits late in the second half.

Areas for Improvement for WLU

• They remain inconsistent, where they have not put a full game together.
• They are shooting threes much below their capabilities.
• There were a few instances where some of our veteran players took low percentage, contested shots insid

[boatcapt]

At what point do we stop saying that WLUs shooting is inconsistent and admit that this is what we are?

We have devolved into a traditional team that plays full court and wins with hussle and individual athletic performances.

[Topper_Hopper]

Top scoring offenses in D2; through games Wednesday, December 04, 2024:

1 Coker 117.2
2 Nova Southeastern 108.6
3 Bluefield St. 103.8
4 Mount Olive 103.4
5 Lake Erie 101.6
6 Tampa 98.7
7 Chaminade 98.5
8 Valdosta St. 97.5
9 West Liberty 97.3
10 Gannon 97.0