West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I'm beginning to come around to the fact that #4 is probably correct. It doesn't mean WLU can't win. But it does mean WLU can't win with the same formula it did in, say, 2013. And that's admittedly hard for long-time fans like you and me to come to grips with.

Keep in mind the programs that were good then also had the luxury of developing players.

In that era at IUP Joe would get 2-3 years out of any transfer.

Now they are essentially starting over every season. If you develop a true star ... goodbye. He's going to some bush league D1 program.

As a whole, the Atlantic Region was very, very down last year. Talent is down across the board. There's no team development over the course of a few years.

Joe's big teams would have beat last years team by 45-50 points. Granted, they were in a total rebuild (which is a different topic).

I'd bet the WL team that beat Joe several years ago would have beat this past WL team by 20+. Easily.

[Layton]

Howlett era is over he’s headed to IU-Indy

[boatcapt]

I'm beginning to come around to the fact that #4 is probably correct. It doesn't mean WLU can't win. But it does mean WLU can't win with the same formula it did in, say, 2013. And that's admittedly hard for long-time fans like you and me to come to grips with.

Do we know we can't win recruting the same type of players we did in 2013? We didn't change the type of player we recruited because the "old style" ever lost (quite the contrary). We clearly have changed the type of player we recruit (i.e. Athletic ability) and in the grand scheme, we have won with them as well in the WLU System. This has lead to the default assumption that you HAVE to have the current type player to win. I would note that before Crutch showed you could win with the gym rat/coaches son/high motor but athletically limited players..."experts" said the same thing. Can't win with THOSE guys, you need THESE type guys to win "in the modern game."

No one showed WLU that they couldn't win with the "old school" players...WE unilaterally changed the type of players we recruited (and showed we could win with them as well).

[IUPHawks24]

Howlett era is over he’s headed to IU-Indy

Lamberti next in line?

[boatcapt]

Howlett era is over he’s headed to IU-Indy

I heard he was in the mix (along with Jordan Fee), but don't see where an announcement has been made.

[Scrub]

This news makes the lower 3pt shooting percentages we've been discussing a much smaller issue!

[Layton]

I heard he was in the mix (along with Jordan Fee), but don't see where an announcement has been made.

Jon Rothstein posted it

[Layton]

Lamberti next in line?

Has to be

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Lamberti next in line?

NO !!!

I was making a big push for him to replace Joe when he retires


Good luck to Ben. Hell of a run there.

[boatcapt]

Jon Rothstein posted it

Could be but I note that there is nothing on the UI-Indy website...or in HoopDirt announcing it.

[IUPHawks24]

NO !!!

I was making a big push for him to replace Joe when he retires


Good luck to Ben. Hell of a run there.

What about Fudala?

[boatcapt]

Lamberti next in line?

Even though Lamberti has only been at Coker for two seasons, he does show "happy feet" as a college coach doing some sort of two step with Western Colorado University (had an announcement and everything) before actually signing to be the Coker HC. His stint at WLU as Ben's assistant was the longest of his coaching career.

Other names from the Crutch Tree:

Devin Hoehn - Former WLU player and Nova assistant under Crutch then HC at Bluefield State University. Just signed to be the HC at Fayetville State.
Jordan Fee - Former WLU player, Nova assistant coach and Gannon HC for one season. Now an assistant at FAU. He is the other rumored name for the UI-Indy HC position.
Aaron Huffman - Long time WLU assistant under Ben and Crutch. Former HC at D3 Bethany College back in the day.

Here's a name for you, Dan Monteroso. He's still killing it playing pro in Germany but after seven years, could this be the right time and right place for him to transition to a coaching gig?

After that you start scraping into the HS head coach and one/two year assistant level.

[Chuck Norris]

Howlett era is over he’s headed to IU-Indy

I read this as D2’s UIndy and thought, wow another WL coach making a D2 to D2 move? And the weather in Indy isn’t even an improvement. lol. I forgot that this is the university formerly known as IUPUI.

Interesting move for Ben and a tall task. They haven’t won much since the world came to know them as Ewwy Pooey on Selection Sunday 20 or so years ago. But the Horizon League is certainly one of the lower tiered D1 conferences where Crutchball could potentially be immediately impactful. It’ll be interesting to see how it works out.

[boatcapt]

I read this as D2’s UIndy and thought, wow another WL coach making a D2 to D2 move? And the weather in Indy isn’t even an improvement. lol. I forgot that this is the university formerly known as IUPUI.

Interesting move for Ben and a tall task. They haven’t won much since the world came to know them as Ewwy Pooey on Selection Sunday 20 or so years ago. But the Horizon League is certainly one of the lower tiered D1 conferences where Crutchball could potentially be immediately impactful. It’ll be interesting to see how it works out.

If he does go to "Ewwy Pooey," I wonder which players he will take with him? Wouldn't take many players to follow him before we get VERY thin.

[Scrub]

If he does go to "Ewwy Pooey," I wonder which players he will take with him?

Right. Someone like Lamberti would certainly do better here if he had a plug-and-play roster. He hasn't necessarily shown the ability to build a successful Crutch-ball team at Coker. They score a lot but don't win as much down there. If he had to build from scratch (that is, if Howlett took guys with him), I wonder if Lamberti is up to the task.

Don't underestimate how impactful Howlett was as a recruiter (both as Crutch's recruiter and as his own).

Now Fee, on the other hand, showed the ability to build from scratch right out of the gate.