West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Columbuseer]

As I said above, I didn't watch the game (I was simply tracking on live stats while otherwise disposed).

But as the game neared its end, I kept wondering which guy on this current edition of the Hilltopper team would be the one who wants the ball in a one-possession, do-or-die type of situation. WLU has often had "a dude" who would take over in those situations (Bonifant, Butler, Monteroso, Ced Harris, etc.). I kept watching the live stats to see who was gonna demand the ball. And if the live stats play-by-play was correctly entered by the statistician, it looked like it was Cam Williams with the ball in his hand for that final possession (and it's possible it was forced into his hands by quality defense).

Now, I'm of two minds about that if that's the case. On one hand, I applaud the freshman for having confidence in his abilities and trying to step up when called upon to do so (and it ultimately worked out on that possession with Abdullah tipping in Cam's missed drive with 7 seconds to go). But on the other hand, it's a bit scary that in a do-or-die possession it was a freshman with exactly 9 games under his collegiate belt who had the ball. In March, I want and hope that the young guys will continue to feel comfortable and confident to step up when called upon, but I also hope WLU figures out who's gonna be "the dude" when a do-or-die possession presents itself and someone has to take charge and get a bucket.

I watched the game. Williams has been improving with every scrimmage and game. Montgomery, Williams and Davis have adjusted to the speed of the college game. None are afraid to take the last shot. Montgomery came within 2 of the alltime single game steals record a few games ago.
Davis is always in very good catch and shoot position when he receives the pass in the corner,

In this game, Lattos and Muldowney had very strong opponents although Muldowney wisely gave up on the open look three in the second half and started attacking the rim with success. It seemed like Williams had a relative matchup advantage. He was getting fouled and was 10-11 ft.
landon butler hit key shots too.
effective fg %
L. Butler 78%
lattos 67%
Abdullah 64% his fadeaway was deadly, finally.
hurray 64%
Montgomery 62%
Needless to say, we have quality depth.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I know he can bowl (and, I guess, do TMobile commercials), but can The Dude shoot the rock?

It's a complex case.

[Scrub]

The dude abides

I know he can bowl (and, I guess, do TMobile commercials), but can The Dude shoot the rock?

[IUPbigINDIANS]

As I said above, I didn't watch the game (I was simply tracking on live stats while otherwise disposed).

But as the game neared its end, I kept wondering which guy on this current edition of the Hilltopper team would be the one who wants the ball in a one-possession, do-or-die type of situation. WLU has often had "a dude" who would take over in those situations (Bonifant, Butler, Monteroso, Ced Harris, etc.). I kept watching the live stats to see who was gonna demand the ball. And if the live stats play-by-play was correctly entered by the statistician, it looked like it was Cam Williams with the ball in his hand for that final possession (and it's possible it was forced into his hands by quality defense).

Now, I'm of two minds about that if that's the case. On one hand, I applaud the freshman for having confidence in his abilities and trying to step up when called upon to do so (and it ultimately worked out on that possession with Abdullah tipping in Cam's missed drive with 7 seconds to go). But on the other hand, it's a bit scary that in a do-or-die possession it was a freshman with exactly 9 games under his collegiate belt who had the ball. In March, I want and hope that the young guys will continue to feel comfortable and confident to step up when called upon, but I also hope WLU figures out who's gonna be "the dude" when a do-or-die possession presents itself and someone has to take charge and get a bucket.

The dude abides

[Scrub]

The three freshmen are making solid contributions, which is very unusual for WLU freshmen.

As I said above, I didn't watch the game (I was simply tracking on live stats while otherwise disposed).

But as the game neared its end, I kept wondering which guy on this current edition of the Hilltopper team would be the one who wants the ball in a one-possession, do-or-die type of situation. WLU has often had "a dude" who would take over in those situations (Bonifant, Butler, Monteroso, Ced Harris, etc.). I kept watching the live stats to see who was gonna demand the ball. And if the live stats play-by-play was correctly entered by the statistician, it looked like it was Cam Williams with the ball in his hand for that final possession (and it's possible it was forced into his hands by quality defense).

Now, I'm of two minds about that if that's the case. On one hand, I applaud the freshman for having confidence in his abilities and trying to step up when called upon to do so (and it ultimately worked out on that possession with Abdullah tipping in Cam's missed drive with 7 seconds to go). But on the other hand, it's a bit scary that in a do-or-die possession it was a freshman with exactly 9 games under his collegiate belt who had the ball. In March, I want and hope that the young guys will continue to feel comfortable and confident to step up when called upon, but I also hope WLU figures out who's gonna be "the dude" when a do-or-die possession presents itself and someone has to take charge and get a bucket.

[Scrub]

Lubbock Christian is one of best teams I have seen recently. 4 ex d1 players and all conf transfer from fort Lewis. Very well coached and unselfish.

this game will help us in March.

And I believe the kid from Fr. Lewis actually started out at Colorado with a stop at Ft. Lewis on his way to Lubbock.

[Columbuseer]

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU vs Lubbock Christian’s (LC) 12/21/25 WLU 87 – LC 88

Lubbock Christian (LC) Game Plan

LC is a Texas school with 1,700 students. LC comes into the WLU game at 11-2 and ranked #7 in D2. They are very well coached, are unselfish and have a talented, tall, fundamentally sound, veteran inside game with outstanding rebounding.

They have four ex-D1 players coming from Univ. Texas, LaSalle, San Francisco and Longwood. They also have several non-U.S. players. They are excellent FG shooters at 49.9%. Five players average in double figures, led by Miller at 22 ppg (an all-conference player last year at Fort Lewis) and Pusateri (D1 San Francisco transfer) at 15 ppg. They make 40% of threes, making an average of 9 per game. They only commit about 12 turnovers per game and average 15 assists. Their vulnerability is depth, as only 6 players average over 10 minutes a game.

The LC strategy seemed to be:

• PASSED – In the half-court offense, attack WLU inside with their excellent interior passing game and great scorers.

• PASSED – Limit WLU second shots. LC dominated both offensive and defensive boards.

• PASSED– Trust their half-court offense. When they broke the press, they often refrained from attacking the rim in transition.

• PASSED – Shoot their average FG %. LC shot 53%, better than their 49% average. They were deadly from 10 feet and closer. LC shot 43% 3FG (avg 40%) in the first half, but cratered to 16% in the second half (probably due to fatigue).

• FAILED –Keep their composure against the WLU pressure. LC faltered against the WLU pressure with 21 turnovers. Their fatigue and turnovers allowed WLU to to come back and take the lead in the second half.

Keys to the WLU Game

WLU was going to play at a fast pace with extreme defensive pressure to exploit the short LC bench. On offense, LC was forcing WLU to take threes, and WLU’s offensive rating was a good 113 (points per 100 possessions) compared to just 109 for LC. This is one of those games where technical fouls gave LC more possessions and points, resulting in a narrow win. WLU’s effective shooting % was 49% to 56% for LC, due to LC’s strong inside game. Their true shooting % was 52% for WLU to 59% for LC (this stat takes in account FT shooting). For the game, WLU shot a very subpar 38% FG and 30% 3FG. WLU had a strong 2nd half shooting, averaging 50% FG, as they were wearing down the LC defense.

WLU played with great effort, subbing frequently, and putting severe mental stress on LC. LC fatigue resulted in turnovers and made them a step slow on defense, especially in the 2nd half.

• IMHO, the difference in the game was the great rebounding and inside game of LC. It barely offset West Liberty’s pressure, which caused extreme mental fatigue on LC. The rebounding advantage plus three technical fouls on WLU made the difference.

• WLU has quality depth. Four players shot 50% or greater from three – Abdullah 1-1, L. Butler 3-5, Hurray 1-2 and Davis 1-2. The three freshmen are making solid contributions, which is very unusual for WLU freshmen.

• In the second half, WLU was much more confident in attacking the rim, which helped them overcome a double-digit deficit and actually take the lead.

• WLU shot an outstanding 13-16 for 81% Free Throws.

• WLU only had 5 turnovers and an incredible 3.2 assist to turnover ratio

Areas for Improvement for WLU

• This was a valuable learning experience for WLU, as Lubbock Christian is a talented, very well-coached, legitimate top-10 team and emphasized strong rebounding, with an excellent inside scoring and passing game. It is a different style and player profile than what one normally faces in the Mountain East. It will pay dividends in helping WLU improve rebounding and team interior half-court defense.

• WLU needs to avoid the technical fouls, as it can make a difference in a close game.

[Columbuseer]

That's totally fair. I would argue that Angelo is a top-tier team as well, but I take your point. The elite shooters aren't here this year.

But I would say I'm encouraged by the improved performance (despite the lack of 3-point prowess) against these kinds of teams. These are the sorts of matchups you're more likely to face in March, so I do think WLU has shown some progress in the last month, and I hope more progress is yet to come.

But you're right that they'd look a lot different if they had a 3-point ace to go with the other pieces. They don't even need a Seger Bonifant or Zach Rasile. I'd settle for an Eric Meininger, who always seemed to be able to be counted on for a 3 in a big spot. I know Lamberti downplays the 3 in this system (perhaps somewhat differently than how Crutch or Howlett ran it) and wants his guys to shoot fewer of them, but a Meininger- or Zac Grossenbacher-type who always seemed to hit in a big spot would be nice to have around.

Mature, intelligent points scrub. I watched one half of wv Wesleyan game and graded every three on the following criteria:
1. was the defender at least 6 feet away when the ball was released?
2. Was shooter stationary and in shooting position when receiving the pass?

when these 2 criteria were met, wlu shot 50% from three.

we have great shooters, but they underestimate difficulty of 3 pt shot when making adjustments in mid shot.
the offense has to get more wide open looks. We generally get more of them when opponent fatigue slows close outs on the three in the second half.

Lubbock Christian is one of best teams I have seen recently. 4 ex d1 players and all conf transfer from fort Lewis. Very well coached and unselfish.

this game will help us in March.

[Scrub]

We've played two top tier teams thus far. We lost to both while shooting a combined .290 from three.

That's totally fair. I would argue that Angelo is a top-tier team as well, but I take your point. The elite shooters aren't here this year.

But I would say I'm encouraged by the improved performance (despite the lack of 3-point prowess) against these kinds of teams. These are the sorts of matchups you're more likely to face in March, so I do think WLU has shown some progress in the last month, and I hope more progress is yet to come.

But you're right that they'd look a lot different if they had a 3-point ace to go with the other pieces. They don't even need a Seger Bonifant or Zach Rasile. I'd settle for an Eric Meininger, who always seemed to be able to be counted on for a 3 in a big spot. I know Lamberti downplays the 3 in this system (perhaps somewhat differently than how Crutch or Howlett ran it) and wants his guys to shoot fewer of them, but a Meininger- or Zac Grossenbacher-type who always seemed to hit in a big spot would be nice to have around.

[boatcapt]

My point was simple too, 3 point shooting has been and continues to be a real problem and that this is not a young team that will grow as the season goes along.

We are good enough to beat most teams rather handily. But when put up against a top tier team, we are going to struggle and probably lose more of those games than we win.

We've played two top tier teams thus far. We lost to both while shooting a combined .290 from three.

[Scrub]

Box score showed that our season long 3 pt shooting problems continued and that we got smoked inside on the boards.

While the vast majority of this team is new to WLU, this is NOT a "young" team with most having considerable experience playing to get her and within the WLU System. At this point in the season, this team is what it is. As a team we struggle from 3 which means we struggle against good teams. Yes, we can smoke the WVW of the world and look good doing it. But when the quality of our opponent ticks up a notch or two, we struggle and more than occasionally lose.

We can hope that our many 3 point shooters finally find their range, hope our bevy of bigs suddenly figure out how to play facing the basket and hope the new to WLU players suddenly figure out who's going to zag and zag when but hope isn't a strategy.

So you're complaining about losing on a buzzer beater to the #7 ranked team in the country that features the one of individual scoring leaders in the nation (Amondo Miller)? Or putting up 88 points on one of the top scoring defenses in the nation that allows fewer than 70 points a game? Or getting outrebounded by a couple of D1 forwards who played at University of Texas and LaSalle respectively last year?

My point was simply that when faced with big/long/physical competition a month ago (in Richmond, Virginia) this Hilltopper team folded like a cheap suit. This weekend in Vegas, they faced two teams with a similar makeup and managed to punch back when the other team landed the first punch--in one case running Angelo out of the gym in the second half and in the other requiring a miracle buzzer beater by Lubbock to prevent the comeback.

I'm happy with the performance this weekend (having gone into the weekend fearing that WLU would look like the version that showed up in Richmond a month ago). That is all.

[boatcapt]

Box score showed that our season long 3 pt shooting problems continued and that we got smoked inside on the boards.

While the vast majority of this team is new to WLU, this is NOT a "young" team with most having considerable experience playing to get her and within the WLU System. At this point in the season, this team is what it is. As a team we struggle from 3 which means we struggle against good teams. Yes, we can smoke the WVW of the world and look good doing it. But when the quality of our opponent ticks up a notch or two, we struggle and more than occasionally lose.

We can hope that our many 3 point shooters finally find their range, hope our bevy of bigs suddenly figure out how to play facing the basket and hope the new to WLU players suddenly figure out who's going to zag and zag when but hope isn't a strategy.

[Scrub]

Didn't get a chance to watch the Lubbock game, but the write-up and box score make it look like it was a real heavyweight fight. Overall, nice showing by these young Toppers out in Vegas this year--handling a long and athletic Angelo team with relative ease and battling the heck out of a Lubbock team that is getting a lot of attention nationally. The Toppers have a lot to be proud of heading into the break and appear to be somewhat "ahead of schedule" heading into the teeth of the conference season.

[Columbuseer]

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU vs Angelo State (AS) 12/20/25 WLU 101 – AS 79



Angelo State (AS) Game Plan
AS is a West Texas school with 12,000 students, AS comes into the WLU game at 9-3. They have some strong FG shooters in Barsham at 59% and Murray at 56%. Two elite 3pt shooters are Nicholls at 50% and Pettaway at 43%. As a team, AS makes about 5.5 3-pointers per game at a 30% clip. They only commit about 13 turnovers per game and rebound well. They are a very athletic team, with long, quick players, who can attack the rim. They also play good defense with their quickness. They use their bench, with 8 players averaging over 16 minutes a game, with no one playing over 27 minutes.

The AS strategy seemed to be:
• PASSED – In the half-court offense, attack WLU on the dribble drive or in the post.
• PASSED – Play tight half-court defense. However, hey only scored 19 points from the 7 steals and 14 WLU turnovers.
• PASSED – Win rebounding battle – AS dominated the offensive and defensive boards.
• PASSED– Challenge the WVLU defenders. When they broke the press, attack the rim for dunks.
• PASSED – Shoot their average FG % 3FG %. AS shot 46% FG (avg 44%) and shot close to their average 3FG at 29% (avg is 30%).
• FAILED –Keep their composure against the WLU pressure. AS faltered against the WLU pressure, despite playing 8 players at least 14 minutes, committing 21 turnovers, of which 10 were steals. WLU scored 37 points off turnovers to only 19 for AS. Crawford played 38 minutes and Nicholls played 32 minutes. The foul troubles for AS probably disrupted their normal subbing pattern.
• FAILED –Keep the WLU score under 80, for AS averages 72 ppg. WLU scored 101 points on 75 possessions.

Keys to the WLU Game

From the opening tip, it was apparent that WLU was going to play at a fast pace with extreme defensive pressure. On offense, WLU was making a determined effort to get the ball inside, which resulted in some shot clock violations. However, once WLU started driving to the rim, they started getting AS in foul trouble. Despite 14 turnovers, WLU’s offensive rating was an elite 134 (points per 100 possessions) compared to just 103 for AS. Many of WLU’s turnovers were unforced, as many were committed due to trying to make interior passes through tight windows. WLU’s effective shooting % was 57% to just 50% for AS. Their true shooting % was 74% for WLU to just 53% for AS (this stat takes in account FT shooting). For the game, WLU shot a very good 38% (10-26) from Three. WLU was 5-9 (56%) threes in the second half, increasing their focus on attacking AS inside rather than settling for a three.
WLU played with great effort, subbing frequently, and putting severe mental stress on AS, even though AS was subbing. AS fatigue resulted in foul trouble for AS and made them a step slow on defense.
• IMHO, the difference in the game was West Liberty’s pressure causing extreme mental fatigue on AS. in spite of AS subbing. IMHO, AS also played several players too long before subbing them. In the second half, AS focus and concentration faltered, resulted in numerous silly turnovers and ten straight scoring possessions for WLU. WLU broke their will. It is a testament to the WLU system that it can overcome a team with superior athletes. It is quite likely that no one on WLU could defeat their opponent in a 1-on-1 game.
• WLU forced 21 turnovers on 27% of AS’s possessions, of which 48% were live ball turnovers on 10 steals. WLU scored 1.76 points per opponent turnover, compared to 1.36 for AS. WLU scored 37 points off turnovers to just 19 for AS.
• WLU shared the ball at an elite level. WLU had 67% of goals from assists to only 50% for AS. 90th percentile for D1 is 59.8%.
• WLU was very good from three, averaging 38% for the game. Three players shot 50% or greater from three; Montgomery was 1-1, L. Butler was 4-6 and Abdullah was 1-2. WLU did not fall in love with the three, especially in the second half, emphasizing instead to attack the AS defenders, who were playing as if wearing concrete boots.
• WLU has quality depth. Nine players played 12 minutes or more. Nine players scored at least 9 points. WLU played many different combinations of lineups, with no apparent drop-off in production. The three freshmen are making solid contributions, which is very unusual for WLU freshmen.
• WLU is improving in getting the ball inside on the half-court offense scoring two-point field goals. They are patient in getting the ball inside, either on passes to big men or by guards exploiting openings to attack the rim.
• WLU shot an outstanding 17-18 or 84% Free Throws.
• WLU made some outstanding interior passes, leading to layups.

Areas for Improvement for WLU

• WLU was vulnerable to dunks in transition, especially in the first half. In the second half, WLU made adjustments in their spacing and reduced the dunks when AS had 2-on-1 situations in transition.
• Some of the 14 turnovers were unforced by errant passes in attempting to get the ball inside in traffic or due to teammates zigging instead of zagging. As they play more together, these issues will decrease. Players are learning that interior passes in traffic are much more challenging than perimeter passes. However, the interior passing is improving.

[Columbuseer]

Big test for the Hilltoppers this weekend. If we can get our shots to fall, I think we can win at least 1. Looks like the video broadcast is behind a paywall.

Flosports $20 for a month. Can see many different sports contests.