West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[FlyHawk98]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

I'm telling you guys, Coach Howlett is going to be a big time coach one day. I just wonder how long West Liberty is able to keep him?



It won't take long for the poachers to start knocking on the door. At his age and likely success he'll get on the mid-major radar this off-season. It's up to him from there (stay or move up). Mid-Majors are always searching from the next big thing.

I agree. Spend a few minutes with him and you will quickly realize that ADs would love him in an interview.

[boatcapt]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

I think again, Crutch will "show the way"...not necessarily to a D1 job but his success at Nova will "validate" that his style is not just a fluke that can only be successful in the mountains of WV. For years some basketball experts have sort of snickered under their breath at WLU's success and style...They say "great job" in public while at the same time talking about the "unique" "situation" at WLU that allows them to succeed with this "style." Very subtle way of saying, that style would NEVER work were they play REAL basketball. Now Crutch appears on the verge of the same sort of success he had at WLU in a place were they play "real" basketball. Couple that with Ben continuing the legacy at WLU without even a hiccup and it will be hard for the basketball experts to dismiss the WLU style as a gimmicky WV-only aberration.

I think it will take one more DII door mat taking a chance and succeeding with the WLU style (either by hiring a former WLU-player-now-coach OR by a current coach selling his soul and going all in on the WLU style) for a D1 to take a chance. But you never know...maybe two examples of what the WLU style can do will be enough for a down trodden D1 to say the worst that can happen is we lose games...we're doing that now so what have we got to lose!!

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

I think again, Crutch will "show the way"...not necessarily to a D1 job but his success at Nova will "validate" that his style is not just a fluke that can only be successful in the mountains of WV. For years some basketball experts have sort of snickered under their breath at WLU's success and style...They say "great job" in public while at the same time talking about the "unique" "situation" at WLU that allows them to succeed with this "style." Very subtle way of saying, that style would NEVER work were they play REAL basketball. Now Crutch appears on the verge of the same sort of success he had at WLU in a place were they play "real" basketball. Couple that with Ben continuing the legacy at WLU without even a hiccup and it will be hard for the basketball experts to dismiss the WLU style as a gimmicky WV-only aberration.

I think it will take one more DII door mat taking a chance and succeeding with the WLU style (either by hiring a former WLU-player-now-coach OR by a current coach selling his soul and going all in on the WLU style) for a D1 to take a chance. But you never know...maybe two examples of what the WLU style can do will be enough for a down trodden D1 to say the worst that can happen is we lose games...we're doing that now so what have we got to lose!!

Good analysis. Do u know of any coaches who have visited to try to learn the style? I only know of vmi coach some time back.

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Sincere carry who is wlu loi is going to make a huge impact. When was the last time w!u got Top 20 player in state of Ohio and #1 pg? Been watching youtube. Unselfish great passer, shooter. Plays pressure defense. Perfect fit from day 1 IMHO.

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Sportsnut]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

It's good the games have started again and appreciate the write-ups Columbuseer.

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

WLU versus Charleston Recap 1/6/2018
West Liberty 106 U. of Charleston 80

[ctrabs74]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

WLU versus Charleston Recap 1/6/2018
West Liberty 106 U. of Charleston 80

I have no idea why teams go back to the locker room during pre-game warm-ups. It's probably some sort of pre-game ritual, but it made no sense to me. I saw this more frequently among PSAC West schools than I did in the PSAC East. Again, no explanation or logic behind it.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

The West schools all do it. I think it's the same reason football teams do it. The court entrance is very exciting in D1 gyms. Not so much in D2.

IUP comes out at about the 25 minute mark then leaves at 12 minutes ... comes back out at 5 minutes to its music. IUP stops the music when it leaves the court. Joe doesn't appear on the court until the 2 minute mark. IUP plays Phil Collins as the last song. It's been a long tradition.

The arena entrance can get crowds going (if there is one).

I do notice when non-conference schools come to the KCAC they typically stay out the whole time. Each is own.

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

I was curious if the delay between warm-up and the start of strenuous activity could affect performance.
I did some googling on the science behind warm-ups before strenuous exercise and cool down after exercise.
There is not a large of amount of research.
Here are the basics that I found.
1) Warm-ups cause changes in the body (muscles, ligaments, tendons, and core body temperature).
2) Stretching is an important part of the warmup.
3) Some advocate a multi-phase approach, 1 - light exercise to warm-up, 2) stretching after the muscles are warm (never stretch a cold muscle) and 3) heavier warmup that uses the muscles that would be used in the sport.
4) The more strenuous the activity, the longer the warm-up should be. To be ready for WLU, maybe opponents should warm-up for 2 hours prior LOL
5) Researchers said that as soon as the warm-up stops, the body immediately starts to cool down.

The last point hints at a possible negative effect of interrupting the warm-up to return to the locker room. In U. Of Charleston's case, they left the floor for about 5 minutes and then returned about 3 minutes before the start of the game. However, whether the delay is sufficient to significantly reduce the benefits to the warm-up remains an open question.

However, this warm-up interruption reminds me of what Crutchfield once said; to paraphrase, He said coaches often do things without any underlying rationale that is advantageous, other than they have always done it that way. LOL

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Seems like a weird topic but it is interesting.

Personally, I never thought the 'leaving the court' part had anything to do with the physical part of it -- rather the psychological part.

In using IUP as an example (because I know them the best) ... I think the logic to it is they have a big, fancy building ... they usually have nice crowds ... they turn the music off ... then come back out to their entrance music and a good ovation. They leave the visitors out there all alone in the quiet -- with nothing but the hecklers. I think many (not all) teams coming to the KCAC get a little intimidated by the mystique and just of the building and crowd. Most D2 teams are lucky to draw 250 people. Indiana has averaged more than 1,500 for years and on big nights can get upward of 3,500. IUP almost never loses at home. Granted, it's nothing like Miami running through the smoke (obviously) but the same concept. It's why football teams likely go back inside instead of staying out.

Physically ... these are 18-21 year-old kids in tip-top shape. Those couple minutes aren't doing much in my opinion. The adrenaline is flowing at that point. It's like anything else ... kids shoot free throws in the exact same manner every time. That's their comfort zone and pattern. I think staying out or going back down is just a comfort zone thing (for the most part).

End of the day the better team wins. I'm sure different coaches would give different reasons and different coach-speak answers.

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Seems like a weird topic but it is interesting.

Personally, I never thought the 'leaving the court' part had anything to do with the physical part of it -- rather the psychological part.

In using IUP as an example (because I know them the best) ... I think the logic to it is they have a big, fancy building ... they usually have nice crowds ... they turn the music off ... then come back out to their entrance music and a good ovation. They leave the visitors out there all alone in the quiet -- with nothing but the hecklers. I think many (not all) teams coming to the KCAC get a little intimidated by the mystique and just of the building and crowd. Most D2 teams are lucky to draw 250 people. Indiana has averaged more than 1,500 for years and on big nights can get upward of 3,500. IUP almost never loses at home. Granted, it's nothing like Miami running through the smoke (obviously) but the same concept. It's why football teams likely go back inside instead of staying out.

Physically ... these are 18-21 year-old kids in tip-top shape. Those couple minutes aren't doing much in my opinion. The adrenaline is flowing at that point. It's like anything else ... kids shoot free throws in the exact same manner every time. That's their comfort zone and pattern. I think staying out or going back down is just a comfort zone thing (for the most part).

End of the day the better team wins. I'm sure different coaches would give different reasons and different coach-speak answers.

Good points. The psychological aspect is certainly huge. The environment at IUP sounds special. I hope to get there one day for a game. Maybe the MEC could take notes on increasing the attendance!

"... End of the day, the better team wins..."
I suppose it depends on the definition of better team.
I would argue that most teams are not in physical condition to play WLU, as fatigue is a major factor unless teams judiciously rotate 9 or 10 guys.
The premise of WLU is "Let's play like we are are down by 10 with 2 minutes to go FOR THE ENTIRE GAME."

At WLU, there have many games where I have looked at the two teams and thought, "there is no one on WLU who could beat his man in a one-on-one pickup game".
In some cases, the coaches are also evenly matched.

At the beginning of the game, with the adrenaline flowing, the opponent may jump out to a 15 point lead. Unfortunately, adrenaline is chemically a short term boost for flight or fight scenarios. It wears off quickly and also accelerates fatigue long term.

The continuous mental and physical pressure of WLU on offense and defense wears on teams physically and psychologically until they break, resulting in a 14-20 point run in a 3 minute span.

IMHO, Teams may be conditioned to play a traditional game; in those games or playground style games, the warmup probably does not matter as much. IMHO, most teams' conditioning is not sufficient for the intense up and down offensive and defensive style of WLU. For example, in the first half, Charleston hit 82% of their FTs. In the second half, they hit 45%. When a player's legs get heavy, the shooting percentages crash.They also start trailing cutters and reaching on defense.

According to some studies, they have measured reduced performance when warm-up time was insufficient (it wasn't in basketball but running).

In summary, I am not saying that the WLU style is the only way to win, as there are many successful styles. However, if I were an opposing coach, I would focus attention on the warm-up, conditioning and substitution patterns, which may be different when playing WLU. Too many good teams have blown up and hit the wall in the past, who probably should have beaten WLU.

[boatcapt]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Regardless of warm-up length or weather their opponent goes back into the locker room or not, WLU's real strength is an unwillingness to ever be intimidated...They just believe that there is no way they can lose regardless of how much more athletic the other team is than they are or how big the lead the other team may sprint out to...If they keep grinding and playing "their" game, eventually the other team is going to crack physically or mentally (often it is both). I think playing WLU is "soul crushing" for most teams who see how much "better" they are in warm up, how much "better" they are athletically and how much "better" they look playing only to find themselves falling victim to the constant unrelenting pressure and mind numbing barrage of 3 pointers coming from EVERY player on the WLU squad. It's got to be like an out of body experience were they are watching themselves be dissected and keep screaming "IT'S NOT POSSIBLE...IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!!"...while the doctor is cutting their heart out in slow motion.

[Columbuseer]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

Regardless of warm-up length or weather their opponent goes back into the locker room or not, WLU's real strength is an unwillingness to ever be intimidated...They just believe that there is no way they can lose regardless of how much more athletic the other team is than they are or how big the lead the other team may sprint out to...If they keep grinding and playing "their" game, eventually the other team is going to crack physically or mentally (often it is both). I think playing WLU is "soul crushing" for most teams who see how much "better" they are in warm up, how much "better" they are athletically and how much "better" they look playing only to find themselves falling victim to the constant unrelenting pressure and mind numbing barrage of 3 pointers coming from EVERY player on the WLU squad. It's got to be like an out of body experience were they are watching themselves be dissected and keep screaming "IT'S NOT POSSIBLE...IT'S NOT POSSIBLE!!!"...while the doctor is cutting their heart out in slow motion.

Awesome imagery.
Soul crushers - perfect description!
Once again you nailed it!
Bravo!

[cavsfan94]

Re: West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

From what I've been seeing tonight, the Hilltoppers have been very impressive. They are very talented on offense and the full court press has been good. Should be interesting to see how they end up at the end of the season.