West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Columbuseer]

"long femurs allows him to elevate to dunk over people"...We have officially jumped the shark in recruit evaluations!!!!

Which player measurement is most important in determining college success - Hand Size, wing span, height, foot size or femur length??

That is a very interesting, and difficult question. The various attributes could be axes on a kiviat diagram, aka a radar chart.

Possible axes:

-standing broad jump - measures explosiveness, which are affected by fast twitch muscles and long femurs

- shuttle run with and without ball - measures ability to change directions and acceleration, which relies on coordination, reaction time and friction contact area (foot soles). Hand size helps controlling ball when dribbling due to large friction contact area.

- arm length - helps on defense and rebounding

- height outside average for basketball - impact depends on team style and position

- strength

- stamina - measured by VO2 capacity

- decision making - moving without basketball, reading defenses, passing, etc. Critical at wlu

Every style may emphasize different radar chart shapes for an ideal match, as do players.

Imho wilt was a player who maxed out every axis.

wilt won triple jump, high jump and 440 yd dash at Kansas. He could bench 500 lb.

For jumping, one needs fast twitch muscles for explosion and long femurs to increase force and range of motion. In nature, look at grasshoppers. In basketball, one could look at body types of wilt chamberlain or Dominique Wilkins. Wilt had a 40+ inch vertical, and could touch top of backboard. Late in career, he blocked Kareem's sky hook .

Hand size - advantageous for controlling the ball when dribbling. Wilt once blocked and caught a shot in mid air with one hand. he could palm a basketball with two fingers and a thumb.

[boatcapt]

"long femurs allows him to elevate to dunk over people"...We have officially jumped the shark in recruit evaluations!!!!

Which player measurement is most important in determining college success - Hand Size, wing span, height, foot size or femur length??

[Columbuseer]

FYI 3rd 2024 wlu recruit

Kameron Tinsley 6-7 lefty

Kameron Tinsley, strong , high flyer from VA power Cave Spring hs near Roanoke, VA. They defeated unbeaten Northside who went on to win va class 3 state title.

Great range, one of better shooters in VA. Long femurs allows him to elevate to dunk over people off the drive. Great match for positionless basketball.

Handles ball well. Had d1 interest. Visited IUPUI.
Very high ceiling. Size, athletic skills, handles, and shooting could create matchup problems long term.

https://www.hudl.com/profile/14120247

Here are Sept 2023 highlights from scrimmage against Albemarle hs. 25 pts, 11 reb, 5 assists
https://www.hudl.com/video/3/1412024...df8b0f2496bccc

Post from vaprepsrivals

Cave Spring 2024 wing Kameron Tinsley has committed to play his College Hoops at West Liberty University (D-2 in WV). One of the top shooters in VA, Tinsley helped the Knights captured the VHSL Class 3 state title as a sophomore in 2021-22.

[boatcapt]

2-0 after a first weekend of dominating 40+ point wins. NEXT in line for WLU is a Chestnut Hill squad that completed their first weekend 0-2. They have shown the ability in the past to steal their 3'rd game on the road.

Hard to say this is a trap game this early in the season, but it has the earmarking of one. WLU has won it's last two games in crushing fashion, playing at home against a team that's 0-2. The many new faces in prominent rolls with WLU might be feeling a little full of themselves and might be susceptible to a desperate team nocking them down a peg or two.

[Layton]

Don’t think I’ve ever seen a 30-0 lead in college basketball

[Ship69]

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU vs Shippensburg 11/10/23 – 129-59

Basketball is often a game of matchups. In this case, Shippensburg had a bad matchup to start the season. Shippensburg lost much talent to graduation and has many new faces on the team. They had to spend time melding the team for the PSAC season and could not afford to devote inordinate amounts of time to prepare for this unique style of WLU. Meanwhile, due to their platooning over past years, WLU has waves of at least 6 players to attack opponent’s guards in shifts.

This perfect storm led to an initial 30-0 WLU lead after the first 7:10 of the game. During that period, Ship missed 9 shots and 2 Free throws. Ship committed 7 turnovers, all of which were live ball turnovers (steals), which led to easy shots or layups. Meanwhile WLU was red hot from three during this time.

· The full court pressure disrupted Ship’s offensive continuity.

· WLU forced 15 steals out of the 27 turnovers committed by Ship. WLU only had 10 turnovers, with a significant number occurring trying to make the extra pass or make a great play. Ten turnovers on 85 possessions are a very low 11.7%, given the pace of play.

· WLU was making the extra pass. Almost every shot was a great, open look shot. WLU had 30 assists on 47 made goals.

· WLU was playing at extremely high offensive efficiency. For a season, WLU normally averages 125 pts per 100 possessions, which is better than D1 (best D1 team was 118 last year) and all of D2 (with possible exceptions of Nova SE and NW Mo. State, who approach 125). Against Ship, they were at 142, compared to Ship at 72.

Ship attempted to address the fatigue issue by platooning 5 new players concurrently with WLU. However, WLU was much deeper with experienced players in the second platoon. It was like putting blood in shark-infested waters. Ship’s second team could not compete. As they got tired, WLU was dominating the boards and getting to every 50-50 ball.

The effective shooting % of some of the WLU players was incredibly good. This stat weighs the value of the 3-point shot 50% more than a 2-pt shot, which allows more effective comparison with post players, etc. A perfect score for a 2-pt shooter who does not miss is 100%. However, if the shooter only shoots threes and never misses, the maximum possible value is 150%. Here were the top effective shooters for WLU:

Spadafora - 125% on 5 of 6 shooting, all of which were threes

Montague 86%

Hinds 85%

Rasile 81%

Woodward 67%

D’Augustino 58%

Korte 56%

Fergus 50%

Seven players scored in double figures. All 12 players saw at least 10 minutes of action, with only 2 players at 20 or more minutes (max of 23 minutes).

The platooning duration varied from 2:17 to 4:17. The two platoons soften up the opponents and they seem to want to exert more pressure and energy than the previous platoon shift. At about the 11-minute mark of the second half with a 61-point lead, WLU stopped platooning and started using different combinations, subbing one or two at a time for the remainder of the game.

Plus/Minus scoring stat measures whether lead increased or decreased while player was in the game.

In the first half, Alpha platoon was +14, while Bravo Platoon was +24.

In the second half Alpha was +9 in two shifts and Bravo was +14 in one shift.

In summary, Ship is not as bad, and WLU is not as good, as the performance last night. It was just a bad matchup.

The Ship team will be completely different by Feb as they develop together, led by their great coach

Sounds like an accurate and generous description of a pure pounding. It certainly was not the right year for Ship to be opening with WL, but that's the way it goes. It was just a case of a team that is switching to a more uptempo offense going against a team that already has mastered it. I do expect Ship to get better as guys the season wears on and some needed height arrives after New Year's. Hope we're a little more competitive with Wheeling tonight. Good luck to WL this season.

[Columbuseer]

A Dummy’s Observations on WLU vs Shippensburg 11/10/23 – 129-59

Basketball is often a game of matchups. In this case, Shippensburg had a bad matchup to start the season. Shippensburg lost much talent to graduation and has many new faces on the team. They had to spend time melding the team for the PSAC season and could not afford to devote inordinate amounts of time to prepare for this unique style of WLU. Meanwhile, due to their platooning over past years, WLU has waves of at least 6 players to attack opponent’s guards in shifts.

This perfect storm led to an initial 30-0 WLU lead after the first 7:10 of the game. During that period, Ship missed 9 shots and 2 Free throws. Ship committed 7 turnovers, all of which were live ball turnovers (steals), which led to easy shots or layups. Meanwhile WLU was red hot from three during this time.

· The full court pressure disrupted Ship’s offensive continuity.

· WLU forced 15 steals out of the 27 turnovers committed by Ship. WLU only had 10 turnovers, with a significant number occurring trying to make the extra pass or make a great play. Ten turnovers on 85 possessions are a very low 11.7%, given the pace of play.

· WLU was making the extra pass. Almost every shot was a great, open look shot. WLU had 30 assists on 47 made goals.

· WLU was playing at extremely high offensive efficiency. For a season, WLU normally averages 125 pts per 100 possessions, which is better than D1 (best D1 team was 118 last year) and all of D2 (with possible exceptions of Nova SE and NW Mo. State, who approach 125). Against Ship, they were at 142, compared to Ship at 72.

Ship attempted to address the fatigue issue by platooning 5 new players concurrently with WLU. However, WLU was much deeper with experienced players in the second platoon. It was like putting blood in shark-infested waters. Ship’s second team could not compete. As they got tired, WLU was dominating the boards and getting to every 50-50 ball.

The effective shooting % of some of the WLU players was incredibly good. This stat weighs the value of the 3-point shot 50% more than a 2-pt shot, which allows more effective comparison with post players, etc. A perfect score for a 2-pt shooter who does not miss is 100%. However, if the shooter only shoots threes and never misses, the maximum possible value is 150%. Here were the top effective shooters for WLU:

Spadafora - 125% on 5 of 6 shooting, all of which were threes

Montague 86%

Hinds 85%

Rasile 81%

Woodward 67%

D’Augustino 58%

Korte 56%

Fergus 50%

Seven players scored in double figures. All 12 players saw at least 10 minutes of action, with only 2 players at 20 or more minutes (max of 23 minutes).

The platooning duration varied from 2:17 to 4:17. The two platoons soften up the opponents and they seem to want to exert more pressure and energy than the previous platoon shift. At about the 11-minute mark of the second half with a 61-point lead, WLU stopped platooning and started using different combinations, subbing one or two at a time for the remainder of the game.

Plus/Minus scoring stat measures whether lead increased or decreased while player was in the game.

In the first half, Alpha platoon was +14, while Bravo Platoon was +24.

In the second half Alpha was +9 in two shifts and Bravo was +14 in one shift.

In summary, Ship is not as bad, and WLU is not as good, as the performance last night. It was just a bad matchup.

The Ship team will be completely different by Feb as they develop together, led by their great coach

[boatcapt]

I wasn't able to make it to the game last night. For those watching online, did the stream quality seem unusually bad?

I don't know if it was bad but it was very bufferie (is that a word??). No worse than in big games when lots of people are trying to watch. They defiantly need to invest in more broadcast bandwidth...at least for big games.

[Topper_Hopper]

I wasn't able to make it to the game last night. For those watching online, did the stream quality seem unusually bad?

[Scrub]

If anyone happens to be heading up to the games tonight, I just saw this travel alert on the WLU website: https://hilltoppersports.com/documen...l_Concerns.pdf

Looks like there's a one-day construction project on THE road (basically the only road, it sometimes seems) leading to campus. You'll need to map out an alternate route if heading up today.

[Ship69]

121-59 WLU over Ship, TOTAL domination. Seven players in double digits with none over 20. 12 players on the score sheet.

Ulum came up with a great nick name for our second five...The Raptors...They come in and rip the heart out of the demoralized and foe!!

Congrats to you guys. You're obviously going to have another very good team. When I saw this game first on our schedule and knew what Ship had lost from last season I knew the potential was there for an ugly one. WL has obviously bought some good talent in to replace the guys they lost. Ship had actually been competitive in two scrimmages against some decent teams, so I have to be impressed with what WL put up tonight. I think we'll get more competitive as the season goes on, but very obviously we're not in the WL ballpark right now.

[boatcapt]

121-59 WLU over Ship, TOTAL domination. Seven players in double digits with none over 20. 12 players on the score sheet.

Ulum came up with a great nick name for our second five...The Raptors...They come in and rip the heart out of the demoralized and foe!!

[Columbuseer]

30-0 to start game. 92-32 with 13:51 left.

[boatcapt]

67-29 at the half. WOW...53% from the field and 40% from 3. 25 three point shots. WLU is off to a GREAT start on the 2023-24 season!

[Columbuseer]

FYI
Another West Liberty commit:

Machi Chester Gwynn Park hs, Brandywine md, just south of DC.
6-3 190 lb
He is a combo guard w/ good positional size, ability to create for himself & defend either guard position effectively. He has played against elite competition in DMV area as well as nationally on DC club team. His team defeated Largo with mr. Md basketball, who went to MD finals. Chester's Team has a D1 guard, one of best players in md, who is a GW commit.
To illustrate level of competition, as a sophomore at Bishop O'Connell in Alexandria VA, Chester made all tourney team in myrtle Beach tourney where they defeated #2 team in usa. BTW, Bishop O'Connell is loaded with d1 players, with 3 of top 10 players in va for 2024, as they are one of best teams in usa.

Jr. Highlights
https://www.maxpreps.com/md/brandywi...=56esrm7dd3eaa

Post from Hoya report 1/19/23
Machi Chester- 6'3", Class of 2024 guard, Gwynn Park - Loves to attack off the bounce, Chester will also sink uncontested long balls. Is a gritty guy that competes. For college, must become better with the ball in his hands. Loyola (MD) has offered, other D1's including high majors are showing interest.

Post From cityofbasketballlove.com 9/27 2022 a yr ago.

— Machi Chester (2024 | Gwynn Park, Md.) spent his summer playing with Team Durant’s 16U squad on the Nike circuit and is now at Gwynn Park, after previously playing at Bishop O’Connell (Md.). The 6-2, 190-pound guard has a sweet outside shot, which he showed with a trio of triples in part of a 17-point, nine-rebound outing in a win over Downingtown West on Saturday, and that’s got schools interested. NJIT is his only offer, and it’s one he’s had for about a year; Chester said he’s also started to hear from Central Florida, Penn State, East Tennessee State and Fordham. He said the schools have told him they want to see consistency, and he’s also working on developing his left hand and getting his teammates more involved, which he did well with four assists against Downingtown West.