West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[Columbuseer]

Looks like a loaded recruiting haul. Just need an alpha to emerge

https://hilltoppersports.com/news/20...r-howlett.aspx

Wow.
Fergus is POY in his conference and all region. Had quite a few lower d1 schools reach out to him like austin peay, niagara, etc.

Shuler played on a terrible, winless team so he was probably under the radar.

Last year we started 3 6-1 guards who were shutdown defenders and great scorers. To my surprise, bigger teams were not able to exploit their height advantage over wlu. Our guards created problems due to their quickness and sharing the ball. They disrupted guard centric offenses, like NDC and New Haven.
With these signees, it looks like we will have a similar profile.

With 15 players, could we possibly employ 3 platoons in some situations? :-)

[Columbuseer]

Fyi for wlu fans - more info on Fergus
I think the typical adjustment will be moving away from taking the good 1 on 1 shot to making the extra pass to a teammate for a great shot.
He no longer has the pressure to carry his team. He will find his shots will come easier too as his teammates reciprocate with the extra pass.

Darren fergus had d1 interest
He had heard from: Cal State Fullerton CSUB Stonehill Marist Alabama State Northern Kentucky Austin Peay Coastal Carolina Charleston Southern Robert Morris Rice UIC Cal Baptist Tarleton Texas State Niagara Tenn. State


- Player of year in conference
- met sports writers d2 player of year in NY metro area.
https://metbasketballwriters.org/new...ar-honors.aspx

- D2easthoops all east region first team

https://www.d2easthoops.org/women/fe..._and_All-Stars

- D2CCA east all region 1st team
https://molloylions.com/news/2023/3/...irst-team.aspx

- NABC 2nd team all east region player
https://nabc.com/nabc_releases/2023/...hes-announced/

Highlights
https://youtu.be/NiXHL3orvl8

[IUPalum]

Fyi for wlu fans - more info on Fergus
I think the typical adjustment will be moving away from taking the good 1 on 1 shot to making the extra pass to a teammate for a great shot.
He no longer has the pressure to carry his team. He will find his shots will come easier too as his teammates reciprocate with the extra pass.

Darren fergus had d1 interest
He had heard from: Cal State Fullerton CSUB Stonehill Marist Alabama State Northern Kentucky Austin Peay Coastal Carolina Charleston Southern Robert Morris Rice UIC Cal Baptist Tarleton Texas State Niagara Tenn. State


- Player of year in conference
- met sports writers d2 player of year in NY metro area.
https://metbasketballwriters.org/new...ar-honors.aspx

- D2easthoops all east region first team

https://www.d2easthoops.org/women/fe..._and_All-Stars

- D2CCA east all region 1st team
https://molloylions.com/news/2023/3/...irst-team.aspx

- NABC 2nd team all east region player
https://nabc.com/nabc_releases/2023/...hes-announced/

Highlights
https://youtu.be/NiXHL3orvl8

Ok Ben!

[Ship69]

Congratulations to the west liberty basketball players who achieved a 4.0 GPA this spring semester.
impressive, given the time demands of college sports.

Men's Basketball: Zach Rasile, Austin Webb, Alek West, Finley Woodward

Women's Basketball: Olivia Baker, Grace Faulk, Jenna Riccardo, Sonia Sarda, Halley Smith

Other sports are in link. 91 athletes had 4.0 GPA.
https://hilltoppersports.com/news/20...rtmentGPA.aspx

Not knocking the accomplishments, but if that number is only for the athletes that school must be giving a lot of 4.0 GPAs. But I'm sure that's true of a lot of other schools as grade inflation has been a thing for a long time now.

[Columbuseer]

Not knocking the accomplishments, but if that number is only for the athletes that school must be giving a lot of 4.0 GPAs. But I'm sure that's true of a lot of other schools as grade inflation has been a thing for a long time now.

It surprised me too. It would be good to know the majors. College sports is like a 30 hr a week year round job, so it is still impressive. Webb was valedictorian of his hs.
I did not go to WLU, but folks around wheeling have called it Harvard on the hill. Quite a stretch in my opinion LOL
I know that their dental hygiene program is very highly regarded.

I know that the men's program does not recruit anyone that they have to babysit to go to class, etc. They have to be serious students. No rent a player philosophy.

They have had quite a string of academic All-Americans - C.J. Hester (3 time AA), Evan French, Monterosa (graduated from Purdue in 3 yrs), Bolon, Butler, etc.
I think Bolon has 2 Masters now.

[Columbuseer]

The open gyms and practices are going to be so competitive.
great opportunity for growth for spadafora, pankey, d'augustino, reasbeck, and Barnhart.

Pankey did well against michigan signee in all star game. D'augustino was mvp of ohio all star game.
Can't wait to see pankey and d'augustino go against, fergus, shuler, spadafora, rasile, montague and west.
Imho you improve more rapidly when playing against talented, experienced players.

[Columbuseer]

Fyi for wlu style fans
basketball immersion podcast
50 min interview uptempo philosophy with Jim Crutchfield
unique practice regimen


https://basketballimmersion.com/the-...m-crutchfield/

[boatcapt]

We seem to be stuck in a cycle were every season we lose our top player to transfer and a couple of our returning top 5 to graduation...then a couple of our future star underclassmen to the transfer portal. Up until now Ben has had good luck bring in rentals and hitting on a few recruits sufficient to keep us at or near the top in the nation. But at some point with the year after year after year nearly top to bottom roster overhaul, he's going to miss. Will it be this year? On paper, I'd say no but as almost anyone will tell you, you don't play on paper.

[Ship69]

We seem to be stuck in a cycle were every season we lose our top player to transfer and a couple of our returning top 5 to graduation...then a couple of our future star underclassmen to the transfer portal. Up until now Ben has had good luck bring in rentals and hitting on a few recruits sufficient to keep us at or near the top in the nation. But at some point with the year after year after year nearly top to bottom roster overhaul, he's going to miss. Will it be this year? On paper, I'd say no but as almost anyone will tell you, you don't play on paper.

The era of roster stability in small-college basketball is probably over for most of us. If you have a top-drawer D2 team, you risk having star players being poached by the lower-level D1 schools and even mid-majors. If you're a bad D2 team, you're often going to lose your few stars to more established D2 programs, making it hard to get your program off the ground. It certainly will be different, and we'll have to hope it's for the best in the case of our favorite teams.

[Columbuseer]

We seem to be stuck in a cycle were every season we lose our top player to transfer and a couple of our returning top 5 to graduation...then a couple of our future star underclassmen to the transfer portal. Up until now Ben has had good luck bring in rentals and hitting on a few recruits sufficient to keep us at or near the top in the nation. But at some point with the year after year after year nearly top to bottom roster overhaul, he's going to miss. Will it be this year? On paper, I'd say no but as almost anyone will tell you, you don't play on paper.

I think the new reality is that teams will lose an average of 3 to 4 players a year to the portal. Last year was an amazing job by wlu coaches. They lost 8 players and gained 7 new players and went to the finals. The new guys played for each other rather than their personal stat sheet. I think we led nation in assists while also leading in 3pt shots taken and made. That is a rare combo and demonstrates great unselfishness.

I don't have a problem with star players graduating and leaving, for they have fulfilled their commitment:
Bolon 5 yrs, Yoakum 5 yrs, butler 4 yrs.

We have lost very few future star underclassmen. Most were deep on the depth chart. Luke Denbow could have been a future starter, but Pankey and D'Augustino
are arguably upgrades.

Recruiting advantages are the style of play and the history of championships. Wlu is getting players who also had d1 offers. There is no shortage of high end transfers who want to play at wlu.

My view of rent-a-players are teams that recruit marginal academic players with no expectation of them ever graduating. That is not west liberty.

No one bats 1.000 in recruiting. But I have been impressed by Coach Howlett's incredible hard work, and his judgment of talent as well as fit for the wlu culture and the correct academic mindset. Recruits also have to be people he would like to be around off the court.

I do think the odds of a recruiting miss increase if the recruit has not played in open gym.

[boatcapt]

I think the new reality is that teams will lose an average of 3 to 4 players a year to the portal. Last year was an amazing job by wlu coaches. They lost 8 players and gained 7 new players and went to the finals. The new guys played for each other rather than their personal stat sheet. I think we led nation in assists while also leading in 3pt shots taken and made. That is a rare combo and demonstrates great unselfishness.

I don't have a problem with star players graduating and leaving, for they have fulfilled their commitment:
Bolon 5 yrs, Yoakum 5 yrs, butler 4 yrs.

We have lost very few future star underclassmen. Most were deep on the depth chart. Luke Denbow could have been a future starter, but Pankey and D'Augustino
are arguably upgrades.

Recruiting advantages are the style of play and the history of championships. Wlu is getting players who also had d1 offers. There is no shortage of high end transfers who want to play at wlu.

My view of rent-a-players are teams that recruit marginal academic players with no expectation of them ever graduating. That is not west liberty.

No one bats 1.000 in recruiting. But I have been impressed by Coach Howlett's incredible hard work, and his judgment of talent as well as fit for the wlu culture and the correct academic mindset. Recruits also have to be people he would like to be around off the court.

I do think the odds of a recruiting miss increase if the recruit has not played in open gym.

I remember quite a bit of future star hype about Saterfield, Hazellbaker, Boswell, Denbow, Alesandro, Hill...Also remember stud in the making talk about Sampson.

Rent-a-Players like Korte this coming year, Canaday this last year, Kovacevick the year before, other recently Boswell and Watson. Rent-s-Players can be good students and some may even graduate, but what differentiates them is that they come from other schools expressly to play ball for a relatively short period of time (one maybe two seasons).

[Columbuseer]

I remember quite a bit of future star hype about Saterfield, Hazellbaker, Boswell, Denbow, Alesandro, Hill...Also remember stud in the making talk about Sampson.

Rent-a-Players like Korte this coming year, Canaday this last year, Kovacevick the year before, other recently Boswell and Watson. Rent-s-Players can be good students and some may even graduate, but what differentiates them is that they come from other schools expressly to play ball for a relatively short period of time (one maybe two seasons).

Imho there is a big difference between highly acclaimed high school players, for whom we fans have high hopes for success, and actual future superstars in college, and specifically at west liberty. We fans can be excited, but the future superstar moniker has to be earned in open gym and on the court.

After seeing them on the court, nearly all on your list were not going to be future superstars.
Some had motors that did not translate to wlu style. Some were more comfortable running set plays. Others wanted more minutes or wanted to sit the bench in low d1.

Have you watched Walsh or Anderson? Glad they are getting minutes but the competition is much lower level and the style does not require a complete skill set.

We will have to agree to disagree on the term rent-a-player. I prefer the term transfers. I like the term rent-a-players for some mec schools who churn and burn their undergrad roster every year.

Imho, in today's portal , one cannot replace losses to the portal with hs school players unless you want go thru rebuilds.

I agree one year players are a risk, but wlu was very familiar with korte and cannady. Heard rumors cannady wanted to come to wlu after freshman year, but wheeling would not release him. Kovacevic had euro skills and was big. Majored in computers. Doing well playing in spain.

[boatcapt]

And I'd add that while I don't have a problem with star players transfering to D1 for their grad-transfer year (5th on-court year), I do have a problem with star players laterally transfering to another DII or even to a D1. If you take the latter WLU players that transfered and put them back on our roster this last year, we have a starting five that includes Butler, Yoakum, Robinson. That would have been a hard team to beat even for Nova.

[Columbuseer]

And I'd add that while I don't have a problem with star players transfering to D1 for their grad-transfer year (5th on-court year), I do have a problem with star players laterally transfering to another DII or even to a D1. If you take the latter WLU players that transfered and put them back on our roster this last year, we have a starting five that includes Butler, Yoakum, Robinson. That would have been a hard team to beat even for Nova.

Imho, all we needed was yoakum to win the title. He was the difference for Nova. I felt Cannady was more team oriented, was much better defensively, and had better shot selection than Robinson.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Imho, all we needed was yoakum to win the title. He was the difference for Nova. I felt Cannady was more team oriented, was much better defensively, and had better shot selection than Robinson.

I still contend if Yoakum wasn't given a cheap, dirty elbow to the chest ... WL would have won that game.