West Liberty Hilltopper Basketball

[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.

[Columbuseer]

His highlight video was giving me Devin Hoehn vibes. And if that's what WLU ends up getting out of this commitment, it'll be a big win. Hoehn was an underrated and often underappreciated part of those Hilltopper teams from a little less than a decade ago.

Wow that would be a great outcome.
Devin was 1st team all MEC in 2017 as a Sr, and 2nd team as a jr. And soph.
now head coach at bluefield state.

[Scrub]

Fyi
JP Dragas announced commitment to west liberty on X.

6’2” PG C/O 2024
4.3 GPA
Year stats - 1,500 career points
27.1 PPG - 6 REB - 3.7 asst - 3.3 steals

- 1st team all Ohio division 2
- 1st team all conference and district
- division 2 northeast lake district POY
- WRC conference POY

-high motor scoring machine Madison hs in NE OH. Great range, can score at all levels, often outsmarts opponents.
-honorable mention DII all state as a soph at 28 ppg.
-1st team all state as Jr. At 27 ppg.
- Broke school scoring record in Feb as a jr.


Imho he is really ahead of his years in understanding the game. Unselfish, Non stop motor.

Congrats to Ben and his staff!

Hudl Jr highlights
http://www.hudl.com/video/3/16770699...23200d3041cbc9

His highlight video was giving me Devin Hoehn vibes. And if that's what WLU ends up getting out of this commitment, it'll be a big win. Hoehn was an underrated and often underappreciated part of those Hilltopper teams from a little less than a decade ago.

[Columbuseer]

Fyi
JP Dragas announced commitment to west liberty on X.

6’2” PG C/O 2024
4.3 GPA
Year stats - 1,500 career points
27.1 PPG - 6 REB - 3.7 asst - 3.3 steals

- 1st team all Ohio division 2
- 1st team all conference and district
- division 2 northeast lake district POY
- WRC conference POY

-high motor scoring machine Madison hs in NE OH. Great range, can score at all levels, often outsmarts opponents.
-honorable mention DII all state as a soph at 28 ppg.
-1st team all state as Jr. At 27 ppg.
- Broke school scoring record in Feb as a jr.


Imho he is really ahead of his years in understanding the game. Unselfish, Non stop motor.

Congrats to Ben and his staff!

Hudl Jr highlights
http://www.hudl.com/video/3/16770699...23200d3041cbc9

[Columbuseer]

1st signing day begins Nov 8.
will be interested to see if last year's success results in any recruiting impact for wlu...

[boatcapt]

I hope you are right.
never can tell with ncaa.
I remember the line,
" ncaa is so upset with Kansas for paying players that they put cleveland state on probation".

we have teams using 3rd parties to tamper with d1 players during the season and the ncaa is all worried about d1 scrimmage box scores. That is what drives d1 sports commentators crazy about ncaa.

Not just tampering with D1 players. I recall an interview with one of the cats that had signed with us saying in an interview that he had let it be known that he was interested in D1 at an all star game and "his people" heard from the D1 saying they would offer him if he just backed out on WLU. He did and the next day signed with the D1.

Don't know what the NCAAs tampering rules are, but that sounds a lot like tampering

[Columbuseer]

Probably one of those rules that is roundly ignored by all parties. Not an issue until someone starts blatantly ignoring it (ie a school starts charging admission or sending bus loads of fans to away scrimmages) or starts claiming a particular result in public. I mean...it's a scrimmage at the DII level...if you are a fan and you get in to watch, cool...if you don't, that's a bummer

I hope you are right.
never can tell with ncaa.
I remember the line,
" ncaa is so upset with Kansas for paying players that they put cleveland state on probation".

we have teams using 3rd parties to tamper with d1 players during the season and the ncaa is all worried about d1 scrimmage box scores. That is what drives d1 sports commentators crazy about ncaa.

[boatcapt]

Probably one of those rules that is roundly ignored by all parties. Not an issue until someone starts blatantly ignoring it (ie a school starts charging admission or sending bus loads of fans to away scrimmages) or starts claiming a particular result in public. I mean...it's a scrimmage at the DII level...if you are a fan and you get in to watch, cool...if you don't, that's a bummer

[Columbuseer]

Team-essential personnel doesn't include fans of any sort - quiet or not.

Trust me, I could care less if some old townies want to watch a practice. But, I do believe it is a NCAA rule no fans allowed. Obviously it's not very well enforced at the levels of D2 and D3. D1 can make jokes about them being secret but the doors are locked.

I agree that d1 is a whole different animal with mega $ involved, with stealing signs in football by high academic schools, etc. Ncaa does not want 10k crazy d1 fans showng up. D1 keeps score but does not publicize box score.


At d2 you might have 20 parents and boosters show up.

I am only focused on d2, as d1 is out of scope of my interest.

But to be on the safe side, I will no longer post info on scrimmage after it is completed.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

I thought that you asserted that it was closed. I agree that it is not publicized.
But there are no guards at the gate. There are students who wander in. But attendees know to keep their mouths shut and just observe so that coaches can coach.

Team-essential personnel doesn't include fans of any sort - quiet or not.

Trust me, I could care less if some old townies want to watch a practice. But, I do believe it is a NCAA rule no fans allowed. Obviously it's not very well enforced at the levels of D2 and D3. D1 can make jokes about them being secret but the doors are locked.