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Wheeling U MBB 19-20

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  • Wheeling U MBB 19-20

    To paraphrase Mark Twayne, the reports of the death of Wheeling University basketball have been greatly exagerated. Less than two years after the firing of Danny Sancombe for alledged NCAA violations and the resulting prediction by experts that Wheeling would NEVER again be competitive, the whole sale departure of the players Sancombe had recruited, the late hiring of one HC, that coaches departure, the even later hiring of a SECOND HC in two years, a first year roster filled with players no one had heard of followed by a second year roster filled with players people had heard even less about, a lack of posting a new roster which some implied indicated that Wheeling wasn't going to field a team this year...after ALL that, Wheeling seems to be well on the road to recovery and back to the upper echelon of the MEC.

    Oh so quitely, Wheeling has put together a VERY respectable 500+ year in just the second year after the departure of Sancombe. This beats the expectations of MANY, MANY self styled experts and alums who thought that the departure of Sancombe would be a death blow to the program and perhaps, the college as a whole.

    WIth four games remaining on the season and currently sitting at 13-9, Wheeling is assured of finishing no worse than 13-13 but will probably finish 15-11. That's a far cry from before the season when some were speculating that Wheeling wouldn't even be able to field a team this year!!

  • #2
    That's a great point, Boat. And, heck, all of what you described ought to earn Will Ryan some Coach of the Year votes when all is said and done.

    But the elephant in the room is this: when a guy like Ryan jumps at a perceived bad job late in the process . . . and then proceeds to right the ship in a hurry, one has to wonder how long he'll be around before he gets plucked away or uses Wheeling as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. In other words, the amazing work Ryan has done this year has to be both a blessing and a curse for Wheeling fans I imagine.

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Scrub View Post
      That's a great point, Boat. And, heck, all of what you described ought to earn Will Ryan some Coach of the Year votes when all is said and done.

      But the elephant in the room is this: when a guy like Ryan jumps at a perceived bad job late in the process . . . and then proceeds to right the ship in a hurry, one has to wonder how long he'll be around before he gets plucked away or uses Wheeling as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. In other words, the amazing work Ryan has done this year has to be both a blessing and a curse for Wheeling fans I imagine.
      Impressive turnaround and this may be the beginning of the rebirth of WU. But the prospect of a private university with less than 1,000 students, an endowment of $16M and in the process of downsizing staff and curriculum, is never good. Their athletic programs aside, losing the Jesuit connection leaves them in competition with every other small private, minus a major selling point. Hopefully they can pull it off, but it is going to be very hard.

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      • #4
        Originally posted by CALUPA69 View Post

        Impressive turnaround and this may be the beginning of the rebirth of WU. But the prospect of a private university with less than 1,000 students, an endowment of $16M and in the process of downsizing staff and curriculum, is never good. Their athletic programs aside, losing the Jesuit connection leaves them in competition with every other small private, minus a major selling point. Hopefully they can pull it off, but it is going to be very hard.
        All true. Still plenty of opportunities to fail, both as a college and as a basketball program. But I think we were WAY to premature in predicting, and in the case of some, rooting for, the closure of WU. By all indications, they have completed their cuts to programs, staff and students. Next few years will show if they cut enough to balance the books and if they can rebound off the bottom and begin to grow. I personally think they can but that it is going to be a long, slow process that might not see them reach 1000 students for another 10 years.

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