2012 Mountaineer Football Signing Day
Kerri Kosten
February 1, 2012
Wednesday was signing day. This is the day where high school football
players sign letters of intent to play football at their college of
choice. Below is a list of WVU 2012 football signees.
Imarjaye Albury
Position:DT
Height:6-1
Weight:280
Hometown:Miami, Fla.
High School:Northwestern HS
He was coached by Billy Rolle at Northwestern High. He helped lead
Northwestern High to a 16-6 record as a two-year starter at defensive
tackle. in 2011, he finished with 45 tackles, including 12 tackles for
loss and four sacks. He helped Northwestern advance to the regional
semifinals of the 2010 Florida 6A state playoffs. He was invited to
the 2012 Offense-Defense All-American Bowl. He played in the Nike
South Florida All-Star Football Game for the Miami-Dade All-Stars. He
was ranked the 2012 rivals.com and the No. 41 defensive tackle. He was
ranked the 2012 Scout.com No. 74 defensive tackle. He was ranked the
2012 Tom Lemming Top Defensive Tackle. He was a Miami Herald
Miami-Dade County Top 25 Recruit. He was ranked as the No. 3 defensive
lineman on Miami Herald Top Players by Position list. He previously
played at Carol City. He was also offered by Cincinnati, Florida
Atlantic, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville and Wake Forest.
Name: Travares Copeland
Position: WR
Height:6-0
Weight:185
Hometown:Port St. Lucie, Fla.
High School:Treasure Coast HS
He played two years at Westwood High before playing his senior season
for coach Irvin Jones at Treasure Coast High. As a senior, he
completed 78-of-144 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns. He ran
for 497 yards and six touchdowns. He was selected first team all-area
offense by the Palm Beach Post. He was named second team all-state as
a utility player. He was selected to play wide receiver for the Palm
Beach County-Treasure Coast All-Star Game. As a junior, he was named a
first team all-area quarterback and a second team all-area utility
player by TCPalm. He completed 102-of-200 passes for 1,691 yards and
16 touchdowns. He also ran for 344 yards and six scores. As a
sophomore, he threw for 1,866 yards, rushed for 407 yards and six
touchdowns. He was selected third team all-state 3A. A first team
all-area quarterback. He was ranked a three-star prospect by
Rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com. He was ranked the No. 28 athlete
by Rivals.com. He was ranked No. 49 on Orlando Sentinel Florida Top
100. He was ranked No. 53 on Florida's Postseason Top 100. He was also
offered by Cincinnati, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan State, Pitt,
Rutgers, USF, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.
Name:Devonte Mathis
Position:WR
Height:6-2
Weight:210
Hometown:Hollywood, Fla.
High School:Miramar HS
He was a two-year starter for former Mountaineer Damon Cogdell at
Miramar High. He finished with a 13-1 record in 2011, falling to Plant
in the Florida 8A state championship. He finished 2011 with 35
receptions for 552 yards and eight touchdowns. He recorded five
receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns against West Broward. He
made three receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown against Palm
Beach Gardens. He spent 2010 between quarterback, running back and
wide receiver. He threw for 713 passing yards and seven touchdowns,
while rushing for 167 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 10
passes for 198 yards. He represented the South Florida squad in the
Nike South Florida All-Star game. He was named Miami Herald
all-Broward County second-team offense. He was a member of the 2011
Sun Sentinel Class 8A-7A-6A second team offense. He was ranked No. 12
on Miami Herald Top 25 2012 recruit list. He came in at No. 39 on
Miami Herald 2012 Pre-Spring Florida Top 101. He was ranked No. 44 on
Orlando Sentinel 2012 Florida Top 100. He previously played for Carol
City High. He was a three-star prospect according to rivals.com,
Scout.com and ESPN.com. He was ranked Rivals.com No. 66 wide receiver.
He was ranked No. 67 on the rivals.com Florida Postseason Top 100
list. He was also offered by Florida State, Louisville, Mississippi,
Ohio State, USF, UCF and Wake Forest.
Name:Darreall "Dee" Joyner
Position:WR
Height:5-11
Weight:180,
Hometown:Miami, Fla.
High School:Miami Central HS
He helped lead Miami Central High to a 13-1 record in 2011 under coach
Telly Lockette. His high school team finished No. 17 on the
MaxPreps.com Xcellent 25 Rank, falling in the Florida 6A state
championship. He recorded 28 receptions for 466 yards and five
touchdowns in 2011. He had a season-high 131 yards on four receptions
for three touchdowns in season opener against Booker T. Washington. He
was named to the 2011 Miami Herald all-Miami Dade County second team
offense. He played for the Miami-Dade squad in the Nike South Florida
All-Star game. He previously played for Fitzgerald High (Fitzgerald,
Ga.) in 2010, making 42 receptions for 719 yards and nine touchdowns.
He was named 2010 Georgia second team all-state. He was a 2010
honorable mention all-Middle Georgia. He was a three-star prospect
according to rivals.com and ESPN.com. He was also offered by Illinois,
Minnesota and Wake Forest.
Name:Adam Pankey
Position:OL
Height:6-5
Weight:324
Hometown:Hamilton, Ohio
High School:Hamilton HS
He was a three-year starter for coach Bob Jacoby at Hamilton High. He
finished with a combined 13-18 record. His team averaged 189 rushing
yards in 2011 and a total of 236 yards per game. He helped the team to
average 347 yards of total offense per game, including 306 rushing
yards per game in 2010. He earned Division I All-Ohio third team
offense honors in 2011. He was named to the Southwest All-District
first team offense in 2011, after earning second team honors in 2010.
He was a three-time All-Greater Miami first team offense member. He
was a three-star prospect according to rivals.com and Scout.com. He
was ranked No. 51 on the rivals.com Ohio Postseason Top 60. He was
named a 2012 Tom Lemming Top Offensive Tackle. He was also offered by
Illinois, Indiana, Louisville, Minnesota, NC State and Pitt.
Name:Kimlon "K.J." Dillon
Position:S
Height:6-2
Weight:185
Hometown:Apopka, Fla.
High School:Apopka HS
He was a three-year starter for coach Rick Darlington at Apopka High.
He combined for a record of 30-9, including an appearance in the
Florida 6A state championship game. He finished 2011 with 45 tackles
and three interceptions on defense, while leading the team with 422
yards on 20 receptions with one touchdown. He also had 36 carries for
224 yards and two touchdowns. He was named a member of the 2011
Orlando Sentinel All-Central Florida second team defense. He played in
the 2011 Central Florida All-Star Game for the East Side. He was
ranked No. 56 on Orlando Sentinel 2012 Florida Top 100. He was ranked
No. 10 on Orlando Sentinel 2012 Central Florida Super60. He was a
three-star prospect according to rivals.com and ESPN.com. He was
ranked the No. 44 safety by rivals.com. He was also offered by
Arkansas, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Purdue, USF and
UCF.
Name:Deontay McManus
Position:WR
Height:6-1
Weight:209
Hometown:Randallstown, Md.
High School:Dunbar HS
Three-year two-way starter for coach Lawrence Smith at Dunbar High …
appeared in three Maryland 1A state championship games, including
back-to-back state championship wins in 2010 and 2011 … combined for a
three-year record of 36-5 … made 40 receptions for 590 yards and six
touchdowns in 2011 … made two receptions for 29 yards and had five
carries for 63 yards and one touchdown in state championship game
against Perryville … recorded 102 tackles in 2011, including 12
tackles in state championship game … had 25 receptions for 341 yards
and five touchdowns in 2010, while making 88 tackles and four
interceptions defensively … two-time Baltimore Sun All-Metro first
team defense … two-time Maryland consensus all-state defense …
two-time Maryland small school first team defense … 2009 Maryland
small school second team defense … played in the 2011 Chesapeake Bowl
… finalist for the 2011 Under Armour All-America game … four-star
prospect according to rivals.com, Scout.com and Prepstar.com …
three-star prospect on ESPN.com … No. 169 on rivals.com Rivals250 …
No. 25 wide receiver on rivals.com … rivals.com No. 4 on Maryland
Postseason Top 25 … Tom Lemming No. 18 wide receiver … also offered by
Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Maryland, Miami
(Fla.), Michigan, NC State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Penn
State, Rutgers, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Name:Mark Glowinski
Position:OL
Height:6-5
Weight:290
Hometown:Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Junior College:Lackawanna College
Two-year starter for coach Mark Duda at Lackawanna College … finished
with a combined career record of 16-6, including a win in the 2010
Graphics Edge Bowl and an appearance in the 2011 Salt Lake City Bowl …
helped anchor an offense that was ranked No. 23 nationally in 2011,
averaging 388.36 yards per game … the rushing offense was ranked No.
6, averaging 239 rushing yards per game … team averaged 327.6 total
yards and 138.5 rushing yards during the 2010 season … 2011 NJCAA
second team All-American … previously played for GAR Memorial High
(Wilkes-Barre, Pa.), leading the team a 26-8 record as three year,
two-way starter … team averaged 331.5 rushing yards per game in 2009,
218.9 rushing yards per game in 2008 and 193.9 rushing yards per game
in 2007 … three-star prospect according to rivals.com and Scout.com …
also offered by Arkansas, Connecticut, East Carolina, Kansas State and
NC State.
Name:Roshard Burney
Position:RB
Height:5-10
Weight:205
Hometown:Lake Park, Fla.
High School:Palm Beach Gardens HS
Played two seasons for coach Chris Davis at Palm Beach Gardens High …
team went a combined 14-8, with a 9-3 record in 2011 that included an
appearance in the Florida 8A Regional Finals, falling to Miramar … led
Palm Beach County in rushing yards with 2,000 yards on 284 carries
with 19 touchdowns in 2011 … completed the 2010 season with 84 carries
for 642 rushing yards and five touchdowns … rushed for 487 yards on 68
carries with three touchdowns in 2009 … 2011 Florida 8A first team
all-state offense … 2011 Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County Class 8A-7A-6A
Player of the Year … 2011 Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County first team
offense … 2011 Palm Beach Post Large Schools Offensive Player of the
Year … 2011 Palm Beach Post Large Schools first team offense … 2011
Palm Beach County Athletic Association first team offense … No. 6 Palm
Beach Post Top 75 recruits … 2010 Palm Beach Post Class 6A second team
offense … three-star prospect according to rivals.com, Scout.com and
ESPN.com … ranked No. 44 running back by rivals.com … No. 93 on the
rivals.com Florida Postseason Top 100 … also offered by Cincinnati,
Illinois, Memphis, Purdue, Rutgers and USF.
Name:Noble Nwachukwu (nu-watch-ew-koo)
Position:DL
Height:6-2
Weight:240
Hometown:Wylie, Texas
High School:Wylie HS
Started two seasons for coach Bill Howard at Wylie High, leading the
team to a 15-10 combined record as a starting defensive end … recorded
53 tackles, eight tackles for loss, four sacks, nine quarterback
hurries and one forced fumble in 2011 … played first season of
football in 2010, leading Wylie to the Texas 4A state semifinals with
an 11-4 record … finished 2010 with 50 tackles, 11 tackles for loss,
three sacks, 11 quarterback hurries, two pass breakups and three
forced fumbles … two-time unanimous All-District 10-4A first team
defense member … five-time Wylie News Player of the Week … one-time
Dallas Morning News Player of the Week honor in 2010 … three-star
prospect according to rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com … also
offered by Houston, Iowa, Kansas, Memphis, New Mexico, Purdue, SMU and
Texas Tech.
Name:Torry Clayton
Position:RB
Height:5-9
Weight:195
Hometown:Florida City, Fla.
High School:South Dade HS
Three-year letterwinner and two-year starter for coach Greg Dentino at
South Dade High … led team to a combined three-year record of 26-10,
including two appearances in the Florida 6A regional finals … finished
2011 as Miami-Dade County's seventh leading rusher with 1,108 yards on
168 carries with 15 touchdowns … rushed for more than 200 yards in two
games and over 100 yards in six games … registered four touchdowns and
221 rushing yards against Ferguson … ran for 144 yards and three
touchdowns against Varela … scored two touchdowns with 202 yards
rushing against Krop … ran for 151 yards and one touchdown against
Killian … had two touchdowns and 141 rushing yards against Palmetto …
ranked third in county in touchdowns (20) and seventh in rushing yards
(1,142) on 170 rushes in 2010 … scampered for 405 yards with eight
touchdowns on 87 rushes in 2009 … named 2011 Miami Herald all-Dade
County first-team offense … played in the 2011 Nike South Florida
All-Star game, finishing with six carries for 65 yards and two
touchdowns … 2011 Florida 8A second team all-state offense …No. 9 on
Miami Herald Top 25 Miami-Dade County 2012 recruits … No. 2 running
back on Miami Herald Miami-Dade County Top Five players by position
list … 2010 Miami Herald All-Dade 6A first team offense … three-star
prospect according to rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com … ranked No.
33 running back by rivals.com … No. 70 on the rivals.com Florida
Postseason Top 100 … 2012 Tom Lemming Top Running Back … also offered
by Cincinnati, Illinois, UCF and Western Michigan.
Name:Garrett Hope
Position:LB
Height:6-3
Weight:225
Hometown:The Woodlands, Texas
High School:The Woodlands HS
Two-year starter and three-year letterwinner for coach Mark Schmid at
The Woodlands High … led team to a record of 12-2 and appearance in
the Texas 5A state quarterfinals in 2011 and 10-1record in 2010 …
finished 2011 as team captain with 71 tackles, two forced fumbles, two
passes defended, three sacks, 18 tackles for loss and seven
quarterback hurries … recorded 67.5 tackles in 2010, along with two
interceptions, three forced fumbles, 4.5 sacks, five tackles for loss
and 13 quarterback hurries … 2011 Houston Chronicle Top 100 recruit …
2011 second team Houston Chronicle All-Greater Houston defense … Texas
5A honorable mention all-state in 2011 … named the 2011 District 14-5A
Defensive Player of the Year … earned all-District 14-5A second team
defensive honors in 2010 … three-star prospect according to rivals.com
and Scout.com … also offered by Nevada, New Mexico, New Mexico State,
Northwestern, UTEP and Wyoming.
Name:Will Johnson
Position:TE/WR
Height:6-6
Weight:245
Hometown:Maple Grove, Minn.
High School:Osseo HS
Two-year starter for coach Derrin Lamker at Osseo High … finished 2011
with a 9-2 record, while recording a 7-3 mark in 2010 … made 16
receptions for 199 yards and one touchdown in 2011 … scored three
touchdowns on 14 receptions for 169 yards in 2010 … three-star
prospect according to rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com … ranked No.
26 tight end by rivals.com … No. 5 on rivals.com Minnesota Postseason
Top 10 … also offered by Auburn, Boston College, Illinois, Iowa, Iowa
State, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi and UCF.
Name:Sam Lebbie
Position:LB
Height:6-2
Weight:215
Hometown:Washington, D.C.
High School:DeMatha HS
Three-year starter for coaches Elijah Brooks and Bill McGregor at
DeMatha High … finished career with a combined 26-9 record … finished
2011 with 79 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, eight sacks and seven
forced fumbles … played in the 2011 Chesapeake Bowl, where he was
named the rivals.com "Most Physical Player" … named to the 2011
Washington Post All-Metro first team defense … member of the 2011
Maryland Consensus all-state defense and Maryland big school first
team defense … four-star prospect according to Scout.com and ESPN.com
… three-star prospect on rivals.com … No. 23 on rivals.com Maryland
Postseason Top 25 …No. 6 middle linebacker on Scout.com …Tom Lemming
Top Inside Linebacker … also offered by Cincinnati, Illinois,
Maryland, North Carolina, Rutgers and Vanderbilt.
Name:Devonte Robinson
Position:WR
Height:6-1
Weight:170
Hometown:Delray Beach, Fla.
High School:Village Academy HS
Three-year starter for coach Donald Hanna at Village Academy High …
finished career 17-13, including an 8-3 mark in 2011 … led Palm Beach
County with 950 receiving yards on 31 receptions and 30.6 yards per
catch, while ranking No. 4 in touchdown receptions with 10 in 2011 …
also recorded seven interceptions on defense … finished 2010 with 18
receptions for 534 yards and six touchdowns … average 29.6 yards per
catch …member of the 2011 Florida 2A all-state first team offense …
Palm Beach Post Small Schools first team offense ... 2011 Sun Sentinel
Class 5A-4A-3A-2A first team defense … No. 11 on the Palm Beach Post
Gametime Top 100 … invited to play in the 2011 Palm Beach
County/Treasure Coast All-Star game and the 2011 Nike South Florida
All-Star game … named 2010 Sun Sentinel Class 2A-2B-1A-1B honorable
mention … three-star prospect according to rivals.com and ESPN.com …
No. 78 wide receiver on rivals.com … rivals.com No. 84 on Florida
Postseason Top 100 … also offered by Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan
State, Minnesota, SMU, Vanderbilt, Wake Forest and Western Michigan.
Name:Tony Matteo
Position:OL
Height:6-5
Weight:280
Hometown:Clinton, Ohio
High School:Manchester HS
Played three seasons for coach Jim France at Manchester High …
finished career without delivering a bad snap … went 7-4 in 2011,
advancing to the Ohio Division IV regional quarterfinals … anchored a
line that averaged 184.8 yards per game … graded out at 97 percent in
blocking efficiency on a team that amassed more than 4,000 yards …
helped lead team to a 12-1 record and a spot in the Ohio Division IV
regional finals in 2010 … led an offensive line that paved the way for
an average of 188.3 rushing yards per game … earned Division IV
All-Ohio first team offense honors in 2011, after being named special
mention in 2010 … two-time Northeastern Inland All-District first team
offense and All-Pac 7 first team offense member … 2011 Cleveland Plain
Dealer Offensive All-Star … 2011 Akron Beacon Journal Football
All-Star … No. 20 on the 2011 Cleveland Plain Dealer Top 50 Northeast
Ohio football players … served as a team captain and earned team MVP
award in 2011, while being named the school's top lineman in 2010 …
three-star prospect according to rivals.com, Scout.com and
247sports.com … ranked No. 16 center by rivals.com … 2012 Tom Lemming
Top Center … also offered by Cincinnati, Connecticut, and Pitt.
Name:Brandon Napoleon
Position:CB
Height:6-0
Weight:175
Hometown:Rahway, N.J.
High School:St. Peter's Prep
Two-year starter for coach Rich Hansen at St. Peter's Prep … led team
to a combined record of 16-6, including two appearances in the NJSIAA
Non-Public Group 4 semifinals … went 81-for-144 for 1,218 and 11
touchdowns as a quarterback in 2011 … also rushed 79 times for 460
yards and two touchdowns, while also returning a kickoff … made two
interceptions as a defensive back … played in the 2011 U.S. Marines
Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl … 2011 HCIAL Red Division Co-Player
of the Year … HCIAL Red Division first team all-conference offense in
2011 and third team all-conference offense in 2010 … 2011 All-Hudson
County first team offense and 2010 All-Hudson County third team
offense … three-star prospect according to rivals.com, Scout.com and
ESPN.com … No. 26 rivals.com New Jersey Postseason Top 30 … Tom
Lemming Top Combo Quarterback … No. 17 cornerback according to Tom
Lemming … son of former Mountaineer standout Eugene Napoleon … also
offered by Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina and
Rutgers.
Name:Tyler Orlosky
Position:OL
Height:6-4
Weight:290
Hometown:Cleveland, Ohio
High School:St. Edward HS
Played two seasons for coach Rick Finotti at St. Edward High … former
high school teammate of Mountaineer offensive lineman Brandon Jackson
… finished career grading out at 93 percent blocking efficiency and 72
pancake blocks … led team to an 8-4 record in 2011 and a trip to the
Ohio Division I second round … recorded a 90 percent blocking
efficiency with 38 pancake blocks … won the Ohio Division I state
championship in 2010, finishing 15-0 and earning a No. 2 national
ranking … in 2010, team averaged 268.1 rushing yards per game with
three players over 900 yards rushing, while also averaging 115.8
passing yards per game … finished 2010 with a 96 percent blocking
efficiency and 50 knockdown blocks … Division I All-Ohio special
mention honors in 2011 … was named to the Division I All-Ohio second
team offense in 2010 … two-time Northeastern Lakes All-District first
team offense … two-time Cleveland Plain Dealer Offensive All-Star …
No. 3 on the 2011 Cleveland Plain Dealer Top 50 Northeast Ohio
football players … rated as a four-star prospect by Scout.com …
three-star prospect according to ESPN.com and rivals.com … ranked No.
24 2012 guard by rivals.com … ranked No. 41 on rivals.com 2012 Ohio
Postseason Top 60 … ranked No. 13 on Scout.com 2012 guards … 2012 Tom
Lemming Top Guard … also offered by Illinois, Michigan State,
Northwestern and Ohio State.
Name:Nana Kyeremeh (Ky-rum)
Position:CB
Height:5-11
Weight:170
Hometown:Worthington, Ohio
High School:Thomas Worthington HS
Three-year starter for coach Scott Gordon at Thomas Worthington High …
finished 2011 with 73 tackles, six interceptions that totaled 145
return yards and two touchdowns, four blocked punts with two being
returned for touchdowns and two blocked extra points … registered four
interceptions in 2010 and three interceptions in 2009 … earned a spot
on the 2011 all-Ohio Division I second team defense … earned 2011
All-Central District first team defense honors after being recognized
as special mention in 2010 … two-time All-OCC Central Division first
team honoree … 2011 Columbus Dispatch All-Metro first team defense …
member of This Week's 2011 Super 25 first team defense … three-star
prospect according to rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com … ran that
anchor leg of the 2011 2x200 meter Ohio state champion relay team …
runs a 4.3 40-yard dash … also offered by Boston College, Northwestern
and Vanderbilt.
Name:Jarrod Harper
Position:S
Height:5-11
Weight:200
Hometown:Frostburg, Md.
High School:Mountain Ridge HS
Three year, two-way starter for coach Roy Devore at Mountain Ridge
High … finished 2011 with a 9-2 record and appearance in the Maryland
state playoffs … recorded 52 tackles, five tackles for loss, three
interceptions, five fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles in 2011
… rushed for 1,334 yards on 187 carries, totaling 24 all-purpose
touchdowns on offense … finished 2010 with 72 tackles, one tackle for
loss, nine interceptions and one fumble recovery on defense, while
recording 1,860 all-purpose yards, along with 18 touchdowns on offense
… 2011 Maryland small school first team defense ... 2010 Maryland
small school second team defense … 2011 Cumberland Times-News
Co-Defensive Player of the Year … 2010 Cumberland Times-News first
team defense and second team offense … 2010 Mineral Times Daily
News-Tribune Player of the Year … 2009 Cumberland Times-News honorable
mention offense … Tom Lemming Top Safety … three-star prospect
according to Scout.com.
Name:Christian Brown
Position:DL
Height:6-3
Weight:290
Hometown:Bridgeton, N.J.
High School:Bridgeton HS
Played for coach Dave Ellen at Bridgeton High in 2011 … saw action in
seven games, helping lead the team to a 6-4 record … finished the
season with 35 tackles (14 solo, 21 assisted) and two sacks … recorded
a season-high nine tackles against Holy Spirit … previously played two
seasons at Dunbar High (Ft. Myers, Fla.) …as a junior, he finished
with 40 tackles and three sacks … helped team finish with an 11-11-1
record during those two years … completed 2009 with 22 tackles (12
solo, 10 assisted), one sack and one forced fumble … three-star
prospect according to rivals.com, Scout.com and ESPN.com … ranked No.
38 defensive tackle in 2012 by rivals.com … No. 17 on the rivals.com
2012 New Jersey Postseason Top 30 list … also offered by Connecticut,
Duke, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa State, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota,
NC State, Purdue, USF and UCF.
Name:Korey Harris
Position:DL
Height:6-4
Weight:230
Hometown:St. Augustine, Fla.
High School:Bartram Trail HS
Two-year starter for coach Darrell Sutherland at Bartram Trail High …
finished career with a 19-6 record, including a 12-2 mark in 2011,
advancing to the Florida 6A state semifinals … recorded 53 tackles (36
solo, 17 assisted) in 2011, along with 4.5 sacks and one pass breakup
… made a season-high 10 tackles against Pace and had at least five
tackles in six different games … finished 2010 with 45 tackles (34
solo, 11 assisted) and finished with eight sacks, including three
sacks against Bishop Kenny to go with a season-high eight tackles …
two-time member of The St. Augustine Record All-County squad, while
also earning honorable mention honors on the 2011 Florida Times-Union
All-First Coast team … three-star prospect according to rivals.com and
ESPN.com … also offered by Cincinnati, NC State and Western Michigan.
Name:Ford Childress
Position:QB
Height:6-4
Weight:210
Hometown:Houston, Texas
High School:Houston Kinkaid HS
Coached by Steve Hill at Houston Kinkaid High … led team to a 20-1
record in two seasons as a starter, winning back-to-back Southwest
Preparatory Conference (SPC) championships in 2010 and 2011 …
completed 184-of-292 passes for 3,171 yards and 41 touchdowns and only
seven interceptions in 10 games as a senior, completing 63.01 percent
of his passes … sixth in passing yards and second in touchdown passes
in the Houston area … threw for 300 or more yards in six games and 400
or more yards in one game … completed 19-of-26 passes for 354 yards
and seven touchdowns against Anahuac … threw for 328 yards and four
touchdowns on 21-of-30 passing against Westbury Christian … threw for
three touchdowns and rushed for two touchdowns on 21-of-37 passing for
357 yards against Second Baptist School … completed 13-of-15 passes
for 322 yards and six touchdowns against Tulsa Holland Hall … threw
for 376 yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-40 passing against
Bellaire Episcopal … threw six touchdowns on 14-of-17 passing for 283
yards against Kipp Academy … completed 17-of-23 passes for 369 yards
and seven touchdowns against Dallas Greenhill … threw for 447 yards
and three touchdowns on 30-of-46 passing against Dallas St. Marks,
with one rushing touchdown … finished 2010 season completing
177-of-307 passes for 2,658 yards, 25 touchdowns and 13 interceptions
… threw for 300 or more yards in three games … Houston Chronicle Texas
Top 100 recruit … a two-time all-SPC first team quarterback … invited
to the 2012 Offense-Defense All-American Bowl … ESPNU Top 150 … 2012
rivals.com No. 15 pro-style quarterback … 2012 rivals.com No. 37 Texas
Preseason Top 100 … 2012 rivals.com No. 38 Texas Postseason Top 100 …
2012 Scout.com No. 25 quarterback … 2012 Tom Lemming Top Pro-Style
Quarterback … also offered by Arizona, Arizona State, Florida State
and Oklahoma State.
Name:Karl Joseph
Position:S
Height:5-11
Weight:190
Hometown:Orlando, Fla.
High School:Edgewater HS
Coached by Zac Yarbrough at Edgewater High School … helped lead
Edgewater to a 7-4 record as a senior … played for coach Bill Gierke
as a junior and helped lead Edgewater to a 7-4 mark … finished 2011
with 126 tackles (97 solo), three sacks, four forced fumbles, three
fumble recoveries, four blocked punts and two blocked field goals …
registered 142 tackles (109 solo) in 2010, to go along with 22 tackles
for loss, nine sacks, three interceptions and three fumble recoveries
… registered first team Orlando Sentinel all-Central Florida Defensive
honors in 2011 … rated No. 7 on the Orlando Sentinel 2012 Central
Florida Super60 … ranked No. 53 Miami Herald 2012 pre-spring Florida
Top 101 … also was No. 48 Orlando Sentinel 2012 Florida Top 100 … 2012
rivals.com No. 31 safety … 2012 rivals.com No. 82 in the Florida
Postseason Top 100 … 2012 Scout.com No. 37 safety … 2012 Tom Lemming
Top Safety … also offered by Cincinnati, East Carolina, Illinois,
Louisville, Memphis, Miami (Fla.), Michigan State, Nebraska,
Northwestern, Purdue, South Carolina, Tennessee, UCF, USF and
Virginia.
Name:Jordan Thompson
Position:WR
Height:5-9
Weight:163
Hometown:Katy, Texas
High School:Katy HS
Coached by Gary Joseph at Katy High … helped lead Katy to a 25-2
record as a two-year starter and to two District 19-5A conference
championships … finished 2011 with 66 receptions and 1,117 yards
receiving for an average of 17.8 yards per catch to go along with 17
touchdowns … ranked ninth in the Houston area in receiving yards and
fifth in receiving touchdowns … had a touchdown reception in all but
one game in 2011 … Houston Chronicle Texas Top 100 recruit … Houston
Chronicle second team all-Greater Houston offense in 2011 … named the
19-5A all-District Special Teams Player of the Year, as well as
unanimous first-team wide receiver and first-team return specialist in
2011 … earned 19-5A all-district second team wide receiver honors in
2010 … also named a two-time 19-5A all-district academic team member …
finished with seven catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns against
Galena Park North Shore … recorded five receptions for 125 yards and
two touchdowns against Alief Taylor … caught eight passes for 102
yards and one touchdown against Beaumont West Brook … set a school
record with 217 yards on nine catches and three touchdowns against
Houston Strake Jesuit … caught seven passes for 114 yards and three
touchdowns against Katy Mayde Creek … also had touchdown receptions
against Katy Seven Lakes, Katy Morton Ranch, Houston Memorial, Katy
Taylor, Houston Madison, Houston Cypress Woods and La Porte … finished
2010 with 26 receptions for 384 yards and three touchdowns ... lost in
the 2010 5A Division 2 state quarterfinals to current Mountaineer
Dustin Garrison's Pearland squad … also played baseball.
Name:Sean Walters
Position:S
Height:6-2
Weight:195
Hometown:Hallandale Beach, Fla.
High School:Hallandale HS
Played one season for coach Dameon Jones at Hallandale High … recorded
89 tackles, 29 pass breakups and one interception in 2011 … Sun
Sentinel honorable mention all-Broward County Class 5A-4A-3A-2A
defense … ranked as the No. 5 safety on Miami Herald Top Players by
Position list … played for the South Florida All-Stars in the 2011
Nike South Florida All-Star Game … invited to the FACA North-South
All-Star Game … sat out junior season with ankle injury suffered in
preseason game … previously was a two-year point guard for Boyd
Anderson High … led squad to a 24-7 record in 2009-10 with 66 assists,
88 rebounds and 34 steals … Miami Herald honorable mention all-Broward
County Class 6A-5A-4A guard … also offered by Minnesota and USF.
Kerri Kosten of Morgantown is a lifelong Mountaineer fan. Kerri will be writing for WAJR.com about WVU Football and Basketball games this season from her perspective: As a rabid WVU fan who happens to be blind. Kerri does not see the game the way the rest of us do. She relies on the descriptions of the game from the play-by-play of Tony Caridi and the rest of the MSN crew. So, while we see and read what all of the other sports writers are saying about the Mountaineers, enjoy Kerri's view of the game as she listens to it on WAJR and offers her opinion of the Mountaineers.
Mountaineers Fall To Syracuse On Missed Goaltending Call
Kerri Kosten
January 28, 2012
The Mountaineers fell to the Syracuse Orange 63-61 Saturday on the
road. The biggest thing in the game that Mountaineer fans will
remember is the missed goaltending call by all three officials. The
Orange were clinging to a two-point lead 63-61 with eight seconds
left. All three game officials missed a very obvious goal tend on
Deniz Kilicli’s shot attempt to tie the game when Syracuse’s Bayne
Keita clearly touched the ball after it hit off of the glass above the
cylinder. The ball went out of bounds with 6.2 seconds remaining. The
Mountaineers had two more attempts to win the game but both Truck
Bryant and Kevin Jones missed 3-point shots.
This was a very back and forth game. The Mountaineers had the lead for
most of the first half until Syracuse went on a 8-2 run over the final
3 minutes to take a 28-24 lead into halftime. In the second half,
Syracuse took their largest lead of the game at six 33-27. The
Mountaineers eventually tied the game at 41 with a Bryant 3. The
Orange responded with back to back baskets. But, the Mountaineers
answered right back with baskets by Jones and Kilicli to once again
tie the game at 45. The Mountaineers took the lead back 47-46 with
8:39 left. They took the lead again at 49-47 with 8:12 left with two
free throws by Bryant. Syracuse’s Brandon Triche hit an NBA 3 to give
the Orange the lead 50-49. Triche hit another basket to increase the
lead to 52-49 with six minutes left. Freshman Gary Brown tied the game
at 52 with a 3. He then tied it again at 54 and 56 with four straight
free throws. The Orange again took the lead at 59-56. Syracuse’s Kris
Joseph and Jabarie Hinds exchanged baskets and then Jones hit a 3 to
tie the game at 61. Triche hit two free throws to give the Orange the
63-61 lead and then the missed goal tend call happened and the
Mountaineers lost this game.
The loss brings the Mountaineers record to 15-7 overall, 5-4 Big East.
Kevin Jones led in scoring for the Mountaineers with 20 points. He
grabbed eight rebounds. Bryant scored 12, all coming in the second
half. Brown added 10. Kilicli did not have his best game. He only
scored 5 points. He was 2 of 10 from the floor and hit just 1 of 5
from the free throw line. The Mountaineers dominated the Orange on the
glass 41-20. They turned the ball over 17 times.
The Mountaineers have a quick turnaround. They return to action Monday
evening for a Big Monday game against the Pitt Panthers in the
Backyard Brawl at the WVU Coliseum. The Panthers defeated 10th-ranked
Georgetown Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is set for 7 PM.
Here are my thoughts from the game.
This was a heartbreaking loss for the Mountaineers. They played so
well. They definitely played well enough that they deserved to win
this game or at least play overtime. I think it speaks volumes about
the attitude of this team and the coaching ability of Bob Huggins that
they came back and played so well against fourth-ranked Syracuse on
the road considering how poorly they played Against St. John’s last
Wednesday. The Mountaineers definitely bounced back from that loss and
came to play in this game. They did not let the St. John’s loss affect
them in this game and that to me is huge. They definitely played well
enough to win and I feel so badly that they did not win and the game
had to end the way it did.
The missed goal tend was ridiculous. It was the worst missed call by
the officials I believe I’ve ever seen and I believe it definitely
played a huge part in determining the outcome of this game. It gave
the victory to the Orange. It was a horrible horrible call. I do not
understand how the officials can miss (or maybe ignore) calls that are
so clearly in front of them. Everyone else knew that was goal tending.
How do all three officials miss things like this when it is so
apparent to everyone else?
The Mountaineers have a very quick turnaround. They host Pitt in the
basketball version of the Backyard Brawl Monday night in a Big Monday
game. The Panthers are coming off of a win against 10th-ranked
Georgetown Saturday. I have a feeling this game is going to be very
close. The Mountaineers need to put this loss and the missed call
behind them and focus on winning this game at home. Considering the
Mountaineers have now lost two conference games in a row, this will be
a very important game to win at home.
Mountaineers Fall To St. John’s
Kerri Kosten
January 25, 2012
The Mountaineers fell to the St. John’s Red Storm 78-62 Wednesday
evening at Madison Square Garden in New York city. It was a bad game
for the Mountaineers from the beginning. The Red Storm dominated both
offensively and defensively. The Mountaineers had scored just six
points with just under eight minutes left in the first half. The Red
Storm had a 16-point lead by halftime 36-20. Things did not improve
for the Mountaineers in the second half. The Red Storm increased their
lead to 21 46-25 and led by 20 with 8:28 remaining. The Mountaineers
were able to cut the lead down to 12 and had an opportunity to get
back in the game and cut the lead to single digits but Kevin Jones
missed both free throws when the Red Storm bench was called on a
technical foul. After the missed free throws, the Mountaineers lost
their best opportunity to get back in the game. They ended up losing
the game by 16 points.
The loss brings the Mountaineers record to 15-6 overall, and 5-3 Big
East. The Mountaineers turned the ball over 14 times. They shot just
35.4 percent. Jones did lead the Mountaineers in scoring with 26
points and 14 rebounds but it wasn’t enough. Truck Bryant added 16
points but was 4 of 13 shooting. This is the second game in a row
where he has not shot well. In his last two games, Bryant has only hit
six of his 29 shot attempts.
Things do not get any easier for the Mountaineers. They are in a
difficult stretch of games. They return to action Saturday afternoon
against fourth-ranked Syracuse on the road. They then turn around and
play Pitt in a big Monday game at the WVU Coliseum. Syracuse is coming
off a win against Cincinnati back on Monday night. Tipoff for the
Syracuse game is set for 1 PM.
Here are my thoughts from this game.
I said in my thoughts from the Cincinnati game played last week that I
hoped the Mountaineers would not be fatigued from the Cincinnati and
Marshall games and could go on the road and play well against St.
John’s. The exact opposite happened. The Mountaineers could not get
anything going at all. They took ill-advised shots. They gave up easy
baskets on defense which allowed the Red Storm to score. They allowed
St. John’s to completely dominate both offensively and defensively.
That is what this game came down to. Kevin Jones played well scoring
26 points and grabbing 14 rebounds but it wasn’t enough. Bryant did
score 16 points but he once again did not shoot the ball well. I hope
he can get out of his shooting slump quickly because the Mountaineers
will need everyone to play well if they want to beat Syracuse.
The Mountaineers are in a difficult stretch of games right now and it
does not get any easier next up. They play fourth-ranked Syracuse at
the Carrier Dome. They then turn around and play the Pitt Panthers in
a big Monday game at the WVU Coliseum. Syracuse has lost just once
this entire season. At one point, they were 20-0. The Orange will be a
very tough team to beat especially since the game is in Syracuse. The
Mountaineers will need to play extremely well in order to beat the
Orange. I hope the Mountaineers can bounce back from this loss and
play well Saturday. This loss to St. John’s was a tough one but I
think they will be able to bounce back.
Mountaineers Defeat Bearcats In Overtime
Kerri Kosten
January 21, 2012
The Mountaineers defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 77-74 in a
thrilling, emotional, dramatic overtime game Saturday afternoon in
front of another sold-out crowd at the WVU Coliseum. It was the fourth
overtime game the Mountaineers have played in this season.
The Mountaineers had a eight-point lead 30-22 with 3:52 left in the
first half. Kevin Jones had to come out of the game when he picked up
two fouls. The Bearcats went on a 12-2 run and took a 33-32 lead into
halftime.
The game was back and forth in the second half. The Bearcats twice
took four-point leads at 53-49 and 55-51 before managing to build a
five-point lead 60-55 with 5:41 left. But, Jabarie Hinds hit a big
3-point basket and Gary Brown hit a layup off of Cincinnati’s miss to
tie the game at 60. Once again though, the Bearcats increased their
lead back out to five. Brown hit another basket and Deniz Kilicli made
one out of two from the free throw line to bring the Mountaineers to
within two 65-63. Kevin Jones hit a 3 following another miss by
Cincinnati to give the Mountaineers a 66-65 lead. The Bearcats
responded with a shot and two free throws to take a three-point lead
69-66. Brown hit another 3-point basket to tie the game at 69 with 12
seconds left in regulation. With six seconds remaining, Cincinnati
attempted a layup to win the game but it was no good. Freshman Keaton
Miles rebounded the miss and got the ball to Truck Bryant for an
attempt at a shot to win the game but he bobbled the ball and a tie-up
ensued with two seconds left. While all of this was happening, Jones
was trying to signal for a timeout. But, the Mountaineers did not have
any timeouts remaining. Luckily, the officials did not see it and did
not call a technical on West Virginia. After going to the monitors,
the officials determined that time had run out on the clock before the
tie-up had happened. This sent the game into overtime.
The Mountaineers scored the first four points in the overtime period.
They were able to hold off a push by the Bearcats to try to win the
game in the overtime period. Brown had a big steal and layup during
the overtime period. Kilicli also hit a big shot with 31 seconds left
in the overtime period that helped give the Mountaineers the 3-point
win.
The win improves the Mountaineers record to 15-5 overall, and 5-2 Big
East. The win by the Mountaineers snaps the Bearcats seven-game
conference road game winning streak.
Four Mountaineers scored in double figures. Jones had another
wonderful game scoring 26 points and grabbing 13 rebounds for his 13th
double-double of the season. It is the 27th of his career. Kilicli
also added 13 points and seven rebounds. Brown scored 13 points and
Hinds added 12. Bryant did not play well, going 2 of 16 shooting
overall and missing all of his eight 3-point attempts.
The Mountaineers shot 43.7 percent overall (31 of 71.) They went 6 of
23 from 3. The Mountaineers once again won on the glass 46-43. The
Mountaineers return to action Wednesday as they face St. John’s on the
road at Madison Square Garden in new York City. Tipoff is set for 7
PM.
Here are my thoughts from this game.
This was another huge win at home against a very good Cincinnati team.
I figured this game would be close just because of how good the
Bearcats were and how they are so used to winning close games on the
road. But, what an emotional, back-and-forth rollercoaster game this
was. I was extremely frustrated in the second half because it seemed
like the Mountaineers had to really work for every point where
Cincinnati seemed to be able to answer right back and score so easily.
It also seemed as if the Bearcats would come right back and answer the
Mountaineers shot for shot in the second half. The Mountaineers were
hitting their shots but so was Cincinnati and that is what kept them
in the game.
The 3 with 12 seconds left to tie the game by Brown was huge. He also
had a big steal and layup in overtime that was big too. I also can not
say enough about how good of a player Jones is. He really came through
for the Mountaineers and helped them get this victory scoring 26
points. Bryant was having an off game and could not seem to hit any
shots so the all-around play by Jones was huge. If it weren’t for how
wel Jones played, I don’t think the Mountaineers could have won this
game the way they did.
The Mountaineers played extremely well in overtime. I was surprised by
how much the Mountaineers dominated in the overtime period. Though
they won by just three points, they scored the first four points of
the overtime and held off a push by the Bearcats to win the game. It
was also surprising to me how the Bearcats seemed to miss several
shots that were right in front of the basket. It was almost as if when
the game went into overtime the Bearcats were drained. They certainly
played hard in the overtime period, but I thought the Mountaineers
played better and the Bearcats missed several shots that were right in
front of the basket. I also think the previous three overtime games
the Mountaineers have played in this season helped them win this
overtime game. The Mountaineers only turned the ball over eight times
the entire game and overtime which to me is tremendous. They also shot
well from the free throw line hitting 9 of 13.
The Mountaineers next play St. John’s on the road Wednesday. I hope
they can go on the road and win that game and are not too fatigued by
these previous emotionally exhausting games against Marshall and
Cincinnati.
Mountaineers Win Capital Classic
Kerri Kosten
January 18, 2012
The Mountaineers won the 2012 Chesapeake Energy Capital Classic with a
78-62 victory over Marshall Wednesday evening at the Charleston Civic
Center. The Mountaineers really broke open the game in the second
half. The Mountaineers limited the Thundering Herd to just 15 points
during a 15 minute stretch in the second half. The Mountaineers took a
10-point lead 55-45 when Kevin Jones hit a 3 with 6:49 remaining. He
hit another 3 with 4:33 left to increase the Mountaineers lead to 15
62-47. The Mountaineers took their largest lead of the game at 19
71-52 with 1:32 left. The Mountaineers won the game by 16.
It was a completely different game in the first half however. The
Mountaineers fell behind 27-20 with 3:12 left in the first half.
Freshman Aaron Brown hit two back to back baskets. Fellow freshman
Jabarie Hinds tied the game at 27 with a layup. However, Marshall came
right back and hit a 3-pointer with 43 seconds left in the first half.
Truck Bryant missed a 3-pointer on the next possession but Marshall
turned the ball over which gave the Mountaineers another chance to
score. That’s when Bryant hit a 3 to tie the game at 30 at halftime.
The Mountaineers took control in the second half.
The win increases the Mountineers record to 14-5. Jones scored 25
points and grabbed seven rebounds. Bryant finished with 22 points.
Gary Brown and Hinds both scored 10 points. Deniz Kilicli did not play
because of an ankle injury. In his absence, Dominique Rutledge and
Kevin Noreen combined to score 7 points, grab eight rebounds, hand out
two assists, and block one shot. The Mountaineers finished the game
shooting 52 percent for the game (28 of 54.) They shot an impressive
16 of 26 in the second half. The Mountaineers once again won the
rebounding battle, out-rebounding Marshall 37-27. The Herd entered the
game as one of the top rebounding teams in the country. The
Mountaineers 16-point margin of victory snaps a streak of close games
between the Mountaineers and Thundering Herd. Eleven of the last 13
games has been decided by single digits. Two games have gone into
overtime. The Mountaineers 16 point victory was the largest by either
team since the 1990 game in Huntington when Marshall defeated the
Mountaineers 97-80.
The Mountaineers return to action Saturday back at home at the WVU
Coliseum. They face a very good Cincinnati team who beat 13th-ranked
Connecticut on the road 70-67. The Bearcats are in second place in the
Big East standings and come into Saturday’s game with a 5-1 conference
record. Tipoff is set for 3 PM.
Here are my thoughts from the game.
I am extremely happy the Mountaineers won this game. After last year’s
game, I think I speak for most Mountaineer fans when I say it is good
that the Mountaineers won back the Capital Classic trophy and won this
game in such a dominating way. I did not think the Mountaineers played
very well in the first half. They let Marshall stay in the game and
even take the lead near the end of the first half. It seemed like the
Mountaineers were unable to really get anything going until the end.
In the second half however, they broke the game open and took control.
The 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first half by Bryant really
gave the momentum to the Mountaineers. Marshall seems to play their
best game in the Capital Classic and I thought it would be a much
closer game but I am glad I was wrong and the Mountaineers won by 16
points. Mountaineer fans really wanted revenge after the loss last
year and they were not disappointed by the way the Mountaineers played
in this game. The Mountaineers next play the Cincinnati Bearcats at
home. The Bearcats are coming off a 70-67 road win over 13-ranked
Connecticut. They are in second place in the Big East standings with a
5-1 conference record. They are very good. Hopefully though, the
Mountaineers can once again upset another good team at home.
Mountaineers Dominate Rutgers Again
Kerri Kosten
January 14, 2012
As they did in the last game against Rutgers, the Mountaineers won in convincing fashion at the WVU Coliseum 84-60 Saturday afternoon in front of a sold out crowd. Similarly to the last game, the Mountaineers dominated early and never really let the Scarlet Knights get back into the game. The Mountaineers went on a 20-3 run over seven minutes in the first half to take a 22-point lead with 5:32 left in the first half. The Mountaineers increased their lead to 25 and then to 28 before taking a 26 point lead into halftime. The Scarlet Knights were able to cut the lead to 16 64-48 with 10:51 left but the Mountaineers used another 17-3 run to shut down the Scarlet Knights and get the victory. The win increases the Mountaineers record to 13-5 overall, and 4-2 in Big East play.
Kevin Jones had another double double scoring 24 points and grabbing 14 rebounds. Truck Bryant scored 18 points while Deniz Kilicli scored 14 points and Jabarie Hinds added 11. The Mountaineers are now tied with Connecticut and Seton Hall for third place in the Big East standings. They are behind Syracuse which is undefeated in conference play at 5-0 and upcoming opponent Cincinnati who has a 4-1 conference record. The Mountaineers had another bad game from the free throw line, missing 18 free throws. There were a lot of fouls in this game as there were 47 total fouls including three technical fouls. The Mountaineers outrebounded the Scarlet Knights 45-36. The Mountaineers forced the Scarlet Knights into 19 turnovers. Freshman Keaton Miles played well for the Mountaineers with 6 points, four rebounds and seven assists. The Mountaineers play one final nonconference game Wednesday as they face Marshall at the Charleston Civic Center in the Capital Classic. Tipoff is set for 7:30 PM.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
As I figured, this game was very similar to the previous time the Mountaineers played Rutgers on the road a couple of weeks ago. The Mountaineers completely shut Rutgers down in everything they wanted to do and totally dominated. Rutgers made a run in the second half to cut the lead down to 16 but that was it. The Mountaineers played well and did what they were supposed to do in every aspect of the game except free throw shooting. The Mountaineers had been shooting well from the free throw line the last couple of games but they struggled again missing 18 free throw shots. They played extremely well and dominated in all other areas though.
I thought freshman Keaton Miles played his best game of the season so far. Until this game, he hadn’t really played much and when he did get into the game he didn’t seem to do much. His 6 points, four rebounds, and seven assists was by far his best performance. I hope playing so well in this game gives him some confidence and he continues to improve and play well in future games.
The amount of fouls in this game seemed a little alarming to me. There was a total of 47 fouls called in this game. It really disrupted the flow of the game particularly in the second half. There were three technicals called, the most I’ve heard called in one game.
The Mountaineers next step out of conference to play their in-state rival the Marshall Thundering Herd Wednesday in Charleston. This is always a good game and is usually very close. The Mountaineers must not overlook Marshall and play a good game because Marshall always seems to play their best when they face the Mountaineers. They can and have beat the Mountaineers before and will do it again if the Mountaineers are not careful and do not play wel
Mountaineers Fall To Connecticut On The Road
Kerri Kosten
January 9, 2012
After defeating ninth-ranked Georgetown at home Saturday, the
Mountaineers fell on the road to the 16th-ranked Connecticut Huskies
64-57. The Mountaineers had a 10-point lead 46-36 midway through the
second half. But, Connecticut went on a huge run and the Mountaineers
really had no answer to stop the Huskies. There was also a
controversial call by the officials. Kevin Jones missed a 3-point shot
that went off of Connecticut forward Andre Drummond and out of bounds.
The official said it was UConn ball. However, the replay showed
otherwise. This forced the Mountaineers to foul down by 3 points.
Jeremy Lamb hit both free throws to seal the game for the Huskies.
Bryant attempted a 3 but it was blocked. Lamb then hit a layup that
allowed the Huskies to win by seven. Lamb scored 25 points for the
game and Drummond finished with 20 points.
The loss brings the Mountaineers record to 12-5 overall, and 3-2 Big
East. Kevin Jones had a big game leading the Mountaineers scoring with
22 points. Truck Bryant had a bad game, scoring just 8 points and
going 2 of 13 shooting. Deniz Kilicli added 12 points. The
Mountaineers did not have their best night shooting. Overall, they
shot just 32 percent and 25 percent from 3. The Huskies, on the other
hand shot the ball well. They shot 55 percent overall from the floor
and hit 26 of 47 shots. The Mountaineers get some time off before
returning to action Saturday to face Rutgers at the WVU Coliseum at 2
PM.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
This was a disappointing loss for the Mountaineers. They came so close
to winning this game. They played so well all game and even had the
lead going into halftime and then led by as many as 10 until midway
through the second half. But, the run Connecticut made in the second
half really hurt the Mountaineers. It not only brought Connecticut
back into the game, but really hurt the Mountaineers chances of
winning. It seemed like during the run the Mountaineers were unable to
stop Connecticut. It makes me really wonder if that controversial
missed call by the officials had been called West Virginia’s ball
whether the Mountaineers might have been able to win the game. That
was a terrible terrible call by the officials. Though this is a
disappointing loss, the Mountaineers played extremely well considering
Connecticut was ranked No. 16 in the country, had some of the best
players in the nation, and the game was on the road. It was also the
third game for the Mountaineers in five days. So, considering all of
that the Mountaineers played extremely well though it was
disappointing to see them lose. The Mountaineers get a few days off
until facing Rutgers at the WVU Coliseum Saturday. Considering they
just beat Rutgers and dominated against them on the road, I’m
confident the Mountaineers can put this loss behind them and will play
well and win Saturday.
Mountaineers Upset Ninth-Ranked Georgetown
Kerri Kosten
January 7, 2012
The Mountaineers knocked off the ninth-ranked Georgetown Hoyas 74-62
Saturday afternoon in front of a cheering home crowd at the WVU
Coliseum. The win snaps the Hoyas 11-game winning streak and gives
them one loss in Big East play. The Hoyas only loss up to this game was
a four-point loss to Kansas back in November. The win gives WVU head
basketball coach Bob Huggins his seventh victory over a top-10 ranked
team in the last three seasons.
The game was pretty close until the second half. The Mountaineers took
a seven-point lead 44-37. The lead eventually increased to 11 with
6:38 remaining in the game. The Mountaineers took their largest lead
of the game at 13 with 4:36 left when Truck Bryant hit two free throws
to make it 62-49. The Hoyas managed to cut the lead down to four 58-62
but a layup by freshman Gary Brown brought the lead back out to six
64-58. Bryant hit two more free throws to push the Mountaineers lead
out to eight. The Hoyas were never able to get back into the game even
though they overcame a 17 point deficit to defeat Marquette Wednesday.
The Mountaineers shut down the Hoyas, holding them to just 2 of 14
from the 3-point line. The mountaineers also outrebounded the Hoyas
37-31 and held them to just 40 percent shooting from the floor. The
win improves the Mountaineers record to 12-4 overall, and 3-1 in the
Big East. The Mountaineers once again shot the ball well in this game.
They shot 50 percent from the floor, hitting 24 of 48. This is the
second game they have shot over 50 percent since the Seton Hall game
where they had their poorest offensive performance. The Mountaineers
also shot well from the free throw line again hitting 22 of 31. In
terms of scoring for the Mountaineers, Bryant had another big game. He
scored 25 points. He made seven field goals and was 9 of 11 from the
free throw line. Jones had another double double. He scored 22 points
and grabbed 16 rebounds. Jones was 8 of 12 from the floor and was 5 of
6 from the free throw line. Brown added 12 points.
The Mountaineers do not have long before the next game. They face
another ranked team in eighth-ranked Connecticut Monday night on the
road. Connecticut fell to Rutgers Saturday evening 67-60.
Here are my thoughts from this game.
This is by far the Mountaineers best win of the season as of yet. This
was bigger than the Kansas State win in double overtime. Georgetown
was ranked ninth in the country. They only had one loss coming into
the game and they were undefeated in conference play. The Mountaineers
were able to change all of that. In the Big East conference, it is
important to win as many games as possible, especially home games.
This win was a huge confidence booster for this young team and really
shows their potential and that they can play with and beat nationally
ranked teams. Winning this game gives the Mountaineers their first win
so far this season over a nationally ranked opponent.
Much like they did in the Rutgers win Wednesday, I thought the
Mountaineers shot well in this game as they shot over 50 percent
again. They also once again did very well from the free throw line.
They also played well defensively and really shut Georgetown down
which kept them from overcoming another big deficit and winning this
game. Bryant, and Jones had big games. Another player who I think has
a lot of potential on this team is Dominique Rutledge. He did not
score very many points but he was all over the floor blocking shots,
stealing the ball, and even taking a charge. He can really become a
defensive threat for the Mountaineers, and gives the Mountaineers a
weapon defensively that none of the other players give them. Rutledge
plays similarly to the way Deniz Kilicli does but with more
athleticism. The officiating was also inconsistent in this game and it
seemed that the Mountaineers had a lot of ridiculous fouls called
against them where it seemed like Georgetown got away with a lot of
things. The Mountaineers will not have much time to celebrate this win
as they are back on the road to face Connecticut Monday evening.
Connecticut, like Georgetown is very good. They are ranked No. 8 in
the country and are very big in terms of size. The Mountaineers will
need to play very well in order to defeat them. They will also need to
stop their big men and play very well defensively. I hope that the
Mountaineers can play similarly to the way they played in this game
and could pull off another upset. Considering Connecticut was defeated
by an unranked Rutgers team, the Mountaineers just might have a chance
of giving the Huskies another loss to an unranked team by winning this
game Monday night.
My Orange Bowl Thoughts
Kerri Kosten
January 4, 2012
I can not say enough about how big this game was. The Mountaineers
played their best game of the season, and against a good Clemson team.
The Mountaineers played well and dominated in every phase of the
game:offensively, defensively, and with special teams. The
Mountaineers winning and dominating the game the way they did is huge.
Now, the Mountaineers are 3-0 in BCS bowl games. The game was played
on national TV and it was the only college football game on so people
all across the country got to see the performance. It put West
Virginia University and it’s football program in a national spotlight.
It helped recruiting as I’m sure many high school football players
watched the game.
I think I speak for all Mountaineer fans when I say how surprised I
was by the outcome of this game. Leading up to the game, I was
certainly hoping the Mountaineers would win. I thought if they played
well on special teams, could stop Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd, could
protect the ball and not turn it over, they had the chance to win. I
felt if the Mountaineers were able to pull out the win, it would be a
close game and would come down to the final seconds much like the
Mountaineers previous games have. I really wasn’t sure what would
happen. However, I did not imagine the Mountaineers completely
dominating Clemson, scoring 35 straight points on the Tigers, scoring
49 points in the first half, and beating Clemson 70-33. Just the fact
the Mountaineers scored 70 points at all is still hard to believe and
is one of the things that makes this game so huge.
This game has a lot of historic value. The Mountaineers broke several
records in this game, not only Orange bowl records but NCAA records as
well. However, there are two that stand out the most to me and which I
think are the most significant. First, the 70 points the Mountaineers
scored is the most points scored in a bowl game. Not just in a BCS
bowl game, but in any bowl game ever played. Think of all the good
teams that have played in bowl games. Ohio State, USC, Oklahoma,
Oklahoma State, LSU and Alabama just to name a few. However, the West
Virginia University Mountaineers hold the record for the most points
scored. All the records the Mountaineers set were huge and significant
but that one in particular stands out to me.
The second is that the 49 points the Mountaineers scored in the first
half is the most points ever scored in a half in the history of bowl
games. Again, think of all the great teams that have played in bowls.
The Mountaineers now hold the record for the most points scored in a
half.
To me, Darwin Cook’s fumble recovery for a 99 yard touchdown was the
turning point in this game. Up to that score, the game had been very
back and forth. The Mountaineers were hanging onto a 21-17 lead and
the Tigers had the ball and were close to scoring. That fumble
recovery and return for the touchdown gave the Mountaineers a 28-17
lead. This put the Mountaineers more in control, and they would go on
to score 21 more points to end the first half with 49 points. The
Tigers could never come back. I think the Cook touchdown shifted the
momentum of the game in the Mountaineers favor.
Many Mountaineers played well in this game. Quarterback Geno Smith
threw six touchdown passes, which is a BCS and orange bowl record for
the most touchdown passes thrown. It breaks the previous record of
five thrown by Matt Leinart of USC in the 2005 national championship
game against Oklahoma. Smith also scored a rushing touchdown giving
him seven total touchdowns for the game. He finished 31 of 42 passing
for 401 yards. He was named the Orange Bowl Most Valuable Player. With
the 401 yards passing, Smith now becomes the single season Big East
passing leader with 4,379 yards. I have thought that Smith has
struggled all season under pressure. In this game, he was pressured
but seemed to get rid of the ball in time. He seemed to play better
under pressure in this game and really seemed to know what to do with
the ball. He was not sacked once and he did not throw an interception
or fumble. He showed a lot of improvement in this game.
Wide Receiver Tavon Austin also had a big game. He caught four
touchdown passes, and finished with 11 catches for 280 all-purpose
yards. 117 of those were receiving. Shawne Alston scored two rushing
touchdowns and finished with 70 yards rushing. This gives him 12
rushing touchdowns for the season. The Mountaineers finished the game
with 589 total yards.
The Mountaineer defense did a great job of stopping Boyd. He threw two
interceptions and fumbled once. He was also sacked three times. He
completed 24 of 46 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns.
Interestingly, Boyd was once a WVU commit who switched and instead
went to Clemson. It was Boyd’s deciding to go to Clemson that opened
up a scholarship for Smith. With the performance that the Mountaineers
put on in this game, it makes me wonder what Boyd is thinking now and
whether he regrets his decision at all.
What a great way for the Mountaineers to end the football season. This
game makes me really look forward to next season hopefully in the Big
12 conference. The Mountaineers played almost the perfect game.
Special teams did a great job of stopping a good Clemson return man.
The coverage was great. the defense stopped Clemson holding them to
just 33 points and keeping them from really doing anything
offensively. The Mountaineers scored 21 points off of Clemson
turnovers. The defense did a great job stopping Boyd and other key
players, particularly in the second quarter. The defense completely
shut the Tigers down. The offense put on a show with 70 points
including 35 in the second quarter and 49 in the first half. If this
is the result when the Mountaineers are playing well on all three
phases of the game, I can’t wait for next season. I believe this game
will be remembered by Mountaineer fans for a very, very long time.
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Mountaineer Sports Network affiliate football radio stations are told "No Streaming"of Mountaineer Football games. This includes WAJR, the flagship station of WVU Football and the station that invented WVU Football coverage. MSN has a contract agreement with CBS College Sports that gives that network exclusive rights to live streaming of the games. The cost is $9.95 per month. The subscription information from the MSNSportsnet.com website is below.
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 Bring the Mountaineers home to your computer with Mountaineer TV. Join now to listen to MSN’s award-winning radio coverage of Mountaineer football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball for just $9.95 per month. A monthly subscription gets you complete MSN radio coverage – home and away – for football, men’s basketball and women’s basketball in satellite clarity. The weekly Dana Holgorsen Statewide Sports Line and Bob Huggins Statewide Sports Line are also part of the package, as well as the best streaming video of Mountaineer sports anywhere on the web. Coverage for Mountaineer football and men’s basketball games begins an hour before the start of the game with the award-winning "Mountaineers Today" featuring insights from the coaches, players and announcers. Coverage continues with a comprehensive halftime show followed by a half-hour post-game wrap up featuring more interviews and analysis. If you are not at the stadium, the best way to follow the game is by a click of the mouse. As an added bonus, all games are archived in case you missed it. With hundreds of hours of Tony Caridi's best calls, it's a great deal you don't want to pass up on. With the new Silverlight player all browsers are supported. For free on-demand content all you simply have to do is register one time. Sign Up Today! |
West Virginia University Director of Athletics Oliver Luck and the BIG EAST have announced the 2011-12 men’s basketball schedule.
At least 16 regular season games on national television highlight the schedule, including 11 BIG EAST contests that will be televised nationally.
“Once again, we are delighted with the number of national television appearances to showcase our great University and our basketball program,” says Luck. “Each year, we continue to rank among the top in strength of schedule, and this year will be no different. We have set attendance records at home in the last four years under Coach Huggins, and we are getting closer and closer to selling out the Coliseum in season tickets. This is a schedule our fans will appreciate at home and on the road.”
BIG EAST schools visiting Morgantown will be Villanova, Georgetown, Rutgers, Cincinnati, Pitt, Notre Dame, Louisville, Marquette and DePaul. For the fifth year in a row, the BIG EAST will play an 18-game format that allows teams to play each opponent once and three teams twice. West Virginia will play home-and-home games with Pitt, Notre Dame and Rutgers.
The Mountaineers will play 13 non-conference contests, including four games in the iBN Sports Las Vegas Classic. WVU will open the Las Vegas Classic at home against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi on Dec. 17 and then play Tennessee Tech at home on Dec. 19. The Mountaineers will travel to Las Vegas to face Missouri State on Dec. 22 and Baylor on Dec. 23.
West Virginia will open the regular season Nov. 11 at home against Oral Roberts and will also play Kent State, Alcorn State, Akron, Miami, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Tennessee Tech at the WVU Coliseum.
The Mountaineers will open BIG EAST play at home against Villanova on Wednesday, Dec. 28. WVU will conclude the BIG EAST schedule on the road at USF on Saturday, March 3.
WVU will play non-conference road games at Mississippi State in the BIG EAST/SEC Challenge and against Kansas State in Wichita. Kan. The Mountaineers will play Morehead State and Marshall at the Charleston Civic Center.
WVU’s nationally televised games this season will be Kent State (ESPN), at Mississippi State (ESPNU), vs. Kansas State (ESPN2), Miami (ESPN2), vs. Baylor (ESPN2), at Seton Hall (ESPN2), at Connecticut (ESPN2), Cincinnati (ESPNU), at St. John’s (ESPNU), at Syracuse (ESPNU), Pitt (ESPN), Notre Dame (ESPNU), Louisville (ESPN), at Pitt (ESPN or ESPN2), at Notre Dame (ESPN2) and Marquette (ESPN).
The Kent State game is part of ESPN’s College Basketball Tip-Off Marathon with a 10 a.m. tip time from the Coliseum, and the Pitt home game is a part of ESPN’s Big Monday package. All remaining league games will air on ESPN Regional/BIG EAST Network or ESPN3.com.
“In the last three years, we have ranked among the top 10 nationally in strength of schedule, including the last two years where we were ranked in the top three,” coach Bob Huggins says. “This is another competitive schedule for our guys and also one where our great fans will enjoy seeing our guys at home and on the road with our following of Mountaineer fans. We continue to set attendance records at the Coliseum, and we rank among the top in the BIG EAST each year as far as national television appearances.”
The Mountaineers will play one exhibition game on Friday, Nov. 4, against Northern Kentucky at the WVU Coliseum.
Game times and the rest of the television games will be announced in October. Basketball practice begins Friday, Oct. 14.
The complete WVU men’s schedule:
Day Date Opponent Site Location
Friday Nov. 4 Northern Kentucky (exhibition) WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Friday Nov. 11 Oral Roberts WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Tuesday Nov. 15 Kent State WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Thursday Nov. 17 Alcorn State WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Tuesday Nov. 22 Morehead State Charleston Civic Center Charleston
Monday Nov. 28 Akron WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Saturday Dec. 3 Mississippi State Humphrey Coliseum Starkville, Miss.
Thursday Dec. 8 Kansas State INTRUST Bank Arena Wichita, Kan.
Saturday Dec. 10 Miami WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Saturday Dec. 17 Texas A&M-Corpus Christi ^ WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Monday Dec. 19 Tennessee Tech ^ WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Thursday Dec. 22 Missouri State ^ Orleans Arena Las Vegas, Nev.
Friday Dec. 23 Baylor ^ Orleans Arena Las Vegas, Nev.
Wednesday Dec. 28 Villanova WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Friday Dec. 30 Seton Hall Prudential Center Newark, N.J.
Wednesday Jan. 4 Rutgers Rutgers Athletic Center Piscataway, N.J.
Saturday Jan. 7 Georgetown WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Monday Jan. 9 Connecticut XL Center Hartford, Conn.
Saturday Jan. 14 Rutgers WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Wednesday Jan. 18 Marshall + Charleston Civic Center Charleston
Saturday Jan. 21 Cincinnati WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Wednesday Jan. 25 St. John’s Madison Square Garden New York, N.Y.
Saturday Jan. 28 Syracuse Carrier Dome Syracuse, N.Y.
Monday Jan. 30 Pitt WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Sunday Feb. 5 Providence Dunkin’ Donuts Center Providence, R.I.
Wednesday Feb. 8 Notre Dame WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Saturday Feb. 11 Louisville WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Thursday Feb. 16 Pitt Petersen Events Center Pittsburgh, Pa.
Wednesday Feb. 22 Notre Dame Purcell Pavilion at Joyce Center Notre Dame, Ind.
Friday Feb. 24 Marquette WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Tuesday Feb. 28 DePaul WVU Coliseum Morgantown
Saturday Mar. 3 USF St. Pete Times Forum Tampa, Fla.
Tues.-Sat. Mar. 6-10 BIG EAST Championship Madison Square Garden New York, N.Y.
^ iBN Sports Las Vegas Classic
+ Chesapeake Energy Capital Classic
DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE