West Virginia Team Report

GETTING INSIDE

The Mountaineers haven’t missed a beat since Bob Huggins took over from John Beilein two years ago. In fact, Huggins has the Mountaineers breathing some rarified air this season.

West Virginia is a top 10 team in some preseason polls and is a trendy pick to win the Big East. Though its first-round exit in the NCAA Tournament a year ago kept much of the nation’s eyes away from Morgantown, the collection of talent there ranks with most any team in the country.

That’s mainly evident in the frontcourt, where few opponents can match up with Da’Sean Butler and Devin Ebanks. Butler, a senior, averaged 17 points and six rebounds a year ago and was named the team MVP. He spent his summer with the Team USA at the World University Games, where the squad came away with the bronze medal.

Ebanks averaged more than 10 points and seven rebounds as a freshman, and scored in double figures 20 times. Moreover, his game is versatile enough that he can handle the ball and play defense against bigger players. Wellington Smith looks to have a stronger finish this season than he did the last, when he played the last few weeks with a stress fracture in his leg.

Point guard was less certain in September, but appeared to be in better shape as practice opened. Darryl “Truck” Bryant and Joe Mazzulla were suspended briefly, but are back on the team and are key cogs for the upcoming season. Junior college transfer Casey Mitchell is expected to step right in at the two-guard spot.

With that kind of a core, it’s no wonder that the Mountaineers are so beloved by the prognosticators. After sneaking up on his Big East rivals in his first two years on campus, Huggins won’t have that luxury this time around.

NOTES, QUOTES

• Bob Huggins has his Mountaineers in some unfamiliar territory. Before this season, the school had been ranked in the Top 25 of the AP and coaches’ preseason polls just twice in school history.

• G Darryl “Truck” Bryant and Joe Mazzulla were both suspended during the offseason. However, both have been reinstated, giving the Mountaineers a pair of experienced point guards.

• F Da’Sean Butler had a big summer playing at the World University Games. One of his best performances came in the bronze medal game against Israel, when he scored 13 points.

Last Year:   23-12 overall, 10-8 in the Big East; lost in first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Head Coach:   Bob Huggins (career 639-234); third year at West Virginia (49-23).

Quote To Note:   “You always have something to prove. What have we done? We lost in the first round (of the NCAA Tournament) last year. We’ve done nothing. We have a lot to prove.”—Da’Sean Butler, in The Daily Athenaeum.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   Casey Mitchell has a great shot to step right in and take the minutes of departed shooting guard Alex Ruoff. The NJCAA Player of the Year in 2008-09, Mitchell can score from anywhere on the court and is as effective from the 3-point line as he is slashing to the basket. Meanwhile, Deniz Kilici moves straight from the Turkish national team to Morgantown and could see time in the frontcourt. Freshman Dalton Pepper is a candidate to win time in the backcourt, and could emerge as the starter if Mitchell falters.

Key Early-season Games:   The Mountaineers head west in November to play either Texas A&M or Clemson in Anaheim, Calif., and could meet UCLA in the final of the 76 Classic tournament. Apart from that, their most interesting pre-conference game is a home date with Ole Miss in December.

Program Direction:   With four starters returning, the Mountaineers are strong contenders to win the Big East. Bob Huggins has West Virginia on a roll, and things are looking up this season in Morgantown as the team looks to rebound from last year’s first-round exit at the NCAA Tournament.

Probable Starting Lineup:   PG Darryl “Truck” Bryant, SG Casey Mitchell, SF Da’Sean Butler, PF Devin Ebanks, F/C Wellington Smith.

Roster Report:  

• Bob Huggins has waited a long time to get Casey Mitchell. He recruited the shooting guard while Mitchell was in high school and Huggins was at Cincinnati, and the coach is the beneficiary of the guard’s decision to go the junior college route.

• G Joe Mazzulla missed most of the 2008-09 season after injuring his shoulder on a hard fall to the court. It required surgery and kept him from working out until the summer.

• G Dalton Pepper is another candidate to start at shooting guard. The freshman has the size (6-5, 215 pounds) and scoring ability that coach Bob Huggins loves to utilize on the wing.