MORGANTOWN — Can you hear the sounds coming from the WVU basketball practice facility today?
Sneakers are squeaking on the hardwood practice floor. Weights are being picked up and slammed down in the weightroom facility.
The jet spa is running in the training room. Coaches are in their usual recruiting meetings.
It is the sound of business as usual where it concerns the men’s basketball program. For this time of year, those everyday sounds are likely taken in by WVU athletic director Wren Baker’s ears like they were a well-orchestrated symphony.
We have but one observation today: If you are truly taken back by the current standing of the Mountaineers, then you’ve obviously forgotten about last March and the summer of 2024, too.
It’s highly doubtful Baker has forgotten those times. They were chaotic. Rumors and questions flew around like birds hovering over top of Hope Coliseum. Eh, maybe those were vultures now, come to think of it.
Would Bob Huggins be replaced? Who would replace him? Oh, shoot, now Darian DeVries is going to leave for Iowa. No, wait, make that Indiana.
At worst, the program had become a bad joke. At best, it was a victim of a number of unfortunate circumstances. Neither situation is all that great.
Which brings us to today. The Mountaineers, under first-year coach Ross Hodge, are 18-14. They are no more a serious threat to the Big 12’s elite teams than an ant is to a lion.
In the days to come – at 5:30 p.m. Monday, to be exact – it will likely be announced WVU will take part in something called The College Basketball Crown tournament.
For those who wonder what that is, you’re not alone. What we can tell you is it’s an eight-team tournament played in Las Vegas. It doesn’t begin until April 1 and there is a nice sum of money available to the players and teams who participate.
As to why, well, the general consensus of WVU’s roster is it would like to remain intact and play together for as long as possible. That includes playing in a tournament you’ve never heard of before and certainly falls below expectations of the fan base.
For now, I’ll take it. Compared to the last two seasons, Baker will take it in a heartbeat.
Disappointing seasons can turn into positive ones. First-year rosters eventually turn into second-year rosters.
Chaos, rumors, finger pointing and panic; that’s the worst end of the spectrum. WVU has been buried on that end of the spectrum ever since Huggins went on a Cincinnati radio show in May 2023.
That’s not the scene inside the practice facility today. It’s normal and breezy. Guys are working in the gym, joking in the locker room. They’re getting ready for spring break. They want to keep playing for WVU, rather than quickly exit it through the transfer portal or otherwise.
True, this season hasn’t gone as well as hoped. It was a mixture of triumphant moments and embarrassing defeats. We all know what needs to improve: Everything.
There are major questions on the horizon for Hodge and his staff as it transitions into a second season. Put simply, it needs Jimmies and Joes, ones who can hold their own on a more consistent level at both ends of the floor in the Big 12.
If millions of NIL dollars continue to be spent on players who struggle to score through contact, struggle to compete against the defensive pressure put forth by Houston and Iowa State, can’t make free throws and can’t score when they’re expected to be one of the best scorers on the team, then there are going to be some real issues.
That’s not where we’re at right now, and that’s probably a pretty good thing. It’s March, and we’re talking about a postseason tournament. Sure, maybe you’ve never heard of the postseason tournament, but it’s there nonetheless.
It’s a normal feeling right now in Morgantown. The fans at Kansas State, Arizona State and even Pitt would kill for normal right about now.
Can it get better? Absolutely. Will it? That’s the question that has no answer at the moment, but if you’re simply stuck in disappointment then you’re severely overlooking the much larger picture.
