My fiver on WVU's big win Saturday vs. OSU-------
1. Astounding. OSU shot 11/21 from 3-point range & 54% from the field. Yet, not only did WVU win, but we controlled the entire game from start to finish. Three major factors for WVU: 1) We reduced our turnovers dramatically; 2) We made free throws; 3) We controlled the boards. For once, we didn't need to turn the opposition over a ton, despite their scorching-the-nets shooting. We did other things well enough to not only win, but win fairly comfortably (although I wasn't comfortable until about 35 seconds left) This bodes well for WVU, moving forward. The chief factor of the three is the reduction of turnovers. If we keep our turnover count at 13 or less...we'll win the entire Big 12 Tournament.
2. Daxter Miles, Jr. It's great to see a young man take the reigns in the absence of our seniors and lead this team. You can tell that Dax wants to be the leader, and wants very, very badly to win. It's something that former players lacked. We had players in the past who wanted to score...but didn't have the burning desire to win or simply lead by example. I got a little ahead of myself after the Baylor game when I stated that Jevon Carter would be our offensive leader next season. Jevon still has some work to do in terms of playing vs. man defense. Daxter is a bit more polished vs. man. But, I believe with Daxter and Jevon...we have two outstanding guards who are going to be big time players next year. And, moving forward into March --- we still have some major bullets in the gun, even without Juwan and Gary.
3. Elijah Macon. It's very promising to see the former four-star recruit come off the bench with so much energy and enthusiasm to contribute 8 points and 4 rebounds (3 offensive rebounds) on 4/6 shooting in 12 minutes of action. On a day when Devin Williams shined, Elijah Macon came in and kept the pressure on the Pokes by controlling the boards and scoring. There's a chance that Elijah will have a big leap in contribution from year one to year two next year similar to what Brian Lewin did a few years back.
4. Tarik Phillip is our point guard next year. Next season, if we can keep this team together and hold off any attrition>>> then I believe you'll see Phillip starting at PG, Miles and Carter manning the 2 & 3...with Williams and Holton. This will be an ultra-athletic lineup, and we'll have a deep, deep bench that will allow WVU to continue to attack with waves of athletes on the press. Overall, I think Phillip is our best ball-handler, and it allows Dax and Jevon to play their more natural off-guard position. More than anything else, I love Phillip's tenacity on "D". With Phillip, Miles and Carter on the floor with Holton...we will be a harassing, ball-hawking menace.
5. Moving forward>>>> We are a better team with Juwan Staten on the floor for a multitude of reasons, the most glaring of which being that he is a finisher. He is the guy that Huggins wants to finish off the games. Right now, we don't have that closer, and we're relying upon our offense to produce points in the closing minutes through the natural flow. But, without Juwan on the floor>>> We are still an extremely dangerous team. I would argue that perhaps at times we are even more dangerous offensively because at any time Daxter and Jevon can get hot from beyond the arc. We can still run waves of guards at the opponents with Jaysean and Tarik, and possibly with the return of Gary Browne. Even without Juwan at the point, we still have a very dangerous team that can wreak havoc. Daxter's confidence is soaring, and Devin is coming into his own. We still need to learn to put opponents away and close games out down the stretch -- but we did an admirable job vs. OSU. Don't get me wrong...we will miss Juwan. But, if Daxter and Jevon both get hot at the same time -- we can not only win the Big XII Tournament...but we can make a run deep into the Dance.
1. Astounding. OSU shot 11/21 from 3-point range & 54% from the field. Yet, not only did WVU win, but we controlled the entire game from start to finish. Three major factors for WVU: 1) We reduced our turnovers dramatically; 2) We made free throws; 3) We controlled the boards. For once, we didn't need to turn the opposition over a ton, despite their scorching-the-nets shooting. We did other things well enough to not only win, but win fairly comfortably (although I wasn't comfortable until about 35 seconds left) This bodes well for WVU, moving forward. The chief factor of the three is the reduction of turnovers. If we keep our turnover count at 13 or less...we'll win the entire Big 12 Tournament.
2. Daxter Miles, Jr. It's great to see a young man take the reigns in the absence of our seniors and lead this team. You can tell that Dax wants to be the leader, and wants very, very badly to win. It's something that former players lacked. We had players in the past who wanted to score...but didn't have the burning desire to win or simply lead by example. I got a little ahead of myself after the Baylor game when I stated that Jevon Carter would be our offensive leader next season. Jevon still has some work to do in terms of playing vs. man defense. Daxter is a bit more polished vs. man. But, I believe with Daxter and Jevon...we have two outstanding guards who are going to be big time players next year. And, moving forward into March --- we still have some major bullets in the gun, even without Juwan and Gary.
3. Elijah Macon. It's very promising to see the former four-star recruit come off the bench with so much energy and enthusiasm to contribute 8 points and 4 rebounds (3 offensive rebounds) on 4/6 shooting in 12 minutes of action. On a day when Devin Williams shined, Elijah Macon came in and kept the pressure on the Pokes by controlling the boards and scoring. There's a chance that Elijah will have a big leap in contribution from year one to year two next year similar to what Brian Lewin did a few years back.
4. Tarik Phillip is our point guard next year. Next season, if we can keep this team together and hold off any attrition>>> then I believe you'll see Phillip starting at PG, Miles and Carter manning the 2 & 3...with Williams and Holton. This will be an ultra-athletic lineup, and we'll have a deep, deep bench that will allow WVU to continue to attack with waves of athletes on the press. Overall, I think Phillip is our best ball-handler, and it allows Dax and Jevon to play their more natural off-guard position. More than anything else, I love Phillip's tenacity on "D". With Phillip, Miles and Carter on the floor with Holton...we will be a harassing, ball-hawking menace.
5. Moving forward>>>> We are a better team with Juwan Staten on the floor for a multitude of reasons, the most glaring of which being that he is a finisher. He is the guy that Huggins wants to finish off the games. Right now, we don't have that closer, and we're relying upon our offense to produce points in the closing minutes through the natural flow. But, without Juwan on the floor>>> We are still an extremely dangerous team. I would argue that perhaps at times we are even more dangerous offensively because at any time Daxter and Jevon can get hot from beyond the arc. We can still run waves of guards at the opponents with Jaysean and Tarik, and possibly with the return of Gary Browne. Even without Juwan at the point, we still have a very dangerous team that can wreak havoc. Daxter's confidence is soaring, and Devin is coming into his own. We still need to learn to put opponents away and close games out down the stretch -- but we did an admirable job vs. OSU. Don't get me wrong...we will miss Juwan. But, if Daxter and Jevon both get hot at the same time -- we can not only win the Big XII Tournament...but we can make a run deep into the Dance.
