http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news/20160106/wvu-marshall-basketball-game-off-for-next-season
The Capital Classic will not be played next season.
The annual men’s basketball showdown between West Virginia and Marshall at the Charleston Civic Center will not be on the 2016-17 schedule, according to sources at both WVU and Marshall who asked not to be named. There are no games scheduled between the state’s only Division I programs, although the schools could resume discussions about renewing the series at a later date.
“I have not been advised to hold any dates at this point,” said John Robertson, general manager of the Civic Center.
The schools have renewed the series yearly since Feb. 20, 1978. The game was played solely in Morgantown until Jan. 2, 1980, when WVU won a 63-62 overtime game in Charleston.
WVU never played in Marshall’s old Memorial Field House, but the series was played on an alternating-campus basis when Cam Henderson Center was finished in the early 1980s. That continued through December 1990, with one rotation through Charleston thrown in.
The series went to the Civic Center full time in January 1992, with the game last month representing the 25th consecutive visit to the capital city. The game grew into the Capital Classic, complete with a title sponsor.
At last one state senator hopes to keep the series going with some legislative muscle.
Sen. Michael Woelfel, D-Cabell -- who said he had heard that the series was “on life support” -- plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would mandate a WVU-Marshall men’s basketball game.
Woelfel, a Marshall undergraduate with a WVU law degree, said the game promotes good will among state residents and generates extra revenue for both schools.
The game has consistently drawn 10,000 to 12,000 fans, the latter number nearing the building’s 12,337-seat capacity for basketball. Last month’s installment drew 11,748 fans on a Thursday night the week before Christmas WVU played one other game at the Civic Center this season, against James Madison. The listed attendance was 8,101.
Marshall Athletic Director Mike Hamrick says his school generally makes $150,000 to $175,000 on the game, depending on ticket sales. That does not include money from IMG College, which has a media and advertising contract with both schools.
WVU Athletic Director Shane Lyons provided a noncommittal statement Wednesday afternoon.“While we recognize there are fans who want to see the game return, our focus right now is on the Oklahoma State game this Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Coliseum, and the remaining Big 12 schedule in the coming months,” Lyons said. “Our men’s basketball team is 13-1 and ranked as high as No. 15 nationally. Our basketball staff is concentrating on winning a Big 12 championship.”WVU owns a 33-11 lead in the series, 11-1 in Morgantown, 0-5 in Huntington and 22-5 in Charleston.
The game at the Civic Center was played in January or February — coinciding with the legislative session — 20 of 21 years before being moved to December for the last three.The Mountaineers have won the last five and nine of the last 10. That includes the latest contest, WVU’s easy 86-68 win last month. There have been close games, some going to overtime, and there have been major upsets — in 2005 and 2006, Marshall teams with losing records knocked off WVU teams ranked in the Top 25.
After the December 2014 game, new Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni challenged WVU and Huggins to consider playing the game twice a season, once at Charleston and the other on alternating campuses. To not do so would mean the Mountaineers are “afraid” of the Herd, D’Antoni said.Huggins mocked that statement at length on MetroNews’ Statewide Sportsline, suggesting his team didn’t gain from playing Marshall even once. D’Antoni offered a clarification after the most recent game.“When I said they were afraid of us, I was talking about the institutions more, not him personally,” D’Antoni said of Huggins. “It’s like they’re afraid that we might win and then it would take some of their thunder.“I think we need to get rid of that notion. That’s foolish. That’s looking down on Marshall.”The drafted bill, a simple document of two sentences, would leave the details to the schools: “During every school year, the men’s basketball team of West Virginia University and Marshall University shall play at least one regular-season basketball game against each other. The venue, date, and all other pertinent details of the basketball game shall be determined jointly by the universities.”
The bill will be formally submitted when the session begins next week, Woelfel said. “I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from other senators from around the state,” he said. He acknowledged there are more pressing issues the Legislature must address, but he pointed out in a press release that Kentucky and other state legislatures have passed similar mandates on getting rival schools together in sporting events.At the least, Woelfel said he wants to at least bring some discussion about preserving one of the state’s most talked-about sporting events.“Drive through those campuses, and you see the millions of dollars the citizens, the taxpayers have invested in the two universities,” he said. “The game really belongs to the students and it belongs to the taxpayers, the citizens of the state.“I think folks enjoy tuning in, whether they want to see Marshall get hammered again or vice versa, or just enjoy a game between the two premier universities in the state.”
The Capital Classic will not be played next season.
The annual men’s basketball showdown between West Virginia and Marshall at the Charleston Civic Center will not be on the 2016-17 schedule, according to sources at both WVU and Marshall who asked not to be named. There are no games scheduled between the state’s only Division I programs, although the schools could resume discussions about renewing the series at a later date.
“I have not been advised to hold any dates at this point,” said John Robertson, general manager of the Civic Center.
The schools have renewed the series yearly since Feb. 20, 1978. The game was played solely in Morgantown until Jan. 2, 1980, when WVU won a 63-62 overtime game in Charleston.
WVU never played in Marshall’s old Memorial Field House, but the series was played on an alternating-campus basis when Cam Henderson Center was finished in the early 1980s. That continued through December 1990, with one rotation through Charleston thrown in.
The series went to the Civic Center full time in January 1992, with the game last month representing the 25th consecutive visit to the capital city. The game grew into the Capital Classic, complete with a title sponsor.
At last one state senator hopes to keep the series going with some legislative muscle.
Sen. Michael Woelfel, D-Cabell -- who said he had heard that the series was “on life support” -- plans to introduce a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would mandate a WVU-Marshall men’s basketball game.
Woelfel, a Marshall undergraduate with a WVU law degree, said the game promotes good will among state residents and generates extra revenue for both schools.
The game has consistently drawn 10,000 to 12,000 fans, the latter number nearing the building’s 12,337-seat capacity for basketball. Last month’s installment drew 11,748 fans on a Thursday night the week before Christmas WVU played one other game at the Civic Center this season, against James Madison. The listed attendance was 8,101.
Marshall Athletic Director Mike Hamrick says his school generally makes $150,000 to $175,000 on the game, depending on ticket sales. That does not include money from IMG College, which has a media and advertising contract with both schools.
WVU Athletic Director Shane Lyons provided a noncommittal statement Wednesday afternoon.“While we recognize there are fans who want to see the game return, our focus right now is on the Oklahoma State game this Saturday at 1 p.m. in the Coliseum, and the remaining Big 12 schedule in the coming months,” Lyons said. “Our men’s basketball team is 13-1 and ranked as high as No. 15 nationally. Our basketball staff is concentrating on winning a Big 12 championship.”WVU owns a 33-11 lead in the series, 11-1 in Morgantown, 0-5 in Huntington and 22-5 in Charleston.
The game at the Civic Center was played in January or February — coinciding with the legislative session — 20 of 21 years before being moved to December for the last three.The Mountaineers have won the last five and nine of the last 10. That includes the latest contest, WVU’s easy 86-68 win last month. There have been close games, some going to overtime, and there have been major upsets — in 2005 and 2006, Marshall teams with losing records knocked off WVU teams ranked in the Top 25.
After the December 2014 game, new Marshall coach Dan D’Antoni challenged WVU and Huggins to consider playing the game twice a season, once at Charleston and the other on alternating campuses. To not do so would mean the Mountaineers are “afraid” of the Herd, D’Antoni said.Huggins mocked that statement at length on MetroNews’ Statewide Sportsline, suggesting his team didn’t gain from playing Marshall even once. D’Antoni offered a clarification after the most recent game.“When I said they were afraid of us, I was talking about the institutions more, not him personally,” D’Antoni said of Huggins. “It’s like they’re afraid that we might win and then it would take some of their thunder.“I think we need to get rid of that notion. That’s foolish. That’s looking down on Marshall.”The drafted bill, a simple document of two sentences, would leave the details to the schools: “During every school year, the men’s basketball team of West Virginia University and Marshall University shall play at least one regular-season basketball game against each other. The venue, date, and all other pertinent details of the basketball game shall be determined jointly by the universities.”
The bill will be formally submitted when the session begins next week, Woelfel said. “I’ve had a lot of positive feedback from other senators from around the state,” he said. He acknowledged there are more pressing issues the Legislature must address, but he pointed out in a press release that Kentucky and other state legislatures have passed similar mandates on getting rival schools together in sporting events.At the least, Woelfel said he wants to at least bring some discussion about preserving one of the state’s most talked-about sporting events.“Drive through those campuses, and you see the millions of dollars the citizens, the taxpayers have invested in the two universities,” he said. “The game really belongs to the students and it belongs to the taxpayers, the citizens of the state.“I think folks enjoy tuning in, whether they want to see Marshall get hammered again or vice versa, or just enjoy a game between the two premier universities in the state.”
