--West Virginia head coach Josh Eilert said that he learned that Noah Farrakhan has some hops. He lightened the load on them Friday for practice and gave the players the opportunity to have fresh legs and have some fun with it because it was about the fans during the Mountaineer Madness event. It wasn't a scrimmage there it was more open gym and they treated it like an all-star game.
--Eilert wishes that Farrakhan was eligible because he is a quick twitch guy and can score in the open floor. He is going to be the future here.
--Ali Ragab has bought into what they're asking of him and while he has some limitations he will find a way to get rebounds. They are excited about him and he gives Jesse Edwards a dynamic that is hard for him to score over.
--RaeQuan Battle was back in action yesterday and was full-go after the ankle injury. He looks healthy and is back in good spirits. Nothing from the NCAA yet on Battle but they hope to hear this week in a perfect scenario.
--NCAA gives you a timeframe to work with on waivers if you meet certain requirements so they typically make decisions before competition if timelines are met. Worst case scenario Battle doesn't get it and they have to do what's best for Battle so they will keep him involved and locked in. He worries about that for Battle because he really does need basketball in his life. It's something he needs on a day-to-day basis and he needs that structure and accountability. Battle can not secret scrimmage without a waiver.
--Eilert said they will look at appealing if Battle doesn't get approved but he feels like it should be rubber stamped if you know his story and why he chose West Virginia. He thinks the NCAA is going to do right by him and he'll be playing for them. That's his gut feeling.
--West Virginia will hold a closed scrimmage against an opponent so it will be refreshing to see who is going to give hard minutes or get hard rebounds. They're going to get to a point where they can narrow the rotation and the minutes become more valuable. They're throwing a lot of things at them and they are picking it up quick.
--Some of the previous West Virginia teams had instant offense off the bench and he is willing to look at that as a possibility.
--Eilert thinks the rotation will be around nine guys with them giving eight plus minutes.
--Eilert looks at points per possession and assist to turnover ratio when it comes to stats. The latter means they are playing with a lot of continuity and chemistry so if that starts to get upside down he might be throwing too much at them too quick. On Saturday that ratio was 19-14 and the week before they weren't quite at that level yet so it has a lot to do with guys making shots.
--Kerr Kriisa is a pass first guy and has great vision. On rebounding, Jesse Edwards how it translates from playing a 2-3 zone to man-to-man could look a little different. He has to study his offensive rebounds and they could compare that across Syracuse to West Virginia. Kriisa's strengths on the offensive end can negate some of his deficiencies on the defensive end and he's smart and plays the game the right way so he understands how to uncover those.
--Ofri Naveh still has family in Israel but they are in the Northern part there and most of what is going on is in the Southern. His mom, dad and sister are over there and they haven't been directly impacted but there are plenty of people he knows that have been affected in the Southern part. His dad was here a few weeks ago and even played paintball with the team.
--It's a strategy for Eilert to scrimmage as much as possible to get a feel for his team and the players to do the same. He wants them to know what to expect from him and vice versa. It's for their benefit overall. Eilert drills out a lot of defensive things and offensive sets but in the end it comes down to how they play and execute in game situations so the film is critical for the coaches on both ends of the floor. It provides carryover and a sample to sit down with the players to get on the same page.
--Eilert wishes that Farrakhan was eligible because he is a quick twitch guy and can score in the open floor. He is going to be the future here.
--Ali Ragab has bought into what they're asking of him and while he has some limitations he will find a way to get rebounds. They are excited about him and he gives Jesse Edwards a dynamic that is hard for him to score over.
--RaeQuan Battle was back in action yesterday and was full-go after the ankle injury. He looks healthy and is back in good spirits. Nothing from the NCAA yet on Battle but they hope to hear this week in a perfect scenario.
--NCAA gives you a timeframe to work with on waivers if you meet certain requirements so they typically make decisions before competition if timelines are met. Worst case scenario Battle doesn't get it and they have to do what's best for Battle so they will keep him involved and locked in. He worries about that for Battle because he really does need basketball in his life. It's something he needs on a day-to-day basis and he needs that structure and accountability. Battle can not secret scrimmage without a waiver.
--Eilert said they will look at appealing if Battle doesn't get approved but he feels like it should be rubber stamped if you know his story and why he chose West Virginia. He thinks the NCAA is going to do right by him and he'll be playing for them. That's his gut feeling.
--West Virginia will hold a closed scrimmage against an opponent so it will be refreshing to see who is going to give hard minutes or get hard rebounds. They're going to get to a point where they can narrow the rotation and the minutes become more valuable. They're throwing a lot of things at them and they are picking it up quick.
--Some of the previous West Virginia teams had instant offense off the bench and he is willing to look at that as a possibility.
--Eilert thinks the rotation will be around nine guys with them giving eight plus minutes.
--Eilert looks at points per possession and assist to turnover ratio when it comes to stats. The latter means they are playing with a lot of continuity and chemistry so if that starts to get upside down he might be throwing too much at them too quick. On Saturday that ratio was 19-14 and the week before they weren't quite at that level yet so it has a lot to do with guys making shots.
--Kerr Kriisa is a pass first guy and has great vision. On rebounding, Jesse Edwards how it translates from playing a 2-3 zone to man-to-man could look a little different. He has to study his offensive rebounds and they could compare that across Syracuse to West Virginia. Kriisa's strengths on the offensive end can negate some of his deficiencies on the defensive end and he's smart and plays the game the right way so he understands how to uncover those.
--Ofri Naveh still has family in Israel but they are in the Northern part there and most of what is going on is in the Southern. His mom, dad and sister are over there and they haven't been directly impacted but there are plenty of people he knows that have been affected in the Southern part. His dad was here a few weeks ago and even played paintball with the team.
--It's a strategy for Eilert to scrimmage as much as possible to get a feel for his team and the players to do the same. He wants them to know what to expect from him and vice versa. It's for their benefit overall. Eilert drills out a lot of defensive things and offensive sets but in the end it comes down to how they play and execute in game situations so the film is critical for the coaches on both ends of the floor. It provides carryover and a sample to sit down with the players to get on the same page.
