Ye olde notebook: WVU hoops, baseball, recruiting and Wheeling

Ye olde notebook:

• Congrats to WVU’s basketball team for securing its “must win” late night (for us on the East Coast) affair at Iowa State. Mountaineer coach Bob Huggins employed a little “small ball,” utilizing 6-3 sophomore Kobe Johnson, and received clutch play from Joe Toussaint and Emmitt Matthews, Jr. “Winning plays,” Toussaint said of Matthews. “He didn’t want to lose. He kept screaming at us, telling us he’s not losing. We all know what that means. He’s a fifth-year guy and a leader. I’m happy for him. He showed why he came back.”

          So… does that mean WVU is in the NCAA tournament? “I would assume so, but I don’t know,” Huggins said.

• How about those (baseball) Mountaineers? Sophomore J.J. Wetherholt was the Big 12’s Player of the Week and senior teammate Blaine Traxel was the league’s Pitcher of the Week after WVU moved to 4-3 – and in impressive fashion. After starting out 1-2 at Georgia Southern, the Mountaineers bounced back to defeat No. 13 Maryland in College Park and won two of three against Arizona in Tucson. In an exhibition, WVU also lost 6-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Of course, WVU alum (and Country Roads Trust co-founder) Ken Kendrick, who owns the Diamondbacks, again hosted the Mountaineers.
• I don’t know what it is about the Huntington area and football linemen, but I see the top two 2024 West Virginia recruits – both linemen — are again from there. According to 247 Sports, the No. 1 recruit is inside offensive lineman Robby Martin (6-4, 285) of Huntington, followed by defensive lineman Michael Lunsford (6-2, 250) of Cabell Midland. Linebacker Cannon Lewis of Cabell Midland is listed No. 3, followed by George Washington High quarterback Abe Fenwick. (Wouldn’t it be great if Fenwick had Lewis’ first name?) Don’t forget, though, that former Wheeling Park standout receiver Jerrae “Tank” Hawkins is racking up big-time offers at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. Rumors say Penn State is leading the race for Hawkins.
• If you thought colleges were starting to temper the spending on sports, well, think again. Oklahoma State has unveiled a $325 million plan to upgrade and add athletic facilities across several athletic programs, including a new softball stadium, basketball and wrestling practice facilities and indoor track arena. “The goal is to build a ‘unified and connected athletic village unrivaled in college sports,’” according to The Oklahoman. (https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/college/cowboys/2023/02/27/oklahoma-state-athletics-unveils-plan-to-upgrade-facilities-osu-cowboys-cowgirls-softball-stadium/69946649007/)
• And finally…

          Take a bow Wheeling for continued efforts landing substantial sporting events. Of course, the Mountain East men’s and women’s tournaments will kick off a five-day stint inside downtown’s WesBanco Arena on Wednesday.

         Also, it’s been announced the same arena will host The Basketball Tournament, which has proven popular because former Mountaineer players participate on the Best Virginia team. Charleston has hosted the TBT regional for the past two seasons.

        Wheeling will be one of eight sites around the country hosting the games in July.

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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.