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#20 West Virginia
Mountaineers
Big East
2004-05: 24-11,
8-8, 7th
2004-05 postseason:
NCAA
By
Joel Welser
Things are looking
very good for Coach John Beilein and
West Virginia.
Tournament heroes Kevin Pittsnogle, Mike Gansey, Joe Herber and
J.D. Collins return, but the frontcourt is suddenly extremely
thin.
Who’s Out: The
loss of Tyrone Sally and D’or Fischer is huge. Sally led the
squad with 12.2 points per game and tacked on 3.8 rebounds.
Fischer, the starting center before Pittsnogle emerged as a
star, averaged 7.8 points, 4.3 boards and 1.9 blocks. There are
no returning players who can fill in under the basket. Little
used Duriel Price, Luke Bonner and Brad Byerson have either run
out of eligibility or opted to transfer.
Who’s In: Rob
Summers, a transfer from Penn State, will have to step in and
immediately play a big role for the Mountaineers. With the lack
of big men, Summers could be starting alongside Kevin Pittsnogle,
unless Coach Beilein opts for a small lineup. Summers, a 7-0
center, averaged 3.8 points and 4.3 rebounds in 20 starts for
the Nittany Lions two years ago. Alex Ruoff, a 6-6 200 pound
guard, is a versatile athlete who will spend his freshman
campaign backing up the talented backcourt. Joe Alexander is
another big guard. At 6-8, Alexander will fit well into the WVU
system but will need some time to develop his game. Forward
Josh Sowards and redshirt freshman guard Ted Talkington aren’t
expected to see much playing time in Morgantown.
Who to Watch:
Mike Gansey, Joe Herber and Kevin Pittsnogle can light it up on
any given night. The key though is Pittsnogle. The 6-11
center, despite his March fame, averaged less than 20 minutes
per game on the season. Pittsnogle will have to endure the
entire season banging under the basket against the tough Big
East opposition. If he slows down, WVU doesn’t have many
options behind him, and that means big trouble.
Projected
Conference Rank: West Virginia was outrebounded by an
average of 3.9 boards per game last year. Without departing
seniors Tyrone Sally and D’or Fischer that number would have
been much worse. The stellar outside shooting will only go so
far if WVU can’t find a way to compete on the glass. The
frontcourt problems won’t allow West Virginia to do any better
than 4th in the Big East. However, if they get hot
at the right time again, the Mountaineers can make another deep
run in the tournament.
Projected
Post-season Tournament: NCAA
Projected Starting
Five:
J.D. Collins, Senior,
Guard, 5.0 points per game
Joe Herber, Senior,
Guard, 8.6 points per game
Mike Gansey, Senior,
Guard, 12.0 points per game
Kevin Pittsnogle,
Senior, Center, 11.9 points per game
Rob Summers, Junior,
Center, DNP last season
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