John Beilein and Rich Rodriguez
It's pretty furstrating being a Mountaineer fan for many reasons. Not unlike a lot of team's fans, the very loyal tend to be intolerant of those who question what goes on in the athletic program. The unloyal word comes up and usually morphs into an internet firefight. I want no part of that, but since this is my blog, I'm going to pose some difficult questions that just might be uncomfortable to many of those super fans (as if I'm not).
John Beilein. Never in the history has any coach, with the notable exception of Don Nehlen, been the object of adoration like John Beilein. Beilein came to WVU after many years at lesser schools. I won't go into all of them, but they aren't noted for being national powers. He last coached at Richmond where a common pattern was established. He won over 20 some and he won a lot less mostly. His average was about 17 wins and he was able to get to the "Big Dance" at least once. Beilein gets a lot of respect from his fellow coaches because he's "old school." He plays and demands team ball and uses an old system designed to create back-door cuts and rely heavily on outside shooting. No super atheletes or stars need apply. We're talking team here.
Beilein was hired as a third choice. The first choice among WVU alumni and friends was Bob Huggins, the volatile coach of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Huggins has a program that is consistently in the top 20 and playing in the NCAA tournament. He also is a former WVU player and holds two degrees from the school. For one reason or another, Huggins was offered the WVU job but declined (or withdrew from consideration--both stories have legs). Huggins had stated among friends and publicly that the WVU job was his dream job. It will be decades before we really know what happened.
Dan Dakich of Bowling Green was hired, but only stayed on the job a short time after finding several NCAA violations had occurred during the Catlett years. None were major, but Dakich headed back to BG and WVU was still looking for a coach. Enter Beilein with his antique philosophy and strong discipline.
Things started out well for the team. The 8-20 record of the previous season was immediately erased by his first season, a 14-15 record. He followed that up with a 17-14 campaign and an appearance in the NIT where he won two games. All was not well, however. Beilein is a strong advocate of his team ball approach and there were casualties. Most of the team that Catlett had assembled were sent packing. Jonathan Hargett, a blue chip recruit and the focus of the infractions Dakich found was dismissed. Tim Lyles, the other promising point guard was suspended. During the second season, leading scorer Drew Schifano was dismissed from the team for speaking out about playing time. Jay Hewitt, another Catlett recruit quit the team because he had not played one minute through midway in the season. He had started on three occasions at point guard for Catlett's teams. What was this man trying to do? His first recruit was J.D. Collins who no one had heard of. He followed it up with Joe Herber, a German international player who lacked quickness and a consistent shot. he brought in his own son, a dead on shooter with few other skills. Tyrone Shaw, a Catlett holdover, and a few others had to hold down the fort. After the disastrous last year of the Catlett regime, fans were grateful, but his teams still had trouble competing against the talent in the conference. The jury is still out, but the verdict might be a foregone conclusion. Unless Beilein can recruit Big East athletes, it might be a long haul. That appears to be the case as I write this. After compiling a 10-0 non-conference schedule which inclued such powerhouses as Radford and Duquesne, the Mountaineers were embarassed by a talented Villanova team by 38 points on national television. However, the loyal fans really like the fact that he dressed down the students and stressed team over individuals. I'll be anxious to see the reaction as we continue to go through the 2005 Big East schedule. I hope we do well, but I have my doubts.
Rich Rodriguez had Don Nehlen as an act to follow as football coach. It's a hard act and the first season, a miserable 3-8 season didn't do anything to endear him to fans. He has rebounded with a nine and two eight win seasons, but this season proved to be the most frustrating of all. Picked to finish in the top 10 by everyone, the team had chemistry and discipline problems and finished 8-3. It was capped off by the third consecutive double digit bowl loss. The fans are loyal, but it's only a matter of time before his head is called for. Rodriguez seems to be learning on the job. He played a poor passing quarterback who could run this season when it was obvious that we needed a passer to be consistenty winning. He allowed his star receiver to show him up in a game and consistently get one to two personal fouls a game. The team never meshed and what was supposed to be a special season turned into frustration. Stay tuned. This may get interesting.
My opinion? Beilein will continue what he's done other places. He'll recruit sub-par players that won't mess with him and average about 16-17 wins while never challenging for the conference title. The battle cry among supporters is that he doesn't cheat and he's a fine gentleman. Others will want more but will be shouted down by his supporters until he self-destructs like Catlett and we go through the same process again. Rodriguez will continue to recruit well but be weak in organizational skills. He'll continue to make bad decisions and continue to win just enough to keep his big contract. Some school will offer him the world to go someplace else and he'll take it and we'll be looking for a coach.
Ah, life as a Mountaineer fan. It takes no soothsayer to figure this stuff out.
John Beilein. Never in the history has any coach, with the notable exception of Don Nehlen, been the object of adoration like John Beilein. Beilein came to WVU after many years at lesser schools. I won't go into all of them, but they aren't noted for being national powers. He last coached at Richmond where a common pattern was established. He won over 20 some and he won a lot less mostly. His average was about 17 wins and he was able to get to the "Big Dance" at least once. Beilein gets a lot of respect from his fellow coaches because he's "old school." He plays and demands team ball and uses an old system designed to create back-door cuts and rely heavily on outside shooting. No super atheletes or stars need apply. We're talking team here.
Beilein was hired as a third choice. The first choice among WVU alumni and friends was Bob Huggins, the volatile coach of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats. Huggins has a program that is consistently in the top 20 and playing in the NCAA tournament. He also is a former WVU player and holds two degrees from the school. For one reason or another, Huggins was offered the WVU job but declined (or withdrew from consideration--both stories have legs). Huggins had stated among friends and publicly that the WVU job was his dream job. It will be decades before we really know what happened.
Dan Dakich of Bowling Green was hired, but only stayed on the job a short time after finding several NCAA violations had occurred during the Catlett years. None were major, but Dakich headed back to BG and WVU was still looking for a coach. Enter Beilein with his antique philosophy and strong discipline.
Things started out well for the team. The 8-20 record of the previous season was immediately erased by his first season, a 14-15 record. He followed that up with a 17-14 campaign and an appearance in the NIT where he won two games. All was not well, however. Beilein is a strong advocate of his team ball approach and there were casualties. Most of the team that Catlett had assembled were sent packing. Jonathan Hargett, a blue chip recruit and the focus of the infractions Dakich found was dismissed. Tim Lyles, the other promising point guard was suspended. During the second season, leading scorer Drew Schifano was dismissed from the team for speaking out about playing time. Jay Hewitt, another Catlett recruit quit the team because he had not played one minute through midway in the season. He had started on three occasions at point guard for Catlett's teams. What was this man trying to do? His first recruit was J.D. Collins who no one had heard of. He followed it up with Joe Herber, a German international player who lacked quickness and a consistent shot. he brought in his own son, a dead on shooter with few other skills. Tyrone Shaw, a Catlett holdover, and a few others had to hold down the fort. After the disastrous last year of the Catlett regime, fans were grateful, but his teams still had trouble competing against the talent in the conference. The jury is still out, but the verdict might be a foregone conclusion. Unless Beilein can recruit Big East athletes, it might be a long haul. That appears to be the case as I write this. After compiling a 10-0 non-conference schedule which inclued such powerhouses as Radford and Duquesne, the Mountaineers were embarassed by a talented Villanova team by 38 points on national television. However, the loyal fans really like the fact that he dressed down the students and stressed team over individuals. I'll be anxious to see the reaction as we continue to go through the 2005 Big East schedule. I hope we do well, but I have my doubts.
Rich Rodriguez had Don Nehlen as an act to follow as football coach. It's a hard act and the first season, a miserable 3-8 season didn't do anything to endear him to fans. He has rebounded with a nine and two eight win seasons, but this season proved to be the most frustrating of all. Picked to finish in the top 10 by everyone, the team had chemistry and discipline problems and finished 8-3. It was capped off by the third consecutive double digit bowl loss. The fans are loyal, but it's only a matter of time before his head is called for. Rodriguez seems to be learning on the job. He played a poor passing quarterback who could run this season when it was obvious that we needed a passer to be consistenty winning. He allowed his star receiver to show him up in a game and consistently get one to two personal fouls a game. The team never meshed and what was supposed to be a special season turned into frustration. Stay tuned. This may get interesting.
My opinion? Beilein will continue what he's done other places. He'll recruit sub-par players that won't mess with him and average about 16-17 wins while never challenging for the conference title. The battle cry among supporters is that he doesn't cheat and he's a fine gentleman. Others will want more but will be shouted down by his supporters until he self-destructs like Catlett and we go through the same process again. Rodriguez will continue to recruit well but be weak in organizational skills. He'll continue to make bad decisions and continue to win just enough to keep his big contract. Some school will offer him the world to go someplace else and he'll take it and we'll be looking for a coach.
Ah, life as a Mountaineer fan. It takes no soothsayer to figure this stuff out.
posted by Ronnie Flamingo at 1:29 PM
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