By Bill Nestor
West Virginia University’s women’s basketball team is quietly putting together another quality campaign. Head coach Mark Kellogg is in his third season at the helm of the program. His first two years in Morgantown were historic, leading WVU to back-to-back 25-win seasons, a feat that had never been accomplished in the first two years of any coach’s tenure.
A great deal of that success was attributed to the play of J.J. Quinerly. Quinerly was an all-American selection in both of the seasons that Kellogg has roamed the sidelines. The question was, how would he and his team fare after the star’s departure? The answer to that question came before the season when reviewing Kellogg’s resume.
He is currently seventh on the all time active Division I women’s basketball coaching list for winning percentage, hovering just over 78 percent. He is just a handful of victories away from 500 career wins, which tells the story of his consistency.
At the time that this story was written, his squad was sitting in third place in the Big 12 Conference standings, just a game behind Texas Christian University and Baylor.
On the first of February, Kellogg welcomed the Bears into the Coliseum for a battle of Top 25 teams. The Mountaineers were ranked number 22 while Baylor came to town number 14 in the nation.
West Virginia pulled the upset and, even though it wasn’t a perfect effort, the number 10 was still very relevant in this lock-up. The Mountaineers defeated Baylor by 10, 70 to 60. They held the Bears over 10 points below their season average of 72 and they scored 10 plus points more than the Golden Bear defense allows on average. It wasn’t just a squeak-by win. It was a statement defeat of one of the top teams in the country.
Kierra Wheeler had 18 points and pulled down 15 rebounds (her sixth double-double of the year) to lead the Mountaineers. Jordan Harrison added 18 points and Gia Cook chipped in with 14 in the win. West Virginia forced 30 Baylor turnovers with a stifling defensive effort that has been a trademark of this group, allowing just shy of 60 points per game. This defensive effort has translated in point production for Kellogg and company. WVU scores 25.6 points per game off of turnovers.
This team is mentally tough, as its record indicates. In a rarity in college hoops, the Mountaineers have lost more games at home than they have on the road, which will serve them come tournament time, which is just around the corner. .
It’s hard to believe that there are only four games remaining on the regular season schedule. This Sunday, a trip to Fort Worth, Texas to battle the tope team in the Big 12 is crucial in not only regular season standings, but in conference tournament seedings as well. A rare break gives Kellogg a six day window to prepare for Oklahoma State who invades Touchdown City on the 21st. Feb 25th, a trip to Orlando to face the University of Central Florida gives way to the season finale when Cincinnati comes to town. The Bulls and Bearcats are near the bottom of the standings and should allow Kellogg to build even more momentum for the preseason push.
That will do it for now. Until next week . . . take care and God Bless!!!
