They say time heals all wounds. It is a good thing for Mountaineer Nation that men’s head basketball coach Ross Hodge is a mighty quick healer. In just four business days, the 45 year old first-year head of arguably the second most important program in the state, led his team to a complete recovery.
Some fans had this team on life support following their 21-point setback to Iowa State in the Big 12 opener. The embarrassing loss to the Cyclones helped Hodge and his players deliver one to Kansas a week and a day later. Hodge managed to pick up the pieces and put his team back together in an impressive way.
Sandwiched in the middle was a gut-check victory for the Mountaineers. In just three days, Hodge would build back the players’ confidence level and find the correct form of motivation to claim a win over Cincinnati at the Coliseum. It wasn’t an easy task, however, as the Bearcats had a four point lead with 4:46 left in the second half and were clinging to a two-point lead with just over two minutes left in the affair.
Learning how to win is the final piece to the puzzle. Every team can get close, but getting over the hump, especially the first time, requires a great deal of focus. Add in the extra stress that the players are heaping on themselves because all they have to draw from is the opener and that hump looks like Mount Everest.
Hodge was in dire need of a hero, someone to step up and deliver when the chips were down. Treysen (an excellent name for a guy that specializes in shooting the deep ball) Eaglestaff nailed a three-pointer with just over a minute left and added a couple of free throws to help seal the come from behind victory.
With the pressure mounting at a place where he hadn’t lost all season, Ross Hodge accomplished a pair of impressive feats. He kept his unblemished streak in Morgantown alive and he garnered his first conference win.
Funny how the plot was change in such a short time. The fear was that his team might not be able to compete in the Big 12, now Hodge has his first winning streak and included was his first signature win over a top 25 foe. Oh, and by the way, the drubbing of the Jayhawks was the third straight for West Virginia in the series.
Sure it is a very small sample size to go on, but it gives Mountaineer fans hope. Hodge and his staff and players deserve a great deal of credit. They battled back after being hit by a Cyclone squad showing a belief in each other and since attitude reflects leadership, Hodge gets a thumbs up for his efforts.
Colorado comes to town Saturday. The Buffaloes have a solid record, but they aren’t fooling anyone. The home court helps in this lock-up. Another winnable battle follows when WVU goes to Arizona State. The Sun Devils are just a tad over .500 so they are not making the Mountaineers sweat. The next matchup is the big one as a second consecutive trip to Arizona or maybe a stayover (only two days in between) to face the top team in the country. A win in Tuscon would definitely be a momentum builder. We will just have to wait . . . two weeks to see.
That will do it for now! Until next week . . . take care and God Bless!!!