West Liberty(WV) Div. II #1

Van_Slyke_CF

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I watched the West Liberty(West Virginia)men play tonight. I have a particular interest in the team and school for family reasons.

West Liberty is 21-0 after an easy win against Ohio Valley University. West Liberty has an all-white active roster of 13 players, while OVU uses only blacks from playgrounds out of state and relegates its few white players to the end of the bench. (By the way, OVU is 5-15 so far.)

West Liberty plays an up-tempo game on offense and an in-your-face pressure defense. West Liberty was not only the superior team on the floor against OVU, they showed more athleticism too.

I'll keep you all informed on West Liberty's run at a national title.(They made the regional finals last year.)

http://www.hilltoppersports.com/index.aspx
 

Van_Slyke_CF

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West Liberty captured the West Virginia Conference regular season and conference tournament crowns. They won the conference tournament title the other day with a 94-78 shellacking of coal-black West Virginia State.

The white standouts of West Liberty are 29-0 on the year and ranked #1 in the country heading into NCAA play. It would be great to have a team with only white players win the Division II title.
 

Colonel_Reb

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Thanks for the info, Van! Keep us updated on the progress of the Hilltoppers.
 
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I love up-tempo offense and pressure defense.
Some say it is ghetto street ball but for smart players speeding up the game on both sides is
the way to go. Think about it, usually underdogs want to slow down the game to keep the score close as well as
to minimize mistakes (turnovers, fouls). Up-tempo offense yields quick shots and rewards great shooting skills.
It is a good system to run because of it's simple philosophy (run, rebound, rotate) and it allows for the players themselves to make decisions on the fly.

In the NBA, Cousy's Celtic teams ran a variation of this as well as the Showtime Lakers.
The great Suns teams of recent history forgot the "defense" part.

Rick Pitino's Kentucky Wildcats won an NCAA championship with full court defense, trapping, and a sped up offense.
That team's backups won the championship two years later.
 

Van_Slyke_CF

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"I love up-tempo offense and pressure defense.
Some say it is ghetto street ball but for smart players speeding up the game on both sides is the way to go."

The thing about West Liberty's game is that they play this style and are good sports at the same time. I've seen them play several times and have never witnessed any trash talking or other typical black ghetto behavior.

As a matter of fact, it seems like most of the trash talking comes from their darker opponents that always lose, and their many DWFs in the stands.
 

Colonel_Reb

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At the half, BYU-Hawaii is up 58-47 on West Liberty.
 

Van_Slyke_CF

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West Liberty lost to BYU-Hawaii. But I think an all-white team that won their conference regular season and tournament titles and made it to the Div. II Final Four is something to be proud of. (Winning 33 consecutive games isn't too shabby either.)

I take some consolation in the fact that their were very few colored players on the court during the entire game. I know darn well that at least a couple of the white players have D-1 talent but never got the chance. Maybe it's better sometimes to go somewhere where you'll get a chance to play.

Anyway, great season West Liberty men!
 
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