Basketball

Morgantown, West Virginia - Former West Virginia forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. left the Mountaineers after last season following three seasons in Morgantown. Matthews, who is originally from Tacoma, Washington, returned home to play for the Washington Huskies. In his first season with the Huskies, Matthews is a starter for the team and is averaging 11.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 0.4 assists in over 32 minutes per game. Despite a relatively solid start for Matthews, he has faced criticism from fans of the 9-8 Washington Huskies. Today, Matthews posted direct messages he received on his personal social media accounts. Please be advised prior to reading that these messages are very graphic and unsettling. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time that Matthews has received messages like this. Matthews also spoke out after last season about “fans” sending hateful, threatening messages following West Virginia losses.  

(Photo by Gary Schlomer - Voice of Motown)    After a promising start on Saturday evening, the West Virginia Mountaineers fell to the Oklahoma State Cowboys in Stillwater, 81-58.   Things quickly began to derail in the second half after the Cowboys took a 36-30 lead into the intermission. The Mountaineers simply could not buy a basket, shooting a horrendous 13% from the field at one point after the game resumed. Though this was an Oklahoma State team that has struggled and has no postseason hopes this year, their heart simply outmatched West Virginia's.   Taz Sherman, who has been WVU's best player on the season, was once again the lone bright spot on the court. Unfortunately, his efforts just weren't enough to elevate the Mountaineers in this Big 12 contest. West Virginia returns to action on Monday night as they travel to Manhattan, Kansas to take on the Kansas State Wildcats. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. with the broadcast taking place on ESPN2.

Kansas City, Missouri - The West Virginia Mountaineers lived to see another day by beating the Kansas State Wildcats 73-67 in the opening round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament. West Virginia looked like they didn't want their season to end.  There were several games this season where the Mountaineers didn't appear to care whether they won or they lost. Tonight - with their season on the line - there was some real urgency. Seniors Sean McNeil and Malik Curry in particular had strong showings and looked like they refused to let the Mountaineers lose tonight. McNeil had his best game in a long time, finishing with 21 points on 7-10 from the field and 3-5 from three point range. Malik Curry was aggressive getting to the basket, adding 17 points off the bench. West Virginia finally shot the ball well.   The Mountaineers were 28-53 from the field (53%), 6-16 (38%) from three point range and 11-14 (79%) from the foul line. If they shoot like that, West Virginia can beat anyone in the conference. One more win could change West Virginia's entire season around.  Beating Kansas tomorrow in the 2nd round would completely erase all of the disappointment of this extraordinarily frustrating season. Having said that, it will take an incredible effort by the Mountaineers to beat the top-ranked Jayhawks. But, on a neutral court and with their backs against the wall, West Virginia is certainly capable of pulling off the huge upset, particularly if they go on a run like they did late in the second half of tonight's game. The Mountaineers will play Kansas tomorrow at 3:00PM in the second round of the Big 12 Conference Tournament.  

Morgantown, West Virginia - Frank Martin, a former assistant coach for Bob Huggins at Cincinnati and Kansas State, was fired last week by the University of South Carolina. Martin, 55, was the head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks from 2012-2022. When Martin was fired, many thought that he could wind up being an assistant for his close friend Bob Huggins at West Virginia University. However, that will not happen now. Martin has agreed to become the new head coach at UMASS. Martin and UMASS are finalizing the contract details and an official announcement will be made later today and a press conference will be held early next week. https://twitter.com/mattvautour424/status/1507316147879915527?s=21

Morgantown, West Virginia - With the signing of Jimmy Bell, Jr., the West Virginia Mountaineers have one scholarship remaining to fill for next year's team. Bell, who averaged 9.3 points and 9.1 rebounds per game at junior college Moberly last season, is an underwhelming addition to the roster. Although Bob Huggins has finally been active in the transfer portal, it's impossible to claim that he's effectively replaced what he lost last season. Losing Jalen Bridges, Isaiah Cottrell and Sean McNeil to the transfer portal on top of seniors Taz Sherman, Malik Curry, Dimon Carrigan, Pauly Paulicap and Gabe Osabuohien was truly devastating for the basketball program. Gaining Joe Toussaint, Erik Stevenson, Mohamed Wague and Jimmy Bell in the portal certainly showed that Huggins was willing to make the effort to rebuild his team with transfers, but this combination of players simply isn't as good as what Huggins had to work with last year. And remember, West Virginia finished 16-17 last season and in dead last place in the Big 12 Conference. Toussaint, Stevenson, Wague and Bell are fine role players, but who is going to replace Taz Sherman and Sean McNeil's scoring? There's little doubt that West Virginia will rebound better next season, but Huggins won't be able to play bully-ball like he has in the past with an exceptionally-talented roster full of incredible athletes. Virtually every team in the Big 12 has more talent and more athleticism than West Virginia as well. The Mountaineers don't have one consistent three-point shooter on the entire roster. While the new players on the roster may be tougher than last year's players, toughness only gets you so far. Someone is going to need to score in order to compete, and if Huggins thought his offense was brutal last season, it'll likely be a nightmare next year. While it's easy to label last year's roster "soft" and "entitled", the players who left were talented in ways that next year's team just won't be. https://twitter.com/voicemorgantown/status/1515845834612645893?s=20&t=fFPv8sbW7Shy3JCiokg8wQ

Morgantown, West Virginia - Bob Huggins and his coaching staff have done a tremendous job of rebuilding his depleted roster during the offseason, but the Mountaineers still lacked a true scoring threat. The Mountaineers hoped fill that void by adding Courtney Ramey, a 6'3 combo guard, who averaged 10.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game in his four seasons with the Texas Longhorns. However, Ramey announced moments ago that he will attend Arizona. Ramey was one of the top remaining transfers in the nation, but recently narrowed his list down to West Virginia, Purdue and Arizona. https://twitter.com/justinesports/status/1535345661511540736?s=21&t=qaXXowmxm7vkqBkqZRBoeg

According to Pittsburgh Sports, star freshman Dior Johnson has been arrested. Johnson, who is a five-star recruit, is facing charges of aggravated assault which includes strangulation. He is also facing misdemeanor charges of unlawful restraint. The University of Pittsburgh has yet to comment on the matter, but it can be expected that they will in the coming days. Stay tuned to The Voice of Motown for updates.

Cover Photo: AP  Cincinnati, Ohio - The West Virginia Mountaineers (6-2) fell apart late to lose to Xavier (6-3), 84-74 in the Big East/Big 12 Challenge. Following the game, head coach Bob Huggins was clearly unhappy with his team's performance, particularly late in the second half. Here's what Coach Huggins had to say after the loss: "We didn't guard and we didn't make shots in the second half. We had a chance to stay in the game and we missed consecutive shots. They went on the other end and they made consecutive shots. We didn't play defense. They played defense. It's all about attitude. We were a totally different team in the second half. We got in foul trouble. We didn't come back and respond in the way that you would hope that they would. We missed so many layups. We missed so many second-chance points. We missed wide open jump shots. We didn't capitalize on what we should have. The reality is, we gave them obviously too many second shots. We got second shots and we didn't finish them. We missed way too many free throws. They made shots at the end and we didn't. I hope our guys learned that I'm not going to put the West Virginia fans through what they went through last year. These guys have maybe one more chance and then we'll find guys that do what is asked of them. We'll clean it up."

Morgantown, West Virginia - Longtime West Virginia assistant coach Larry Harrison shockingly "parted ways" with the university yesterday evening. Since then, several former and current players have spoken out about in support of Harrison. West Virginia legend Jevon Carter, who currently plays for the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA, had the following to say about his former coach being fired: "Wow never did I ever think I'll see the day that Coach Harrison leaves WVU without Huggs. It just doesn't make sense. Like at all smh something ain't right." https://twitter.com/nextlevel_03/status/1613784207737643008?s=20&t=wcvuHrcdy7G1ltzvtqDJ5Q Although the university's reasons for firing Harrison are unclear at this time, head coach Bob Huggins indicated yesterday on his show that he was not really involved in the decision.

Morgantown, West Virginia - Bob Huggins and his assistant coaches, Josh Eilert and DerMarr Johnson, were attendance at the Metro Classic at Kean University in New Jersey to watch the #1 player in high school basketball. Cooper Flagg, a 6'8 power forward from Maine, now plays for the top-ranked Montverde Academy in Florida. Flagg's team beat MaxPreps 84-62 in front of Huggins and staff and despite being sick, Flagg had 4 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Huggins, who offered scholarships to both Flagg and his twin brother Ace Flagg, was seen talking to their mother and head coach, Kevin Boyle. Flagg's mother recently posted on social media that she "loves Bob Huggins" and West Virginia was one of the first teams to offer both brothers. Flagg certainly took notice of Huggins, Eilert and Johnson making the trip to see him in person. Flagg told Zags Blog: "It’s great to see the coaches being invested,” Flagg said of the West Virginia coaches following the game.  “I just love to see it.” Zags Blog also spoke to an NBA scout who was on hand for the game and he absolutely gushed over Flagg's potential: "Flagg is arguably one of the best, if not the best, high school prospect that has come up through the ranks over the past 10 years, with his age in mind." Although Flagg has stated that Duke is his dream school, the possibility of playing alongside his brother, which he likely would not do at Duke, as well as play for Bob Huggins, gives the Mountaineers a real chance to bring him to Morgantown. https://youtu.be/elzYrYSViCM

Morgantown, West Virginia - West Virginia transfer guard Jose Perez got some outstanding news yesterday when his former teammate and "brother" Omar Silverio announced his commitment to play for the Mountaineers next season. Perez, who averaged 18.9 points and 4.5 assists per game for Manhattan last season, was denied eligibility to play this year. However, he still has one year remaining and could potentially finish his college career with the Mountaineers next season, although he hasn't officially made that decision yet. When Silverio, who averaged 10.9 points last season and was briefly teammates with Perez at Manhattan, announced his commitment to West Virginia, Perez appeared extremely pleased and it's very possible that adding Silverio could sway Perez to use his final year of eligibility at West Virginia instead of leaving Morgantown. Perez had the following to say yesterday on social media: "Man we still got decisions to make, but Omar Silverio what (are) we doing! Party in Morgantown! See you soon brother!" https://twitter.com/showout_zayy0/status/1631395887212535834?s=20 Although Perez has not officially announced his intentions, Bob Huggins recently said that he knows Perez loves Morgantown and West Virginia, and that he feels he will finish his career with the Mountaineers. With Perez and Silverio, West Virginia will also return Joe Toussaint, Seth Wilson and Kobe Johnson in the backcourt next season.

Cover Photo: The Athletic  Morgantown, West Virginia - Dan Dakich has created quite a stir among West Virginia fans in the past couple of days. Following West Virginia’s loss to Maryland in the 1st round of the NCAA Tournament, Dakich, who was named the head coach at West Virginia after Gale Catlett’s departure and quit after 8 days with the program, accused Bob Huggins of being a cheater, then followed that up by saying that him leaving the West Virginia basketball program “destroyed it.” Now it appears that he’s going after longtime West Virginia radio play by play announcer and “Voice of the Mountaineers” Tony Caridi. Caridi, who is one of the most respected people in the industry, apparently said the following about Dakich at one point during his career on air: “Dan Dakich was the best thing that never happened to WVU.” When a fan brought that up on social media yesterday, Dakich replied by saying, “Hahahaha….I kicked him out of the weight room…he was spying on us…so funny watching him slink out…tough guy later but scared to death.” Caridi has yet to respond to the allegation and likely will take the high road and ignore Dakich. See the full quote below: https://twitter.com/dandakich/status/1636835068541804545?s=46&t=USDKe35TLtcCPitgUlQ1PA

Morgantown, West Virginia - After West Virginia landed point guard Kerr Kriisa in the transfer portal, the Mountaineers will now focus on landing a score-first wing and a talented big to round out their roster. Pitt's John Hugley is an obvious choice to fill the talented big position, but West Virginia has several options at scoring guard in the portal. Perhaps the most intriguing prospect available for the Mountaineers is former Oklahoma State player Avery Anderson. Anderson, a 6'3 guard from Justin, Texas, averaged 11.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game for the Cowboys last season and has been outstanding during his career inside the WVU Coliseum against the Mountaineers. Two seasons ago, in both team's season finale, Anderson went off at the Coliseum, scoring a career-high 31 points on 11-14 from the field, 1-2 from three point range and 8-10 from the foul line. Anderson, a graduate transfer, has one year of eligibility remaining and although he will have numerous teams reaching out for his services, none are likely a better fit for him than West Virginia. The Mountaineers desperately need a score-first wing and he fits that mold perfectly. Imagine a roster that looks like this next season: Kerr Kriisa Avery Anderson Jose Perez Tre Mitchell John Hugley That's a Big 12 Championship contender and a team that would make some real noise in the NCAA Tournament next March.

Morgantown, West Virginia - Avery Anderson is one of the most experienced, talented players available players in the transfer portal and could be a perfect fit for the Mountaineers if Caleb Grill doesn't work out. Anderson, a 6'3 guard who averaged 11.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game this past season for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, recently visited TCU, but intends to make several more visits before make his final decision. In an interview with 247 Sports' Brandon Jenkins, Anderson said the following about potentially visiting West Virginia: "It's funny that they have called because they feel I have always played well against them. They say that their gym is a home gym for me. It is a good opportunity because I would be playing for a Hall of Fame coach. They have an NBA staff and I would get better over there.” Two seasons ago, in both team's season finale, Anderson went off at the Coliseum, scoring a career-high 31 points on 11-14 from the field, 1-2 from three point range and 8-10 from the foul line. Anderson, a graduate transfer, has one year of eligibility remaining and although he has had numerous teams reaching out for his services, none are likely a better fit for him than West Virginia. The Mountaineers desperately need a score-first wing and he fits that mold perfectly. Anderson claims his decision will come down to the best fit for him as a basketball player. "I am trying to find the best basketball situation for me,” Anderson said. “I want to play for a coach who really understands me. I want to show all my ability for a team that fits my playing style.”

MORGANTOWN, West Virginia -- Former West Virginia head coach Dan Dakich, who was the coach of the Mountaineers for 8 days before leaving the school, went on a tirade this morning on his show, "The Dan Dakich Show", about Bob Huggins and the state of West Virginia. Dakich, who has made his negative feelings about Huggins and the West Virginia basketball program known for years, said this morning that Bob Huggins is "toe jam" and said that he can "rot in hell." Dakich went on to say that Huggins is the "biggest dirtbag in the history of college athletics." Dakich then turned his attention to the state of West Virginia. Dakich said the following about the Mountain State: "I was only there for 8 days and saw what a terrible place it is. West Virginia is the dumbest, most backwards place on Earth." https://twitter.com/dandakich/status/1655939336351940613?s=20 https://twitter.com/voicemorgantown/status/1655921245253259264?s=20