Topic: 17-8 with 6 games left

[herdorbust]

They are actually exceeding my expectations and I was pretty optimistic. I really thought about 18-19 wins losing Taylor, Loop, Browning and Thompson. I knew we would be a MUCH better defensive team and stated so with the addition of West and Watson. Last year we won 17 regular season games and we are already there with 6 left. Chances are we get to about 21 regular season wins. Danny has kept getting his teams better every year and should have that monster year next year. If we keep playing D the way we did tonight we may be dancing this year.

[MicDrass1]

If he has the best players in the country he wins ncaa titles.  Not a lot of hc can do that.  Herd basketball should shoot for the stars in recruiting right now. 

[HoPPy785]

If he has the best players in the country he wins ncaa titles.  Not a lot of hc can do that.  Herd basketball should shoot for the stars in recruiting right now.

Agreed....I don't mean this as a knock on WV kids but honestly if someone told you they'd have 4 or 5 WV kids on the court at any given time getting solid minutes, most would think our program was doing something very wrong. Either Dan is coaching these kids up or WV kids are way underrated. I tend to think it's a combo of the two. Gives me even more pride in our team seeing the in state kids getting it done.

[herdorbust]

If he has the best players in the country he wins ncaa titles.  Not a lot of hc can do that.  Herd basketball should shoot for the stars in recruiting right now.

Last couple years recruiting has really stepped up. And if we get the kid they are after it will be another really good get.

[herdorbust]

Wv doesnt have many big kids that are top notch. But they have plenty of guard-small forwards that are very good.

[Buffalo Bop]

We have 3 state POY guys playing tonight: Watson, West and Elmore.

[herdorbust]

And uab and mtsu on the road arent impossible. Mtsu has won a bunch of close games. They arent blowing teams out

[MicDrass1]

Recruiting goal of any program is to rank all players on your team best to worst and try landing players better than the highest ranked guy on the team.  Move em down.  If your former best guy is now the 7th best player on your team you are winning a bunch.  That's for any sport. 

[Herdalum83]

And uab and mtsu on the road arent impossible. Mtsu has won a bunch of close games. They arent blowing teams out

Heck with 2 minutes left UAB was losing to Rice, the Blazers ended up winning but they are having a tough go right now, home and away.

[goherd24]

They are actually exceeding my expectations and I was pretty optimistic. I really thought about 18-19 wins losing Taylor, Loop, Browning and Thompson. I knew we would be a MUCH better defensive team and stated so with the addition of West and Watson. Last year we won 17 regular season games and we are already there with 6 left. Chances are we get to about 21 regular season wins. Danny has kept getting his teams better every year and should have that monster year next year. If we keep playing D the way we did tonight we may be dancing this year.

I'm not sure why anyone is surprised. I have preached coaching is the key to college athletic success. He has improved his record every single year, and i expected no different this season.

[The E-Man]

Agreed....I don't mean this as a knock on WV kids but honestly if someone told you they'd have 4 or 5 WV kids on the court at any given time getting solid minutes, most would think our program was doing something very wrong. Either Dan is coaching these kids up or WV kids are way underrated. I tend to think it's a combo of the two. Gives me even more pride in our team seeing the in state kids getting it done.

It's a combination of both. I remember back in the 70's day of AAU ball. I had played for the late great Buddy Graham and had to make a choice between hoops and baseball, because Buddy wasn't allowing me to play both sports. I went ahead and played baseball, but would come to the teams practice as much as possible. That team Buddy had ended up (winning the AAU national title in Vegas). A few years later when Isaiah Thomas came here he told me and my best friends Stevie,
and Michael Price, and Earl Jones that we could play with anyone. Michael Price was the best hoops player I ever seen and played against in WV. Earl Jones went on to the NBA and was the Lakers number 1 pick and 23rd over all. It's to bad we didn't have Dan D'Antoni when O.J Mayo, Pat Patterson, and Bill Walker were seniors, they had wanted to stay together. Had coach DD been here, there's a very strong chance they would have been playing at Marshall. With that talent alone, we would have been a serious contender for a final 8 or higher spot maybe even a final 4. All it take is for the ice to break and we make it to a final 8 or 4 and you will see talented players staying and others wanting to come play here. West Virginia produces a lot of talented players, unfortunately like with everything else our precious resources leave the state.

[DJdaHERDfan]

Great coaching (finally!!)
Great system
Great character players
Great Team

This all adds up to success!!

[GreenWhite]

I'm thinking we should no worse that 4-2 in these last six games. If we go 3-3, we may not get that first round bye. We cannot win 4 games in 4 days with the limited bench we have. Peneva looked exhausted near the end of the FAU game, as he did not come out in the second half. I'm not second guessing DD, but I was puzzled George did not play against FAU, just to spell Peneva for a few minutes. Put him in there with Williams. Maybe work it so it is close to a media timeout. It gives Peneva a little break each half.