By Bob Hertzel
MORGANTOWN — Mike Carey has spent his tenure — “Can it be nine years already?” he asks — as West Virginia University’s women’s basketball coach under a dark cloud.
Whatever can go wrong, has gone wrong.
He’s seen more ACLs than Dr. James Andrews, the noted orthopedic surgeon.
His players don’t just pull muscles. The tear tendons, blow out ligaments, break bones.
And so it is that he almost doesn’t know how to act as he welcomes a fully healthy team this week, beginning with Mountaineer Madness on Friday evening at the Coliseum.
Count ’em, he has 10 players and they all are ready to play.
“Knock on wood,” he says.
Being injury free is just one way this 2009-10 women’s basketball team is different for Carey.
It is also senior free, something he never remembers having.
And you know what? He likes it.
His most experienced players are Liz Repella, a second team All-Big East selection last year, and Sarah Miles, the conference’s most improved player. Both are juniors and, as far as he’s concerned, that’s too old.
“I wish they were sophomores and freshman,” he said.
His reasoning is simple. He believes he has assembled a “special group,” complete with the return of a trio of injured players from last year, a top-drawer recruiting class that ranks among the nation’s best, and a couple of talented transfers who must sit out this year but come back to play next year.
It’s a group, he says, who is highly talented and whose work ethic to date has even outweighed the talent.
If there’s only 10 of them — and he can have as many as 15 on scholarship — he doesn’t mind at all.
“It’s hard to keep 15 women happy,” he said with a knowing smile. “That’s just being honest. You have 15 players and they all want to play, they’re all on scholarship.”
Last year he wished he could have found 10 players, most of the time fielding just seven or eight.
He’ll have no problem this year, adding size inside with hotly recruited freshman Asya Bussie, listed at 6-4 out of Randallstown, Md., joining 6-5 Natalie Burton, who was supposed to redshirt last year only to be thrown to the wolves, an event that forced her to improve to survive.
Bussie was rated the 14th best post player coming out of high school last year as she finished her career with 1,620 points and 1,189 rebounds.
“I have expectations I need to live up to,” she said. “I want to make an impact.”
Carey also recruited Akeema Richards to run the point, although Miles will also play some there. It’s a tall order for a freshman, but Richards would seem ready.
She scored more than 1,200 points and averaged 4.5 assists while in high school in Baltimore.
Coming off a shoulder injury that ended her season prematurely after coming in as a highly touted junior college player is Madina Ali, who played only two games last season. She adds front court depth.
Perhaps the best part of having as much talent as he has for Carey is that he can put Repella where she belongs. Last season she had to play forward, giving up sometimes four inches and 30 pounds to opponents while averaging 38 minutes a game.
“It’s hard to play 38 minutes a game in the Big East,” she said. “It’s nice to know now that when I’m on the floor I can go my hardest.”
Despite playing out of position, Repella averaged 16.5 points and 8.1 rebounds a game.
Repella will find herself probably at the shooting guard or small forward position when the Mountaineers finally settle on a lineup.
Right now, Carey is thrilled about the work ethic his team displayed in the offseason and with their conditioning, which he believes is one reason they all remain healthy. But starting Saturday practice begins in earnest, and he knows he has his work cut out for him with a young team because the one thing you can’t teach is experience.
“They haven’t been in a college game setting, needing a shot in the last minute in your opponent’s gym with a big crowd screaming and yelling,” he said. “But on the upside, they come in here hungry and they want to learn.”
They’ll get their chance, starting with the Preseason NIT.
E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.
