BARRACKVILLE — It seems everything in sports has a name, something that defines it and gives it an identity all of its own.
Babe Ruth's New York Yankees were “Murderers’ Row” and Magic Johnson’s Los Angeles Lakers were “Showtime.” Before them in Los Angeles there was the magnificent front four of the Rams that came to be known as “The Fearsome Foursome.” And what better way to define the difference in the coaching styles of old-fashioned Woody Hayes at Ohio State and his “Three Yards and a Cloud of Dust” offense and Steve Spurrier’s let-it-all-rip “Fun and Gun” offense?
So it was, after West Virginia once again turned a rather disjointed but spirited performance into a thrilling Big East victory over Cincinnati on Da’Sean Butler’s desperation, last-second 3-point shot did we set out to create a tag on West Virginia’s style of basketball.
And, after much deliberation, we hereby christen the Mountaineers' style of basketball as:
TRUMPETS, PLEASE!
As:
DRUM ROLL!
As:
Hug-ly Ball.
Certainly, Dr. James Naismith never had in mind what West Virginia has done with his game.
While one team cruises to victory, West Virginia bruises to victory.
It bangs, it bumps, it plays in-your-shirt defense.
It is winning basketball, but far from pretty basketball.
If Notre Dame has its cute little leprechaun, if Texas has Bevo and Georgia has Uga as its mascot, WVU has Joe Mazzulla to symbolize what its game is all about, a guy who wears floor burns the way war heroes wear medals.
Hug-ly Ball, that’s what it is.
You ask for a description, well take a look at the way they beat Cincinnati in the quarterfinal of the Big East Tournament.
Off and running to an 18-4 lead, it was like they all looked at each other and said, “Whoa, this ain’t us.”
And so they got ugly.
Turnovers, mistakes, missed shots.
Some teams pound opponents into submission. West Virginia makes their opponents watch them play their brand of Hug-ly Ball until they just can’t take it any longer. By the time it’s over, they’ve had enough, walking off, shaking their heads and wondering “How’d we ever lose to that bunch?”
Oh, don’t misunderstand. This is a talented group Bob Huggins has assembled. They all have their own skill set and it meshes together into a wonderful team.
But damn, they do it ugly.
Like they win the game on a last-second 3-point shot.
That’s fine.
That’s heroic.
But does it have to go in off a bank from straight away?
Without Butler even calling to bank shot.
Of course, it was a thing of beauty to Butler.
“When I saw it hit the glass, I felt more confident,” he said. “I always feel confident with my shots. When I saw it hit the glass where it did, it fell right there and it worked out for me and the team.”
Seems like it always works out for the team, no matter how they get there.
Like who wasn’t holding his or her breath at the end, right after Lance Stephenson, of all people, hit a 3 to tie the score?
Certainly, it let some of the air out of the Mountaineers. Ask Butler what was going through his mind.
“It sucks,” Butler answered. “But, you know, you have to come back and just play. A lot of teams against us obviously during the year, people just shoot unbelievable percentages against us when we play them. I don't know why but they just do.
“For some reason when he let it go, I had a feeling it was going in. It went in. We have to go and play. We had enough time to make another play at the other end. We had an opportunity towards the end of the game to make shots and we just pulled through.”
See, nothing bothers this team, not when the other team plays good or when they play bad.
In the end, they know they have what it takes.
“Players make plays. He's a great player,” Butler said of Stephenson. “Of course, you can't just bury yourself and sulk and things like that. You have to keep playing through it.”
That’s what Hug-ly Ball really is, playing through the ugly so the end can come out pretty.
E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.
