MORGANTOWN — When Sarah Miles came out of San Antonio, Tex., to play basketball for Mike Carey at West Virginia, she was a shy, thin child, so quick that only the term Satchel Paige once used to describe Cool Papa Bell during their Negro League days would fit her.
“He’s so fast he can turn off the light in the room and be in bed it goes out,” Paige said.
The same went for Miles, and she could stop to make herself a ham sandwich along the way.
The problem was she was not ready to play in the Big East and Carey knew it, playing her in only five games for a combined 15 minutes.
“All I wanted was a chance to prove I could play in this league,” she said Wednesday, all the proof necessary now in her possession as the Big East’s Defensive Player of the Year.
Miles was one of four Mountaineers honored by the conference with their year-end awards and it’s expected tonight that Coach Mike Carey will land Coach of the Year honors, or at least share it with Connecticut’s Geno Auriemma, who won the league with another undefeated season.
Miles won the defensive award while also being named second team All-Big East at point guard.
Liz Repella, whose statistics were down but whose leadership and all-around play was up, helping WVU to second place in the conference, was named a first-team all-Big East player, a nine-player team representing six schools.
Also on the first team were Connecticut’s Tina Charles, Kalana Greene and Maya Moore, South Florida’s Jessica Lawson, Providence’s Chelsea Marandola, Syracuse’s Nicole Michael, Louisville’s Monique Reid, Georgetown’s Sugar Rodgers, Notre Dame’s Lincsay Schrader and St. John’s Da’Shena Stevens.
WVU’s Korinne Campbell was named honorable mention.
The Mountaineers’ fine freshman Aysa Bussie was named to the All-Freshman team.
“We were well represented in the awards,” said Carey, who is trying to get his team over a crushing loss in the season’s final regular season game at Syracuse as it heads to the Big East Tournament in Hartford, Conn.
A year ago Miles won the league’s Most Improved Player Award, which this year went to Monique Reid of Louisville.
“She was most improved last year, this year was Defensive Player of the Year. Hopefully next year she will be first team All-Big East,” Carey said. “This says a lot about the hard work she has put into it and the respect she is getting.”
Defensive Player of the Year is not an award a player sets as a goal going into a season. In fact, too often defense is the most overlooked and underappreciated skill in basketball.
“It takes a combination of hard work and skill,” Carey said. “I’m sure they looked at her steals in voting this. She led the conference. And it helps that we were a good defensive team.”
The most important thing is that Miles bought into the idea of playing defense and was so good at it that she allowed Carey to take many different approaches.
“She dictates what we can do with our defense,” Carey said.
She plays the ball, forces turnovers, dictates tempo.
“I was not expecting this,” Miles said. “I won’t let myself think that I am the best.”
That, of course, is fine with Carey, who doesn’t need any players who are satisfied with where they are and believe they can’t improve.
“I’m an OK player,” she modestly said. “I can do a few things.”
Miles averaged 10 points a game, had 182 assists to 91 turnovers, a 2-to-1 ratio, and led the conference with 84 steals.
Repella, a junior is also an Academic All-American, led the Mountaineers in scoring at 14.1 points a game, grabbed off 5.9 rebounds a game and played more minutes than any other player. Her scoring was down from last year’s career high 16.5 points a game but she probably played her role better with a better supporting cast.
“This is a great honor,” she said, adding modestly, “It’s a credit to my teammates.”
There were times when Campbell seemed to be among the league’s best players, like when she scored 21 against Marquette, but she followed that up with four points against Syracuse.
“She had some great games but was not consistent,” said Carey. “This will give her something to build on over the summer.”
Campbell averaged 11.3 points a game.
Bussie, a 6-4 center out of Maryland, came in and played immediately, giving the Mountaineers a powerful post player. While going through the growing pains that freshmen can’t avoid, she averaged 10.5 points a game and 5.6 rebounds.
West Virginia has a double bye in the Big East Tournament and does not play until noon on Sunday and if the seedings hold they will face DePaul, who they beat 64-57 in overtime earlier in the season.
E-mail Bob Hertzel at bhertzel@hotmail.com.
