WVU president promises football, ‘even if I have to suit up’Video
West Virginia University president E. Gordon Gee vows that the Mountaineers will play football this fall “even if I have to suit up.” “I’ve got my ankles taped, I’m ready to go in,” the 76-year-old Gee joked in an interview with WOWK-TV broadcast this week. “But I think again, with...
WVU coach Neal Brown says Mountaineers ‘looking forward to a date’ for football’s return
Neal Brown remains “cautiously optimistic” that there will be a college football season this fall. What the West Virginia coach would like is a target date to set his sights upon. Not just for himself but especially for Mountaineers players. “It’s important that we play during this fiscal year,” Brown...
Penn State, Duquesne, WVU and Pitt teams recognized for academic progress
A total of 16 collegiate athletic teams from four local universities earned NCAA Public Recognition Awards for their Academic Progress Rates (APR). The awards are presented annually by the NCAA to teams finishing among the top 10 percent in their sport over four academic years (2015/16-2018/19). APR is determined by...
WVU athletic director Shane Lyons calls pay cuts, furloughs ‘absolutely necessary’
Facing a projected $5 million budget shortfall after the coronavirus pandemic wiped out the NCAA Tournament and spring sports, West Virginia University on Friday implemented pay cuts and furloughs in its athletic department. WVU athletic director Shane Lyons called the moves “absolutely necessary” in a video conference call Friday afternoon....
West Virginia coach Neal Brown seeks normalcy in abnormal situationVideo
Neal Brown prefers sitting in his office among staff and players, perhaps barking out instructions on the practice field while preparing for the upcoming West Virginia football season. Although that’s impossible under current pandemic conditions, the Mountaineers coach has found positive light in his sixth week of quarantine. Anyone in...
Oscar Tshiebwe says he’s returning to WVU for sophomore season
West Virginia fans received good news that had been expected Sunday when star forward Oscar Tshiebwe said he plans to return for his sophomore season. Tshiebwe had requested an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee. Tshiebwe, a graduate of Kennedy Catholic, said in a Twitter post it was his...
Imani Christian grad Kenny Robinson acknowledges mistake, ready for NFL
If you didn’t know the story behind the young man, you would think his was just another name flashed across the bottom of the TV screen during the last day of the NFL Draft. But Kenny Robinson’s story is different — sad, embarrassing even. But it’s one he doesn’t run...
Carolina Panthers pick Imani Christian grad Kenny Robinson in 5th round
Kenny Robinson, who grew up in Wilkinsburg and played at Imani Christian Academy, knows a little bit about drafts. He was picked in the fifth round Saturday by the Carolina Panthers (No. 152 overall) after going to the St. Louis Battlehawks last year in the XFL’s first draft. Robinson, 6-foot-2,...
WVU offensive tackle Colton McKivitz goes to 49ers in 5th round
West Virginia offensive tackle Colton McKivitz, a four-year starter for the Mountaineers, joined the NFC champion San Francisco 49ers on Saturday as their fifth-round draft choice (No. 153 overall). McKivitz was named third-team All-American and second-team All-Big 12 last season. He started 47 career games, three seasons on the right...
Draft day memory: How McKeesport’s Mike Logan ended up in JacksonvilleVideo
Mike Logan thought the day of the NFL Draft was a good time to have a party. Especially in 1997 when Canute Curtis, who was Logan’s friend, roommate and teammate, was projected to be a first-round choice after an All-American season as a West Virginia linebacker. Logan, a McKeesport graduate,...
Disjointed NBA season leaves unanswered questions for WVU’s Oscar Tshiebwe
While NBA teams have no idea when — or if — their season will resume, there has been talk of postponing the draft from June 25 until sometime in August. It is a situation watched closely by West Virginia coach Bob Huggins and Mountaineers freshman Oscar Tshiebwe, who has filed...
West Virginia’s Bob Huggins calls NCAA transfer proposal ‘ridiculous’
Aside from the obvious pandemic-related hurdles that confront every college program, Bob Huggins has fewer problems than most coaches. There are issues, however. West Virginia’s basketball coach would like to see his team improve its free-throwing shooting. The Mountaineers were 333rd of 350 schools last season (64.2%). “That’s why they...
WVU’s Oscar Tshiebwe seeks NBA feedback on his draft prospects
After almost averaging a double-double in his freshman season, West Virginia forward Oscar Tshiebwe is contemplating a move to the NBA. Coach Bob Huggins said Tshiebwe plans to submit paperwork to request an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee. That doesn’t mean he will enter the draft this year...
West Virginia’s Neal Brown hopes players can grow during shutdown
Neal Brown knows he’s falling behind. Physically separated from his players, staff and administrators, the West Virginia football coach knows the days lost in the spring are days that can’t be recovered. But while dealing with what he calls “a worldwide tragedy,” Brown hopes to find some positive lessons amidst...
NCAA granting extra year of eligibility impacts student-athletes in many ways
It sounded so simple and fair. The NCAA Division I Council voted Monday to grant all student-athletes in spring sports an additional year of eligibility after losing the 2020 season to covid-19. But what happens to those rosters in 2021? What about the scholarships that need to be honored? Who’s...
WVU athletic director Shane Lyons optimistic about football season, but it’s too early to be sure
If Shane Lyons’ hopes and projections are accurate, there will be college football this year in spite of covid-19. But there are no guarantees. “Based on my conversations (with medical experts),” West Virginia’s athletic director said, “they feel that once we get to late summer, August, normal life will, hopefully,...
West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons wants to continue basketball series with Pitt
West Virginia athletic director Shane Lyons said Wednesday he hopes to continue the basketball series with Pitt after the current four-year contract expires Nov. 13 with a game at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. “I’d love to see it continued,” he said on a conference call that was otherwise devoted...
West Virginia cancels spring game
After the Big 12 extended its suspension of all team activities from Sunday to May 31, West Virginia canceled its Gold-Blue spring football game, which had been scheduled for April 18 at Milan Puskar Stadium. “It’s disappointing for our players and fans that the Gold-Blue Spring Game is canceled. The...
Isolated college coaches, players deal with change in recruiting landscape
When it’s time to get serious about next football season, Ethan Carr will get down on the floor and do a series of push-ups and sit-ups, followed by some challenging pull-ups. Then, he might open the front door and run through the mostly deserted streets of Harrison City. It is...
West Virginia coach Neal Brown deals with lost practice time, uncertainty
Spring practice meant a bit more at West Virginia this year than at many places across college football. The 15 days of meetings, drills and teaching would have laid the foundation for coach Neal Brown’s second season. It was time to set aside 2019 — when the Mountaineers finished 5-7...
Penn State’s Lamar Stevens, WVU’s Oscar Tshiebwe honored by NABC
Four players — one each from Penn State, West Virginia, Duquesne and Robert Morris — were named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches Division I all-district teams. Penn State’s Lamar Stevens and West Virginia’s Oscar Tshiebwe were named first team District 7 and 8, respectively. Duquesne’s Marcus Weathers and...
WVU basketball will play Pitt, Robert Morris during 2020-21 nonconference season
Pitt and West Virginia basketball teams will play the last of a four-game series Nov. 13 at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown. The series, negotiated in 2016 by former Pitt athletic director Scott Barnes and West Virginia’s Shane Lyons, ended a five-year period in which the two long-standing rivals did...
NCAA cancels men’s, women’s basketball tournaments
March Madness came to a screeching halt before a bracket could even be filled out. The NCAA canceled its men’s and women’s basketball tournaments Thursday because of the spread of coronavirus, putting an abrupt end to the season less than a month before champions were to be crowned. The unprecedented...
March Madness: Conferences scrap tourneys; NCAAs in doubt
The most powerful conferences in college sports canceled their men’s basketball tournaments Thursday because of the coronavirus, putting in doubt this month’s NCAA Tournament — one of the biggest events on the American sports calendar. Within minutes of each other, the Atlantic Coast, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and Southeastern...
West Virginia beats No. 4 Baylor, denies Bears chance at Big 12 titleVideo
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Emmitt Matthews ended a long slump to give West Virginia a much-needed boost heading into the postseason. For No. 4 Baylor, Matthews’ re-emergence came at the worst possible time. Matthews scored a season-high 18 points, freshman Oscar Tshiebwe had 16 points and 12 rebounds, and West Virginia...
