February 16, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA: West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins gestures against the Pittsburgh Panthers during the second half at the Petersen Events Center. WVU won 66-48. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USPRESSWIRE

Yesterday, with the whole country seemingly focused on the Indiana Pacers taking it to the now one-legged tripod known as the Miami Heat, a point guard in Baltimore, MD quietly announced his intentions to play for coach Bob Huggins and the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Words just can’t explain this day….NEXT UP IS COLLEGE!!!! I WILL BE A MOUNTAINER NEXT… instagram.com/p/aB02jWFcNM/

— D.A.M jr (@Dmiles04) June 1, 2013

Daxter Miles, a 6’3″ point guard out of Dunbar High School in Baltimore, MD (Tavon Austin’s alma mater), has announced that he intends to play in Morgantown next season. Miles averaged 19 points per game for Dunbar this past season and has a pretty sick highlight reel to show for it:

When watching Miles play, you can immediately see just how good he his with the ball in his hands and his ability to lose the defense with his agility. Miles will bring a creative flair to the Mountaineer offense and provide another weapon at the point guard spot behind Juwan Staten.

Daxter Miles would fill the scholarship void created by the departed junior forward Keaton Miles. That is, as long as he is academically eligible.

As Dave Hickman of the Gazette-Mail writes, Miles (along with other potential Mountaineers target Shadell Millinghaus) still are not academically qualified to play for the Mountaineers. As much as coach Huggins and the Mountaineers coaching staff would love to have Miles on the team, they must wait to see how his grades shape up now that the school year is coming to an end.

Like Huggins, Mountaineers fans across the country will be waiting anxiously for the test scores to be published to see if Miles will be in the old gold and blue next season.

Nov 11, 2011; Fairfax, VA, USA; Rhode Island Rams forward Jonathan Holton (35) attempts a lay up in front of George Mason Patriots guard Vertrail Vaughns (11) during the first half at Patriot Center. Mandatory Credit: Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

Former Rhode Island Ram forward and current West Virginia Mountaineer forward Jonathan Holton has finally closed an ugly chapter in his life in the Rhode Island Superior Court Room today.

Holton was facing two separate charges of video voyeurism in which he allegedly filmed sexual relations with two different women, posting the videos on publicly accessible sites. The charges were enough to have Holton’s scholarship pulled by the University of Rhode Island, leaving Holton to play this past season at Palm Beach State this past season while awaiting his hearing.

At the hearing today, Holton plead no contest to one count of video voyeurism. As part of his plea, Holton has been sentenced to two years probation.

The second count of video voyeurism was dismissed.

For Holton, this brings resolution to an embarrassing situation for the young man. With this case now behind him, he will be able to focus all of his attention on making the most of his second chance with the West Virginia Mountaineers.

Holton must now show the Mountaineers coaching staff that he can not only produce on the court but also in the classroom. He will need to show the public that he can be a model student athlete and is not defined by his lack of judgment as a freshman.

Mar 2, 2013; Lawrence, KS, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Juwan Staten (3) drives up court against the Kansas Jayhawks during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

The West Virginia Mountaineers men’s basketball team was announced as on of the eight participants for this year’s Cancun Challenge. The early season tournament pits eight teams against one another, with two separate divisions of four teams.

WVU will be competing as part of the Riviera division this year alongside the Saint Louis Billikens, the Old Dominion Monarchs, and the Wisconsin Badgers.

The other four team division, the Mayan division, will consist of the Bowling Green Falcons, Georgia Southern Eagles, Oral Roberts Golden Eagles, and the Presbyterian Blue Hose.

The Cancun Challenge consists of two different stages, on campus match-ups between the host Riviera division teams and the Mayan division teams. The on-campus games are to occur between November 21-23.

After the games in the US, all teams in the Cancun Challenge will travel to Mexico for on-site for a two division games. The divisional round is set for November 26-27.

West Virginia’s opponents in the Riviera division are all pretty challenging foes. The Wisconsin Badgers went 23-12 this past season including a first round loss in the NCAA Tournament. The Saint Louis Billikens were equally tough last year, notching a record of 28-7 after advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Old Dominion Monarchs were the one team in WVU’s division that did not make the post-season. ODU limped to a meager 5-25 record last year in the Colonial Athletic Association.

It is far too early to project how each of these teams will fair next season, but the Mountaineers should be able to put away their Mayan foe as well as notch a win against Old Dominion (provided they play in the divisional round).

Feb 9, 2012; Fort Worth, TX, USA; TCU Horned Frogs forward Connell Crossland (2) and West Virginia Mountaineers forward Keaton Miles (55) fight for the ball in the first half at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

The hits just keep coming for coach Bob Huggins and the Mountaineers basketball program. Junior forward Keaton Miles announced today that he will be transferring from the West Virginia basketball program in advance of the 2013-14 season.

I Really Want To Thank WVU For All The Support & Love They Showed Me While I Was Here..Once A Mountaineer Always A Mountaineer Love All

— Keaton Miles (@KeatonMiles) May 21, 2013

The transfer announcement by Miles comes only weeks after the Mountaineers learned of the transfers of forward Volodymyr Gerun, guard Jabarie Hinds, and guard Aaron Brown. That brings the total turnover of the Mountaineers basketball team to seven players (three to graduation and four to transfer).

Miles is the fifth player to depart the West Virginia Mountaineers basketball team from the highly touted 2011 recruiting class. The only members of that recruiting class left on the roster are guard Gary Browne and forward Domonique Rutledge.

Miles, who saw his role in the Mountaineers system, decided to complete his collegiate career elsewhere. Miles averaged 11.5 minutes per game this past season with 2.6 points per game and 1.7 rebounds per game.

Now that coach Bob Huggins brought in six big men, Miles must have figured that he would have a difficult time carving out playing time with so many players on the depth chart in the forwards group.

Miles announcement was void of detail where he would transfer to. The Dallas, TX native committed to the West Virginia Mountaineers in 2011 over offers from Houston, Penn State, Texas Tech, and Wichita State.

Whether Miles considers those schools or any other, he will be searching for a program that will allow him to be a major contributor.

While Keaton Miles may not have been a major contributor for the Mountaineers on the court, he was a great influence in the locker room and a quality person. He will be missed in Morgantown.

Feb 9, 2012; Fort Worth, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Eron Harris (10) during the game against TCU Horned Frogs at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Bob Huggins filled out his roster this week with the transfer additions of forwards Jonathan Holton and Remi Dibo. Both forwards will enter Morgantown as juniors, with two years of eligibility remaining. The two JUCO forwards combine with the Mountaineers four high school forward/center recruits to bring the Mountaineers back to a 15 man roster.

For those who have not kept up with the roster changes, here is a recap:

Additions: F Devin Williams (FR), C Brandon Watkins (FR), F Elijah Macon (FR), F Nathan Adrian (FR), F Jonathan Holton (r-JR), and F Remi Dibo (r-JR)

Losses: F Dominique Rutledge (Graduation), F Deniz Kilicli (Graduation), G Matt Humphrey (Graduation), G Aaron Brown (Transfer), G Jabarie Hinds (Transfer), and F Volodomyr Gerun (Transfer)

Just at a glance, it is clear that Huggins and the coaching staff were out to add a ton of length to the roster. The length and athleticism of the Mountaineers forwards this past season was one of the major weak points that the Mountaineers needed to address heading into the 2013-14 season.

Now the Mountaineers have added some versatile big men in Holton and Dibo while also bringing in a crop of young big men to develop for that strong interior presence that Huggins’ teams put an emphasis on. Guys like Devin Williams and Brandon Watkins will probably get early looks this season in relief of paint dominator Aaric Murray.

C: Aaric Murray, 6’10″ 245 lbs, SR; Brandon Watkins, 6’9″ 225 lbs, FR; Devin Williams, 6’8″ 220 lbs, FR

PF: Kevin Noreen, 6’10″ 250 lbs, JR; Jonathan Holton, 6’9″ 215 lbs, r-JR; Elijah Macon, 6’8″ 210 lbs, FR

SF: Keaton Miles, 6’7″ 210 lbs, JR; Remi Dibo, 6’9″ 225 lbs, r-JR; Nathan Adrian, 6’7″ 200 lbs, FR

SG: Eron Harris, 6’2″ 190 lbs, SO; Terry Henderson, 6’3″ 190 lbs, SO; Aric Dickerson, 6’5″ 200 lbs, r-SO

PG: Juwan Staten, 6’1″ 190 lbs, JR; Gary Browne, 6’1″ 190 lbs, JR; Richard Romeo, 5’11″ 180 lbs, SO

We don’t have any of the new additions as starters in our first depth chart, but would not at all be surprised to see players like Holton and Dibo find their way into the starting line-up at some point during the season. For now, we like Keaton Miles to rise to the occasion and claim a starting spot, even though he has failed to do just that for his entire Mountaineer career.

Also, Kevin Noreen is talented, but failed to be a consistent starter through out this past season and could lose out to Holton or one of the talented freshman.

We shifted Devin Williams from his natural 4 spot to the 5 for the purpose of depth given the good size he has and the fact that Noreen and Holton would have him boxed out for playing time at 4. It would not at all be a surprise to see guys like Williams, Macon, Adrian, and/or Watkins receive redshirts this season with the perceived big man depth with the upper-classmen.

Just as all last season, this coming season promises to showcase a Mountaineers roster in flux as coach Huggins tries to determine which players are going to take the reins of the team and step up as leaders. Let’s all just hope that Huggins can identify a starting five before Big XII play this season.

Nov 20, 2011; Lincoln, NE, USA; Rhode Island Rams forward Jonathan Holton (35) drives against Nebraska Cornhuskers center Jorge Brian Diaz (21) during the second half at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. Nebraska won 83-63. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Thorson-USA TODAY Sports

Coach Bob Huggins and the West Virginia University men’s basketball team received reinforcement this week with the announcement that junior college forward Jonathan Holton has decided to transfer to the Mountaineers.

Holton is a 6’7″ 215 lb forward that can really stretch opposing defenses with his accurate outside shooting. As coach Huggins put it, Holton is exactly the kind of big man that WVU needs to compete in the Big XII:

“Jonathan is a prototype Big 12 forward,” says Huggins. “He can really score it off the bounce, play with his back to the basket, stretch defenses to make 3-pointers, as well as being a terrific offensive rebounder. He should give us immediate help on the front line.”

Huggins and his staff are clearly impressed with Holton’s production at the junior college level. While attending Palm Beach State Community College (FL) this past season, Holton averaged 17.5 points and 14.1 rebounds per game.

Holton enrolled at Palm Beach State after playing his freshman season for the Rhode Island Rams of the Atlantic 10 Conference. He fell out of favor with the Rams as a result of two charges of video voyeurism in which he allegedly filmed two separate sexual encounters and made that content publicly available on social media.

After spending a year of mending his ways in Florida, Holton is finally getting his second chance at the Division I level.

Holton will sit out the 2013-14 season but will be eligible to play for the Mountaineers in the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons.

Mar 2, 2013; Lawrence, KS, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins talks with guard Jabarie Hinds (4) during the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks at Allen Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

News broke yesterday that three of the players from the 2012-13 basketball team are set to transfer from West Virginia. The transfers of Aaron Brown, Jabarie Hinds, and Volodymyr Gerun were initially hard to digest.

How do you react to a mass departure like this? Is this a sign that the program is in a downward spiral or is it a sign that the Mountaineers were freeing up scholarships for future recruiting classes?

I personally like to think of it as the program cleaning house of players that were not committed to righting the program.

It was clear this season that there was an issue with team chemistry. It is not as if the Mountaineers squad was devoid of talent, there were plenty of quality players on the bench for coach Huggins. On a scouting basis, the 2012-13 Mountaineers squad had more than enough talent to earn a NCAA Tournament bid.

For whatever reason, this team could not find a way to correct the bad chemistry and turn the squad into a winner.

With the departure of Brown, Hinds, and Gerun, the Mountaineers have freed themselves of three players who obviously did not want to be in Morgantown. Brown and Hinds saw their roles diminish this season in favor of more playing time for freshmen Eron Harris and Terry Henderson while Gerun just did not seem to fit into the Mountaineers system this year at all.

If these three want to seek more playing time or better opportunities for themselves, than they cannot be faulted for that. They are doing what is best for themselves, but also doing something good for West Virginia. They are freeing up scholarships for talented players that will be dedicated to bringing the Mountaineers back to glory.

It may not look like a good thing on paper, but this is good news for the Mountaineers.

Feb 18, 2013; Manhattan, KS, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins yells at guard Eron Harris (10) after Harris fouled out during a 71-61 loss to the Kansas State Wildcats at Bramlage Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

With the thrilling finish of the Mountaineers victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders on February 16, West Virginia possessed a 13-12 record. While it was certainly not the record that coach Huggins had expected from his team, there was still some optimism that the team could finish strong and at least make a push to qualify for the NIT.

Since that game, the Mountaineers have rattled of 5 consecutive losses (at Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Baylor, at Kansas, at Oklahoma). Over the past 20 days of futility, the Mountaineers have assured themselves of the first losing record the school has seen since the 2002-03 season and the first losing season for coach Huggins since his first season as a head coach for Walsh University in the 1980-81 season.

This kind of lengthy losing streak is pretty foreign to West Virginia fans. The last time WVU had suffered through such a streak was in the 2004-05 season when the Mountaineers hit the skids in 5 straight games (vs Marshall, Boston College, Notre Dame, at Syracuse, Connecticut).

West Virginia has an opportunity to break the losing spell and finish the regular season on a high note with one more home game left on the schedule. Unfortunately, the opponent is an NCAA Tournament bound team, Iowa State Cyclones (20-10). The Mountaineers narrowly lost to the Cyclones in Ames, IA back in January (69-67).

The Mountaineers will be seeking to avoid the longest losing streak the program has seen in 12 years.

Yes, we are referring to the abysmal 2001-02 season in which the Mountaineers went 8-20 for the season. That season featured not one, but two 9 game losing streaks wrapped around a lone win. In the stretch from December 28 to March 2, the Mountaineers won only once, an 89-81 home victory over Providence.

While the 2012-13 version of the Mountaineers are nowhere near as terrible as the 2001-02 squad, they are certainly going to capture the title of worst team of the Bob Huggins era and of the past 12 years. A title I’m sure they would be more than willing to give up if they could.

Mar 2, 2013; Lawrence, KS, USA; Kansas Jayhawks forward Kevin Young (40) dunks the ball against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second half at Allen Fieldhouse. Kansas defeated West Virginia 91-65. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

With the conclusion of last night’s embarassing loss at the hands of the #6 Kansas Jayhawks, the West Virginia Mountaineers record dropped to 13-16 (6-10 in Big XII). The loss ensures the Mountaineers of a losing season for the first time since the season.

It has certainly been a rough inaugural Big XII season for West Virginia. Conference play has been a roller coaster ride of spirit lifting victories and soul crushing losses. Last night’s 91-65 loss was one of those soul crushing losses, putting all hopes of preventing a losing season out of reach.

The Mountaineers, picked in the preseason to finish 6th in the Big XII, are currently sitting 7th in the standings and look to finish there. Coach Huggins thought that this team was going to exceed the preseason expectations:

“It must be one helluva league if we’re picked to finish sixth.” -Bob Huggins

Now, coach Huggins is just hoping to live up to those expectations.

The Mountaineers aspired to be greater than their preseason expectations behind the play of a trio of talented transfer players. Murray and Staten have lived up to expectations, but Matt Humphrey has all but disappeared as of late, failing to live up to his full potential this season.

On the bright side, this season has provided a wealth of experience for the young Mountaineers roster. Freshmen guards Eron Harris and Terry Henderson were tested often this season and proved themselves worthy of starting. Both guards appear poised to become stars for the Mountaineers for years to come.

While the inaugural Big XII season is one that Mountaineers fans are hoping to forget, the season looks bright in Morgantown.

Feb 9, 2012; Fort Worth, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Jabarie Hinds (4) shoots against TCU Horned Frogs guard Clyde Smith III (3) and forward Connell Crossland (2) in the second half at the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum. West Virginia Mountaineers won 63-50. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-USA TODAY Sports

WVU continued to roll Saturday at TCU, notching it’s third win in a row in Coach Huggins’ 1,000th game. Despite this game being against a weak opponent, I’m cautiously optimistic about how the Mountaineers are playing right now. For the first time all season, we are consistently running the offense and having some success shooting the ball while continuing to play good defense. For the game, WVU shot 51% from the field including 70% on three pointers (largely thanks to freshmen Terry Henderson and Eron Harris) while holding TCU 36% and 21%. Eron Harris has stepped up to be the focal point of the offense and has diversified his game. He not rains threes down but is now driving to the basket and drawing fouls.  Kilicli has turned his season around with three straight solid performances, and Jabarie Hinds has settled into the point guard role and has been a steady hand to guide the Mountaineer offense. Hopefully our improved offensive play continues as we go back into a tough stretch of the schedule. I’ll say it again though, the officials were not good in this game. They were inconsistent, missed obvious calls.. you know how it goes. Fortunately in this game, it didn’t hurt us too bad.

The real key to the TCU game was defense though. TCU stayed with us throughout the first half, finding openings in our man defense for good shots, which they made at a 60% clip. However, in the second half, Huggins’s switch to what appeared to be a 2-3 zone defense, which completely stymied the TCU offensive attack (25% shooting in the 2nd half). We might have the most diverse set of defenses in the country available to us- we have now used the man, 1-3-1 zone, 2-3 zone, and point-drop defense this year. And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what having a hall-of-fame, 700+ win coach gets you- he has an extensive bag of tricks and knows what moves to make at what time.

Feb 13, 2013; Waco, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers head coach Bob Huggins yells at forward Dominique Rutledge (1) during the first half against the Baylor Bears at the Ferrell Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately though, he didn’t have enough tricks to pull out a win against Baylor. This game was a lot closer than the score indicated. We kept it close until it started to get out of hand late, with Baylor’s lead usually running up to 7 before we closed it to 2. Turnovers killed us in this game (we lost that battle 18-9), and we got out shot again. No one on the team played particularly well, especially in the second half. We kept allowing one of the best three point shooters in the Big 12, Brady Heslip, to get open for 3′s, particularly in the second half, and he killed us by draining 6 of them. We quit running an offense in the second half too. Once Baylor got the lead to double digits, it seemed like we just quit playing.

“We don’t pass the ball, we throw the ball. We got guys open every where…. its sickening for me to watch. It’s not basketball… we play like guys who’ve never played and goto the YMCA and think they’re superstars.” – Coach Huggins on the performance against Baylor

Coach Huggins, needless to say, was not happy after the game. We also were hurt by our bigs getting into foul trouble early. Aaric Murray wasn’t able to contribute at all, as he got 2 fouls early in the first half, a third foul right after being put back in towards the end of the first half, and a 4th foul within a few seconds of being inserted in the second half. Noreen also was in foul trouble in addition to Gary Browne.

And let me say it again- the officials in this game were AWFUL. There was a really key point early in the second half where we had a chance to gain control of the game, but the whistles kept it away from us. I’m not saying that we didn’t do plenty of things to kill ourselves, but they sure didn’t help. Let’s run it down:

• Baylor double dribbled the ball obviously at least 4 times, and the ESPN announcers even commented on it once or twice, but there were no calls. This lead to points for Baylor.
• We got called for moving screens a few times, but when Baylor did the exact same thing, it was only called once.
• The announcers commented on how officials were “anticipating” us committing a foul, and blowing the whistle before one actually occurred, based on our reputation. This has happened all season.
• They called 6 fouls on us in the first 5 minutes of the second half, compared to 2 on Baylor. Let me assure you- Baylor committed just as many as we did.
• Baylor players routinely got away with making plays that Murray was called for a foul on.
• The foul that resulted in Kilicli getting T’ed up? He didn’t commit a foul. No wonder he was upset.
• They appeared to call us for a 5 second violation after the ball had been inbounded.

“You know what, for whatever’s its worth, it’d be nice if there was some consistency from game to game [with officiating]. It’d help… You go from, like the Texas game it was very physical, to… If you can’t stand there with your hands up, I don’t know what you’re supposed to do. They say scoring is low, so we need freedom of movement. Nobody wants to watch someone shoot 80 free throws… oh well.”  - Coach Huggins on the officiating in the Baylor game.

Sometimes I have to wonder, is this part of the entrance fee to the Big 12? Since we only get 50% of the TV money this year, does that mean we only get 50% of the calls that we should get? Huggins was not happy with the officials either. Jay and Tony didn’t sound too thrilled in the post game talk with Huggins. It’s just a bad problem that needs to be fixed.

On another note, I think I’ve identified the player that will dog us every time we play him and it will seem like he will never graduate. You know the type I’m talking about. In the Big East, it was Steve McNamara and Eric Devendorf for Syracuse. In the Big 12, the first one is going to be Baylor’s freshman forward Rico Gathers. He has talent, but he’s arrogant and annoying to watch. And we get to see him at least 7 more times if he makes it to his senior season.

Feb 13, 2013; Waco, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers guard Eron Harris (10) dunks against the Baylor Bears during the second half at the Ferrell Center. Baylor won 80-60. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Week: Eron Harris: 33 points, 5-8 3 Pt FG in 57 minutes

Harris is the only player consistently able to make shots and consistently scoring points for us. We need him to put up 15-20 points every night if we are going to have a chance. He makes me very hopeful for our future though. He seems like the type of player you can build a team around.

Coming Up Next Week

• Saturday 2/16 vs. Texas Tech
• Monday 2/18 @ Kansas State

Not much to say here. We’ve seen both of these teams. We already beat Texas Tech, we should have beaten Kansas State. We need 2 W’s, however we can get them.

News and Notes

• Coach Huggins is once again competing in the ESPN Infiniti Coaches’ Charity Challenge. The first round is open until Feb 27, and you can vote here. Check out Coach Huggins’ hilarious commercial for the Infiniti Challenge too.
• Does ESPN hate us? For some reason, they broke away from the final minute and a half of WVU-Baylor to show the finish of top 200 teams Texas and Iowa State. Really? I can’t imagine the casual basketball fan was watching Baylor-WVU over UNC-Duke Wednesday night, so it’s safe to assume that if you were watching WVU-Baylor, you really cared about one of those schools and didn’t care so much about seeing the multiple endings of the Texas-Iowa State game. I guess the people that swear ESPN hates WVU have another point for their argument.