Tag: Marshall Basketball

WVU Gets Better of In-State Rival Marshall, 94-71

Jevon Carter scored 28 points, Lamont West added 18 off the bench and West Virginia overwhelmed its in-state rival beating Marshall 94-71 on Sunday night in the second-round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Mountain State showdown more than 2,000 miles from home was a one-sided celebration for the fifth-seeded Mountaineers.

Bigger, more physical and making fewer mistakes, the Mountaineers (26-10) took control with a 19-0 first-half run, and Carter’s three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the second half made sure there wouldn’t be a rally coming from the 13th-seeded Thundering Herd.

West Virginia will face top-seed Villanova in the round of 16 next Friday.

Aside from his scoring, Carter was the leader of West Virginia’s swarming defense that made the night miserable for the Herd. Marshall star Jon Elmore had more turnovers than points in the first half and was held to 15 points after scoring 27 points in the upset of Wichita State.

Ajdin Penava led the Herd (25-11) with 18 points.

The first meeting between the in-state rivals since 2015 when their annual series abruptly ended was a big enough event that West Virginia Governor Jim Justice flew out to watch the game in person. Wearing a blazer that was half dark blue and half green, Justice spent the first half on the West Virginia sideline and the second half with the Marshall cheering section.

There wasn’t much cheering from the Marshall fans as West Virginia led by as many as 31 in the second half.

But this was decided in the first 20 minutes thanks to West Virginia’s dominant run to take control. While Carter, West and their teammates were getting easy looks at the offensive end, Marshall became careless with the ball and missed a number of shots around the rim. After taking an 18-11 lead, Marshall missed six layups in the final 13 minutes of the first half and watched West Virginia surge ahead. Elmore was the most notable Marshall player to struggle with West Virginia’s pressure finishing the first half with just three points — scored in the first 65 seconds of the game — and six turnovers.

West Virginia led 42-25 at the half and Carter’s early 3s to start the second half ended any thought of a rally. Carter had 17 points in the second half.

BIG PICTURE

Marshall: It wasn’t 3-point shooting that was the problem. Marshall was 12 of 26 from deep, but just 10 of 30 on its shots inside the arc. The combination of turnovers and poor shooting inside the 3-point line was far too much to overcome.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers have been knocked out in the regional semifinals in each of their last two trips to the Sweet 16. West Virginia was eliminated by Kentucky in 2015 in a 39-point blowout and last year lost by three to Gonzaga. West Virginia has lost in the round of 16 in four of its last five trips there. The one exception was 2010 when the Mountaineers reached the Final Four.

UP NEXT

Marshall: The Herd should again be contenders in Conference USA next year with all five starters returning.

West Virginia: The Mountaineers will face Villanova. West Virginia has faced Villanova just once in the NCAA Tournament in 1962.

State Senator Wants to Mandate WVU-Marshall Series

A state senator wants to force the men’s basketball teams from Marshall and West Virginia to play each other every year.

Cabell County Democratic Sen. Mike Woelfel says he plans to introduce a bill requiring WVU and Marshall to meet once each season if school administrators can’t first reach an agreement.

Marshall and WVU have met every year since 1978, including in Charleston since 1992. WVU has won five straight meetings and nine of the last 10, including an 86-68 win last month.

Woelfel noted that he’s both a Marshall alumnus and a graduate of WVU’s law school.

Mountaineers and Herd Meet in Annual Classic

  The annual Capital Classic battle between WVU and Marshall in basketball tips off tonight at 7 at the Charleston Civic Arena.

The Mountaineers enter the contest with just one blemish on their record — a loss to the University of Virginia. They sit at 8-1 on the season and are ranked 20th in this week’s Associated Press poll.

Marshall has won its last three contests after starting the season 0-6 and now sits at 3-6 on the young season. In the last three games, the Herd has knocked off Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky and North Carolina Central.

The game will feature 10 West Virginia natives between the two teams. The Mountaineers have four state players on their squad and the Herd features six from the state. The game will be the second for the Mountaineers at the Charleston Civic Center this year. They beat James Madison on Nov. 16 in the Civic Center.

Tonight’s game will be broadcast live on ESPNU. 

Marshall Basketball Assistant Arrested

Marshall men’s basketball assistant coach Chris Duhon has been suspended for an undisclosed violation of athletic department rules and policies.

 Marshall’s athletic department announced Duhon’s suspension Monday and said it won’t comment further.

Records at the Western Regional Jail in Barboursville show the 33-year-old Duhon was arrested earlier Monday on a charge of aggravated driving under the influence and was released from the jail on bond. Jail records didn’t indicate whether Duhon has an attorney.

Duhon was arrested in Putnam County, but details were unavailable. Putnam County Sheriff Steve Deweese didn’t immediately return a telephone message Monday.

Duhon was hired by Marshall basketball coach Dan D’Antoni last year. Duhon played in the NBA for nine seasons and was a member of Duke’s 2001 national championship team. 

Dan D’Antoni Announced as Marshall Head Basketball Coach

Marshall University’s Athletic Director Mike Hamrick introduced Dan D’Antoni as the new basketball coach at a press conference Friday on Marshall’s campus.

Marshall University’s men’s basketball program finally has a new

   leader, in Dan D’Antoni. The Los Angeles Lakers’s assistant coach will lead the school that he once played for from 1966 to 1970.  Dan is the younger brother of Mike, the Head Coach of the Lakers.

Dan D’Antoni says he’s ready for the opportunity.

“I want to say how excited I am to be here, first of all that’s the most important thing,” D’Antoni said. “And he hit it on the head when he said this was a lifelong dream, it is. I’ve got my family here, D’Antoni’s have always bled green for a long, long time, and it goes back to Dad’s era back in the 30’s.”

The D’Antoni’s are originally from Mullens. Dan played for the Herd from 1966 to 1970. He said the state at the time was full of great talent.

“Southern West Virginia at that time was a hotbed of basketball, all of us played that was the thing to do. Hal Greer, Leo Byrd, Jerry West, Willie Akers was my dad’s center, there was a lot of good basketball at that time, it shaped a lot of things, it’s what gave me that passion,” D’Antoni said.

During the 40 plus days since Tom Herrion resigned, Mike D’Antoni’s name was front and center for Marshall’s coaching search, but not Dan. Dan D’Antoni has been a National Basketball Association assistant for nine years with his brother in Phoenix, New York and Los Angeles.  D’Antoni said he may be 66, but age means nothing.

“I’m not 67, I’m 66 years old and I want to get that straight, because you’re aging me before I get there, but I do feel in pretty good health though and I do have a lot of energy,” D’Antoni said.

It’ll take a lot of energy for D’Antoni to teach his game plan to his new team. He plans to play a pressing defense, guarding all over the floor, while being aggressive offensively. He said that system will allow his players to excel.

“I don’t tell them, don’t do this and don’t do that, I show them how they can do this and how they can do that,” D’Antoni said.  “And if they’re unselfish and I expect them to be, if they’re unselfish they’ll know their limitations of what they shouldn’t be doing to hurt our team.”

Ryan Taylor is one of the players that will soon suit up for Dan D’Antoni. He said he’s ready for a new brand of basketball.

“We’re still not that big and I think everybody on our team is interchangeable pieces and we’re just ready as he said to get up and down the floor and put the ball in the basket,” Taylor said.

Taylor said it was hard waiting so long for a new coach to be named, but he’s happy with the hire.

“It’s been rough, but O’Malley and Hamrick came to use and told us whoever we hire and when we hire them it’s going to be a great hire for us and the team, so just take your time and don’t make any decisions and I’m happy and my teams happy with the decisions that he made,” Taylor said.  

Dan D’Antoni says he will name a staff of assistants soon.

Dan D'Antoni the Right D'Antoni for Herd?

Marshall Athletic Director Mike Hamrick announced this afternoon a Dan D’Antoni will be the new head coach for Herd Men’s Basketball.

Marshall University has announced that Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Dan D’Antoni is the new head basketball coach at Marshall. Dan is the younger brother of Mike, the Head Coach of the Lakers.

During the 40 plus days since Tom Herrion was let go, Mike’s name was front and center for Marshall’s search, but not Dan. Dan D’Antoni has been an NBA assistant for nine years with his brother in Phoenix, New York and Los Angles. He played for the Thundering Herd from 1966 to 1970.

He was also a long time head coach at Socastee High School in Myrtle Beach South Carolina.

Dan will be introduced as Herd Head Coach at a press conference Friday afternoon. 

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