The Shotgun/Throwdown (4/9/19): West Virginia to Face St. John’s in Big 12/Big East Scheduling Alliance

Welcome, By-Godders, to The Shotgun/Throwdown, WVU’s best place for sports links, information, sophomoric humor and daily distractions.

Football

WVU football: Stills brothers 'trust the process' for Mountaineers | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
There have not been many in-state recruits in recent years that generated as much buzz upon their arrivals at WVU as Fairmont Senior products Dante and Darius Stills.

WV MetroNews Darius Stills ready to show it's also his time to shine on defensive line - WV MetroNews
Darius Stills has been long been in the shadows cast by his father and his younger brother, but he is coming into his own this spring.

WV MetroNews Temple wide receiver Sean Ryan announces transfer to West Virginia - WV MetroNews
West Virginia’s wide receiver corps has a new body. The Mountaineers are adding a former Temple wide receiver with three years of playing time in front of him.

Players Media Session - West Virginia University Athletics
Select members of the West Virginia football team met with the media last week at the Milan Puskar Center Team Room. Check out what the Mountaineers had to say!

WV MetroNews Brown says Mountaineers have a lot to do in final week of spring practice - WV MetroNews
West Virginia has a lot of work remaining in Neal Brown's first spring at the helm and not much time left to get it done.

WVU football: Receiver Gary Jennings still out to prove himself as NFL Draft approaches | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
Gary Jennings has been proving himself for most of the last three years, but his work is not done yet, as he prepares for the NFL Draft.

WV MetroNews Three Guys Before The Game - Trevon Wesco (Episode 108) - WV MetroNews
Tony Caridi and Brad Howe continue their interviews with NFL-bound Mountaineers. This episode features WVU tight end, and Mountain State native, Trevon Wesco.

Versatile Haskins Evolving Into A Complete Player For Mountaineers - West Virginia University Athletics
A couple of months ago, just after he was hired to coach West Virginia's offensive line and had an opportunity to study what the Mountaineers had returning personnel-wise, Matt Moore talked about the tight end position like it was a pot of gold.

WV MetroNews West Virginia's accountability competition part of building 'players-led team' - WV MetroNews
Neal Brown hopes to build better chemistry and better people in Morgantown. Brown’s new coaching staff has launched an offseason accountability competition where players are scored for class attendance, nutrition, and community service.

WVU football notebook: Derrek Pitts finds his groove in spring practice | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
Derrek Pitts was thrust into a starting position last season as a sophomore for the Mountaineer football team, but injuries limited what he was able to accomplish on the field.

WV MetroNews Koenning's defense an early source of frustration for WVU offense - WV MetroNews
West Virginia's defense has had the upper hand in spring ball, but defensive coordinator Vic Koenning's co-workers have seen that play out many times before.

Dye Brings Winner’s Mentality To Mountaineer Program - West Virginia University Athletics
There's something to be said for surrounding yourself with winners. That's what Neal Brown has done with Xavier Dye, West Virginia's outside receivers coach.

WVU football notebook: Coverage a key to blitzing quick-strike Big 12 offenses | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
Vic Koenning’s West Virginia defense will not be shy about blitzing opposing offenses next season. But in order to do so, the Mountaineers will have to be able to provide some cover on the back end while teammates fight to the quarterback or ball carrier.

WV MetroNews Trickett looks to keep tight end a position of strength for West Virginia - WV MetroNews
West Virginia is losing Trevon Wesco, but the Mountaineers want to keep tight end a weapon in their offense. The tight end torch will be passed to Jovani Haskins this season.

WVU football: Mountaineers’ offensive line still a work in progress | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
As was expected, the offensive side of the ball tends to be a little bit behind the defense this spring for the Mountaineer football team.

WV MetroNews WVU offensive lineman Mike Brown making major strides this spring - WV MetroNews
Development is always a goal in spring football, and one West Virginia offensive lineman is making a big leap.

WVU recruiting: Mountaineers host prospects from non-traditional spots | WVU Gameday | wvgazettemail.com
This past week WVU head coach Neal Brown and his staff hosted recruits from non-traditional recruiting areas.

Basketball

Matchups Revealed for 2019-20 Big 12/BIG EAST Scheduling Alliance - West Virginia University Athletics
The Big 12 and Big East revealed the 2019-20 matchups for the inaugural year of the scheduling alliance between the two conferences. The Mountaineers will be taking on St. John's next season.

Derek Redd: The total picture of Bob Huggins isn't always the picture you see the most | Derek Redd | wvgazettemail.com
The total picture of Bob Huggins is not always the picture that most people commonly see when the WVU head coach is coaching.

Tom Bragg: Waiting for Konate's NBA decision inconvenient but unavoidable for WVU | Tom Bragg | wvgazettemail.com
Sagaba Konate’s decision this week to test the NBA Draft waters for a second time should not come as much of a surprise.

Martin Earns WBCA All-America Honorable Mention - West Virginia University Athletics
Redshirt junior guard Tynice Martin of the West Virginia women's basketball team was named a 2019 WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches' All-America Honorable Mention.

West Virginia Athletics

Manoah Named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week - West Virginia University Athletics
Mountaineer junior, right-handed starter Alek Manoah has been named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week.

Mountaineers Strike Late to Win Finale, Series vs. Oklahoma State - The Smoking Musket
Clutch offense in the 8th and 9th innings propelled the Mountaineers to a series victory in a well-pitched finale in Stillwater.

Sharpstene Leads WVU at Irish Creek - West Virginia University Athletics
MSophomore Matthew Sharpstene claimed his third top-10 finish of the season to lead the West Virginia golf team at The Cabarrus County Irish Creek Collegiate at The Club at Irish Creek in Kannapolis, North Carolina, on Sunday.

WVU Tallies Four Wins at Virginia - West Virginia University Athletics
The West Virginia track and field team earned four wins at a four-team meet at Virginia, on Saturday afternoon. Redshirt freshman Hayley Jackson won a pair of events, while redshirt senior Madelin Gardner and redshirt freshman Katherine Dowie also secured victories for the Mountaineers against Maryland, Pitt, and the host Cavaliers.

Mountaineers Cap Season in Ann Arbor - West Virginia University Athletics
The West Virginia gymnastics team scored 195.425 and finished fourth this evening in the second of two second-round meets at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional Championships. The Mountaineers' final score is WVU's fifth-best mark earned in 36 NCAA Regional appearances.

WVU Falls to No. 14 Jayhawks - West Virginia University Athletics
The WVU tennis team finished its final road trip of the season on Sunday afternoon. The Mountaineers fell to the #14 Kansas Jayhawks 6-1.

Mountaineers Stumble Against Wildcats - West Virginia University Athletics
The West Virginia tennis team suffered a setback against the Kansas State Wildcats on Friday evening, as the Mountaineers were defeated 7-0 in Manhattan, Kansas.

WVU Falls to Georgetown in Spring Home Opener - West Virginia University Athletics
The West Virginia women's soccer team opened its home spring schedule with a 2-1 loss to Georgetown on Sunday afternoon in Morgantown.

Meet the Mountaineers: Macy McElhaney - West Virginia University Athletics
Throughout the spring semester, Mountaineer fans will have the unique opportunity to get acquainted with the West Virginia volleyball team. Next up is Macy McElhaney.

Around the Big 12

Baylor, Kim Mulkey complete long road back with NCAA championship
After a series of heartbreaks and six seasons ending in disappointment, Baylor and coach Kim Mulkey returned to the top with their third NCAA title.

NCAA Championship: Texas Tech’s Chris Beard gives emotional interview
Texas Tech's coach was emotional during his postgame interview, but he paid respects to Virginia then had great things to say about his guys.

Baylor women return home with 3rd national title trophy - The Washington Post
Kalani Brown walked in carrying the trophy when the Baylor women returned home with their third national championship.

Around the NCAA

Virginia beats Texas Tech, 85-77, to claim first National Championship - SBNation.com
The Virginia Cavaliers are NCAA champions for the first time in their college football program’s history, after winning a very close game over Texas Tech on Monday.

Virginia’s national championship run was shaped by a preaseason white water rafting trip - SBNation.com
Virginia's road to a national championship started in the hills of West Virginia.

College basketball top 25 next season: Extremely early 2019-20 rankings - SBNation.com
We’ve got way too much time between now and the 2019-20 season tipping off. That’s not gonna stop us from doing this.

How Ty Jerome helped Virginia win the NCAA Championship - SBNation.com
Jerome guided the Cavaliers to their biggest win of the year by breaking the defense down and setting up his star teammates.

Houston Cougars preview 2019: Holgorsen, return the swagger - SBNation.com
The former WVU head coach could restore the Cougars’ swagger.

Kyle Guy, Virginia’s national championship hero, explained - SBNation.com
The emotional leader of Virginia basketball emerged as a March Madness hero for the ‘Hoos. This is what you need to know about Virginia star Kyle Guy.

9 thoughts about Pitt’s extremely Pittsburgh new uniforms - SBNation.com
The University of Pittsburgh has a new color scheme, some new logos, and new uniforms for all of its teams.

Antonio Brown is wrong for calling out JuJu Smith-Schuster, but he did have good advice - SBNation.com
On Sunday afternoon, former Steelers and current Oakland Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown started Twitter beef with his former teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster.

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