The Shotgun/Throwdown: Alex Ruoff returns to West Virginia as a graduate assistant

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

Alex Ruoff, one of the great West Virginia men’s basketball players, is returning to his alma mater as a graduate assistant coach. Ruoff is retiring from his playing career and starting his new journey as a coach after 12 years as a professional player overseas.

Ruoff is WVU’s all-time leader in three-pointers, with 261 made threes. He is also 21st in school history in scoring, with 1,420 career points. Ruoff recently shared that WVU head coach Bob Huggins is “a big influence in [his] life not only on the court but off the court as well.”

Football

WVU’s Brown Provides a Team Update as it Enters Mock-Week Mode

Head coach Neal Brown and the West Virginia football team are preparing for their mock game on Thursday, as they prepare for the upcoming Backyard Brawl at Pitt.

Soccer

Mountaineers Score Five, Take Down SJU

The West Virginia women’s soccer team earned its first win of the season with a 5-1 blowout over Saint Joseph’s. Five different Mountaineers scored, which shows WVU’s versatility offensively.

NFL

Will Grier impresses Dallas coaches, others in preseason debut

Could Will Grier be backing up Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott this season? The former Mountaineer impressed his Dallas coaches and NFL commentators this weekend with six completions for 98 yards.

Bills release Tavon Austin

The Buffalo Bills have released West Virginia football legend Tavon Austin. On the bright side, Tavon is still being inducted into the WVU Sports Hall of Fame in September.

Around the Big 12

Former Florida men’s basketball player Keyontae Johnson transfer to Kansas State

Kansas State beat out Nebraska and Memphis to gain a commitment from former Florida men’s basketball player Keyontae Johnson. As a graduate transfer, Johnson has one year of eligibility remaining.

Around the NCAA

Big Ten completes 7-year, $7 billion media rights agreement with Fox, CBS, NBC

The Big Ten Conference now has a seven-year media rights deal with Fox, CBS, and NBC that is worth $7 billion. The agreement will start in 2023 and end in 2030.

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