Published: October 06, 2008 11:51 pm         

Huggins thinks WVU will be ‘pretty good’

MORGANTOWN — Despite the loss of three starters from last year’s team, Bob Huggins thinks the West Virginia University men’s basketball team is going to be “pretty good” in his second season as the head coach.

But he said Monday morning in a media teleconference that the Big East again is loaded with nationally ranked teams that will provide challenges.

“You look around our league and you see teams that are ranked second, third, fifth and seventh in the country, and I think we’re pretty good, too. There’s also Villanova that has everybody back from the Sweet 16 and they’re picked eighth in our league..

“I think that tells you what kind of basketball is played in the Big East. It’s a league with size, and we just don’t have a lot of size like last year. But I like our team.”

Huggins, who has been traveling quite a bit the last few months, said he’s anxious to get back out there on the Coliseum court. That’s where preseason practice will begin with Midnight Madness starting at 8:30 p.m. Friday.

A huge crowd is expected, with WVU fans arriving early for Saturday’s noon football game with Syracuse. That kickoff is set for noon.

Huggins said his returning players and newcomers have worked hard all summer under Andy Kettler, WVU’s new strength and conditioning coach. “He’s done a great job of getting them ready for preseason practice,” he revealed.

The basketball coaches also have been working each week with players in individual sessions since the fall semester started in mid-August. The workouts have been going very well.

Huggins said he expects to use nine or 10 players on a consistent basis once the games start in early November. He expects four or five scorers to average double figures, pretty much as was the case last season.

He thinks the 10 veterans have helped one junior-college transfer and five freshmen see what’s expected of them in the Huggins system and enable them to get caught up as steadily as possible.

Huggins said freshmen Devin Ebanks, 6-foot-9 forward, and Kevin Jones, 6-8 forward, will add size to the squad along with 6-10 Dee Proby from Round Rock Junior College in Texas and 6-10 freshman center Roscoe Davis. Darryl Bryant and Cameron Payne will be available for service at guard.

The Mountaineers are certain to miss Joe Alexander, an NBA lottery pick, as well as point guard Darris Nichols and center Jamie Smalligan.

Holdover starters are 6-6 junior Alex Ruoff and 6-7 forward Da’Sean Butler. Both averaged double digits in scoring as WVU posted a 26-11 record, reached the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament, and finished fifth in the Big East standings.

Joe Muzzulla, 6-2 junior, is expected to be the starting point guard after having backed up Nichols. Another top reserve from 2007-08 is 6-7 junior Wellington Smith, who will vie for one of the starting forward spots.

Huggins said John Flowers, 6-7 sophomore forward, probably is the most improved player going into preseason practice. “John really has worked hard at it and made significant improvement,” he noted.

Other returnees include senior forward John Sowards and sophomores Will Thomas, Cam Thoroughman and Jonnie West.