Published: November 01, 2009 12:21 am      

WVU Tech hopes to continue on success of ‘breakthrough season’

On the heels of a “breakthrough season,” the WVU Tech men have ambitions to do even more damage on the local collegiate basketball scene in 2009-10.

“Last year was a breakthrough season for us,” Golden Bear coach Bob Williams said at Thursday’s Media Day activities in the Neal D. Baisi Athletic Center. “Going through so much transition (the past several years), finally we’ve adjusted and learned what we need to do to do well at this level and in this league.”

Tech posted a 20-11 record in 2008-09. The wins included a 96-91 upset of then-NAIA No. 1 Mountain State University.

“Our experience will help us early in the season,” said Williams.

Leading returnees include 5-foot-11 senior Darryl Slack (12.9 points per game last year), 6-foot-6 senior Robby Marshall (10.8 ppg, 37 blocks), 6-foot-1 senior Zack Thomsen (8.7 ppg, 4.2 apg), 6-foot-3 sophomore Vinny Coleman (6.6 ppg), 6-foot-8 sophomore Rickey Young (7.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg) and 6-foot-4 sophomore Ben Shannon (4.3 ppg).

Top newcomers include 6-foot-8 Roi Buchbinder, a junior from Tel Aviv, Israel via Division I Fairfield (Conn.) and Virginia Union, and 6-foot-7 junior Russell Allen, who also has Division I experience at Detroit Mercy.

Tech begins its campaign today at 2 p.m. at home against Maryland Bible College, the first of six home outings to begin the year. The first-semester slate features a game at NCAA Division I foe Coppin (Md.) State on Nov. 14, and contests against NAIA powers Mountain State (Dec. 5 in the Baisi Classic) and Life University (Nov. 30). The Bears will tangle with Mountain State again on Jan. 12.

“We’re going to be deeper, more versatile, more experienced and more athletic,” said Williams. “Of course, our schedule’s much tougher this year.

“Our league (Mid-South Conference) is going to be way up.”

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The WVU Tech women will be looking to improve on last year’s 2-27 mark.

Returning contributors include former Woodrow Wilson standout Ashley Blaney, a 5-foot-11 junior forward; Jessica Johnson, a 5-foot-10 sophomore center from Winfield; and Sharnage Young, a 5-foot-9 junior guard from Atlanta, Ga.

“Those three young ladies are very important to the success of this year’s team,” said second-year coach Jim Fout.

Blaney averaged 15.8 points and 8.8 rebounds a game last year while being among the national leaders in several categories.

“We’ve got to get quality production out of her,” Fout said of the “high-energy” Blaney, one of his co-captains. “She played out of position last year, and we will be able to move her back to the three or four this year.”

Top newcomers include co-captain Kerin Roche, a 5-foot-8 junior guard from Harcum Community College in Hillsdale, N.J., Shyla Jones, a 6-foot junior power forward from Lakeland Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, and Style Harper, a 5-foot-8 freshman guard from Cincinnati, Ohio.

While struggling to field a roster of five or six players last winter — which included a pair of mid-season transplants from the soccer team — Fout has an expanded roster for 2009-10. And many of the newcomers — nine — hail from within the Mountain State.

“We got back into recruiting West Virginia kids,” he said.

Recruits included PikeView’s Rachel Weatherly, Princeton’s Brittini McClung, and Greenbrier East’s Kelli Morgan.

— E-mail: skeenan@

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