The 100 Biggest WVU Males’s Basketball Gamers Of All-Time: No. 55-51 | WVU | West Virginia Mountaineers sports activities protection
On this 21-part sequence, I’ll rely down the 100 best Mountaineer males’s basketball gamers of all-time.
Admittedly this checklist just isn’t scientific. It’s fully subjective, and clearly opinions could differ. Please be at liberty to go to our message boards at BlueGoldNews.com to supply your personal ideas on this checklist, both professional or con.
Under is one other installment on this prolonged sequence with a rely down from No. 55-51.
Earlier High Gamers
100-96 95-91 90-86 80-76 75-71 70-66 65-61 60-56
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51 – Johannes Herber (2003-07) – Many Mountaineers have gone to play basketball in Germany after their faculty careers. A local of Darmstadt, Germany, Johannes “Joe” Herber reversed the journey. He spent his childhood within the European nation earlier than coming to the U.S. as a part of John Beilein’s first-class as WVU’s head coach. Herber immediately grew to become a starter with the Mountaineers as a freshman in 2002-03, and the 6-foot-6 guard began each one of many 128 video games he performed in at West Virginia. Nobody in class historical past has performed extra. An clever participant (he was a two-time first-team CoSIDA Tutorial All-America), Herber might do a little bit of every little thing on the court docket. He scored 1,069 factors in his 4 years at WVU, and his 467 profession assists are the sixth most in class historical past. He additionally made 135 of 409 profession 3-pointers and is within the high 20 at WVU in every class. Most significantly, although, Herber was a winner. Previous to his arrival, the Mountaineers had been 8-20, however he led them up the ladder to data of 14-15, 17-14, 24-11 and 22-11 in his 4 seasons. The final two of these years West Virginia not solely made the NCAA Event however superior to the Elite Eight in 2004 and the Candy 16 in 2005. A political science main, Herber returned to Germany after graduating from WVU and spent six years enjoying skilled basketball in his residence nation earlier than changing into a author.
52 – Alex Ruoff (2006-09)– Recruited to be a fringe sniper by John Beilein, Rouff was in a position to regulate to the rough-and-tumble model when Bob Huggins took over as coach following his sophomore season. The 6-foot-6 guard, who grew up in Hamilton, Ohio, earlier than spending his highschool days in Spring Hill, Florida, didn’t see a lot motion his freshman season (1.0 factors per recreation), because the 2005-06 Mountaineers went 22-11 and made it to the Candy 16 spherical of the NCAA Event. He would begin each recreation over the subsequent three seasons, although, in a profession by which he finally accrued 1,420 factors. He averaged 10.3 factors per recreation as a sophomore in serving to Beilein’s last staff to a 27-9 rebound and an NIT championship. He discovered success each offensively and defensively below Huggins, averaging 13.8 factors a recreation in 2007-08, when West Virginia was 26-11 and fought its strategy to the NCAA’s Candy 16 once more. Ruoff’s senior marketing campaign noticed him common 15.7 factors per recreation. A four-time Massive East Tutorial All-Star, he was additionally a first-team CoSIDA Tutorial All-American in 2009. Apart from averaging 11.2 factors per recreation in his 4 seasons at WVU, he additionally dished out 410 assists (ninth most in class historical past) and had 189 steals (seventh most). Ruoff has performed skilled basketball in quite a lot of areas because the finish of his faculty days, together with spending final season with Brose Bamberg in Germany.
53 – Ira Errett Rodgers (1916-18)– Rodgers did so many nice issues at West Virginia College that’s typically simple to neglect he was a superb basketball participant as nicely. His soccer prowess earned “Rat” first-team all-American honors in three separate seasons and finally gained him induction into the School Soccer Corridor of Fame in 1953. He was a captain of WVU’s baseball staff, and after his enjoying days coached the Mountaineer soccer (1920-25 & 1943-45), baseball (1921-42) and golf (1949) groups. His No. 21 has been retired by the West Virginia soccer program, and he was a part of the 1991 inaugural class to the WVU Sports activities Corridor of Fame. Among the many many issues he did nicely (he additionally gained the West Virginia Beginner Golf Championship in 1929), was basketball. Hoops was nonetheless an toddler at WVU, having performed simply six seasons previous to Rodgers becoming a member of the staff. He instantly grew to become among the best gamers on the squad, averaging 7.2 factors per recreation in 1915-16, 7.8 in 1916-17 and 4.2 in 1917-18. That won’t sound like lots, however in an period when West Virginia not often broke the 30-point barrier as a staff, Rodgers’ output typically topped the squad even supposing he spent a lot trip of season coaching for soccer or baseball. Rodg’ remained at WVU after his enjoying days, not solely teaching but additionally serving on the school. He handed away in 1963 on the age of 67.
54 – Herbie Brooks (1985-89)– One of many best prep gamers within the historical past of the state of West Virginia, Brooks led Mullens Excessive College to a few straight state championships, averaging 35 factors as a senior and 34 as a junior. He was a three-time first-team Class A all-state choice and was the state participant of the yr in 1984. He adopted that dominating highschool profession with an impressive one at WVU as nicely. A 6-foot-2 ahead at Mullens, he needed to regulate to a backcourt position in faculty. To assist that improvement, Mountaineer head coach Gale Catlett redshirted Brooks as a real freshman, and he started to progress from there. He averaged 2.4 factors per recreation as a redshirt freshman and 6.9 as a sophomore. He grew to become a full-time starter as a junior (11.8 factors per recreation) and adopted it up with an impressive senior season (14.7 factors and three.5 rebounds whereas making 50.8{cf07cd047201b183b19c0b335dbd7d35a498f84568531c8abe8643bd3ccfd494} of his subject objectives and 81.8{cf07cd047201b183b19c0b335dbd7d35a498f84568531c8abe8643bd3ccfd494} of his foul pictures). He was a second-team all-Atlantic 10 choose in his senior season, serving to West Virginia to a 26-5 document and its third NCAA berth in Brooks’ 4 years on the court docket. He moved again to the Mullens/Beckley space after graduating from WVU and presently helps the Wyoming East Excessive College boys basketball program, serving as an assistant below his son, Derek Brooks, who’s the Warriors’ head coach.
55 – Dave Reaser (1966-68) – Dave “Deacon” Reaser was a superb scorer on among the greatest offensive groups in Mountaineer basketball historical past. In simply three seasons of varsity competitors, he posted 1,071 profession factors, as every of his WVU squads averaged over 80 factors per recreation. All three are nonetheless among the many high 20 scoring groups in West Virginia historical past. Reaser and WVU had been at their greatest in 1966-67 when the 6-foot-6 junior averaged 19.9 factors per recreation and the Mountaineers averaged 87.3. The one West Virginia membership that had scored extra beforehand was the 1959-60 squad (Jerry West’s senior yr) that posted 89.5. The ’66-’67 staff continues to be the fourth-highest scoring staff in WVU historical past, and Reaser’s common that season continues to be 19th. Combining with the likes of Fritz Williams, Carl Head, Cary Bailey and Bob Hummell, Reaser’s three varsity seasons every resulted in 19-9 data, and the golf equipment earned an NCAA berth in ’67 and an NIT spot in ’68. Apart from averaging 12.9 factors in his 83 varsity video games, Reaser additionally averaged 4.9 rebounds. A local of St. Albans, West Virginia, Reaser moved again to the Kanawha Valley as soon as he graduated from WVU.
