Mike Casazza

Morgantown

Host at Country Roads Confidential: A WVU Mountaineers podcast

Battle-scarred shogun @247Sports I know my work. I know the risk. A sledgehammer's job is to break what it hits. I wrote a book: https://t.co/Vr2LfHDNfX

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Articles

WATCH: Who was the player who changed Rodriguez's out look on competitiveness?

3 days ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

A big part of the roster overhaul Rich Rodriguez is engineering at West Virginia is about getting the right players. A bigger part is about getting the players who are right for the culture he wants to reintroduce. After 17 years away, Rodriguez's return stoked the nostalgia about his program and the teams that controlled the Big East for a period of time because of the way they prepared and then played. The Mountaineers have had skilled and successful teams since then.
Who needs two shot clocks? What other rule changes could becoming to college hoops?

3 days ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

Remember when Bob Huggins unleashed Jevon Carter and Press Virginia on college basketball and the Mountaineers forced chaos and turnovers at an unrivaled rate? Then there were a few rule changes that maybe didn't respond directly to what WVU had been doing ... but sure seemed to discourage certain activities that had been helpful for a few seasons. The sport hasn't seen something quite like that defense since then. Too risky.
Three things I think, three things I know this week

3 days ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

Three things I think, three things I know this weekWhat's new with WVU? I know you definitely don't keep track of these things, but I think it'll be a few weeks before I take my next break. Here are three other things I think and three things I know this week. To read this full article and more, subscribe now —SALE: Only $1 First MonthGet access to this article and all of the in-depth coverage from the 247Sports Network with this special offer. $1 First MonthAlready a subscriber? Login247Sports Logo
Be hopeful, be suspicious about new commission but 'at least it's forward moving'

4 days ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

A group with authority might make a difference. More than a month has passed since a long-anticipated meeting in the 5-year-old House v. NCAA case that was supposed to move the settlement agreement forward stalled instead and stirred up a new problem with roster limit proposals. It might be messier now than it was before. We might have a life preserver on the way, though: The Presidential Commission on College Sports.
Contract details for Ross Hodge's staff: Numbers are in for Randle and McClurg

4 days ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

When Ross Hodge signed his five-year, $15 million contract with West Virginia last month -- the one that adds a year and a $3.3 million salary if the Mountaineers are in either of the next two NCAA Tournaments -- he also agreed to an allowance to build his coaching staff.
If this is how it's going to be, there's room for specialization and no room for misses

4 days ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

With all due respect to Chris, WVU football is not a national conversation. What the Mountaineers are doing with their roster is an international conversation. While I was away covering Conclave, there were casual talks about our jobs and questions about what I'd be covering or chasing if I weren't snacking on a salumi or staring at a sunset. Honestly, I couldn't explain it. I can barely comprehend it. What are we doing here?
Will Hodge's recruiting have much or little growing up to do?

5 days ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

Ross Hodge had his hands on three recruiting classes as the head coach at North Texas. There were five high school players. Each was from the Lone Star State. You can get away with that, and you can get wins with that, in a state like that. It's a different story at West Virginia, which simply doesn't have close to the same number of high schools and players within its borders. That's what made WVU's pursuit of Braydon Hawthorne so intriguing. He's one of the best prospects in this class.
How's Hodge's foundation as he builds a program? 'I know what it takes'

6 days ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

For many observers, Ross Hodge's association with two names has more to do with being hired at West Virginia than his two seasons as the North Texas head coach. VIPFor many observers, Ross Hodge's association with two names has more to do with being hired at West Virginia than his two seasons as the North Texas head coach. They're influential names, though. Hodge's new boss is his old boss. WVU athletic director Wren Baker was the UNT AD who hired Grant McCasland in 2017.
Can Hodge's ambition for offense match his philosophy on defense?

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

The past at WVU could preview the future. VIPSomething that new West Virginia basketball coach Ross Hodge seems to be is, ummm, defensive about his reputation. Oh, it's positive ... until it turns negative ... but it's something he has to navigate. Hodge is a few other things, too. He's a husband to a yoga instructor, and that's made him an amateur philosopher. "One thing she's taught me is in a storm, a flexible tree survives the storm," Hodge said. "The stiff, rigid trees, they break during the storm.
WATCH: Colluding to turn pretenders into a contender?

1 week ago | 247sports.com | Mike Casazza

Though it may be difficult to predict exactly what will happen to college sports and how the different classifications are going to look, it seems pretty safe to say the splintering will continue until something breaks. The NCAA is already split into different divisions, and Division I has the Power 4 and the Group of 5 for football and the high-, mid- and low-majors in basketball.