West Virginia
WVSports – New number, new focus for West Virginia DL Martin in final season
For Sean Martin, the No. 5 holds significance.
Martin made the decision to switch to that number ahead of his final season with the Mountaineers as a way to honor one of his close friends from high school.
“In 2019 I lost one of my closest friends, Tony Webster,” Martin said. “He had a brain aneurysm. I’m doing it for my coach, his family, the town of Bluefield and his family to represent him.”
Webster was a teammate of Martin’s at Bluefield High School until his untimely passing in January of 2019. He was only 17-years old at the time and wore that number until it was retired.
It’s a direct way for Martin to honor his fallen teammate and he informed Webster’s father that he was going to make the move while watching the Beavers at the state tournament in March.
“He asked me about the number change, and he was excited about that. Even though they lost he was excited that I was doing it,” Martin said.
With that settled, Martin has shifted his entire focus to putting together a strong final season and so far so good. Martin is currently in one of the best stretches of football in his career to date after overcoming an unspecified issue that affected the way he could practice last season.
One of the things that had escaped Martin throughout his career has been consistency with his play but that has not been an issue this spring. And one of the people that know him the best has seen it first hand with his position coach AJ Jackson as Martin has embraced a more vocal, leadership role.
“If I passed out right now Sean would be able to take over the coaching side of the room right now,” Jackson said. “The consistency piece has showed up since January and I think he’s in the best mental space I’ve seen him since I’ve been there.”
While he isn’t the most talkative person, he has embraced leading by example and has been forced to step outside of his comfort zone to help those around him improve as well.
One of the things that Martin has embraced is the competition with another in-state native across from him left tackle Wyatt Milum. The two square off on the field but Jackson points out that it’s even more rewarding that the pair have been watching film together and discussing football away from it.
“He’s probably going to be the best payer I play against this season so trying to get as many reps as I can but also coaching up the younger guys that got in,” Martin said.
Physically, Martin has grown into his body and understands how to use it to be more effective not only as a pass rusher but against the run as well.
“He’s got a lot of length and his size and weight now he’s really powerful. He’s one of the strongest guys,” Brown said. “Now it’s starting to click how to use his length and he’s starting to show he can be a dominant player at times.”
And now with a new number and a lot to play for in his final season in Morgantown, Brown believes that there is potential for Martin to have his best season yet in the program.
“As the year goes not just being an NFL player but maybe potentially an early round pick,” he said.
Granada Theater – Opened in 1927, the Theater is located at 537 Commerce Street, Bluefield. It is contributing to the Bluefield Downtown Commercial District and while originally used as a vaudeville and movie theater, is currently used for cinema and live performances.
Robinson Grand Performing Arts Center – Opened in 1913, the Robinson Grand is located at 444 W. Pike Street, Clarksburg. It is contributing to the Clarksburg Downtown Historic District, and was designed and is still used for cinema, live performances and as an events venue.
Elk Theater – The Elk Theater was opened in 1940 and is located at 192 Main Street, Sutton. It is contributing to the Sutton Downtown Historic District. It was designed and is still used for Cinema and Live Performances.
West Virginia
Oklahoma State basketball vs. West Virginia: Prediction, picks for Cowgirls-Mountaineers
OSU women’s basketball coach Jacie Hoyt with baby Harlow, who got her first Big 12 win
OSU women’s basketball coach Jacie Hoyt with baby Harlow, who got her first Big 12 win
STILLWATER — One quick look at the top part of the Big 12 women’s basketball standings tells you how big this West Virginia at Oklahoma State game is.
The Cowgirls (13-2, 3-1 Big 12) are tied for third place in the league with WVU (13-2, 3-1), and while there’s a lot of basketball left to be played, this game could be important as the standings shake out in late February.
Here’s what you need to know about the matchup:
A duel of conflicting strengths
Though OSU’s offense has been struggling lately, it still remains the best in the Big 12, putting up 84.4 points per game. West Virginia, on the other hand, is the second-best defense in the league, giving up just 51.1 points per game.
The Cowgirls’ recent shooting struggles are the bigger concern. They’ve scored just 66 and 64 points in the last two games, most recently defeating Cincinnati 64-48.
Can Anna Gret Asi heat up?
A key piece of Oklahoma State’s offensive attack is combo guard Anna Gret Asi, but the senior hasn’t been seeing shots fall lately.
Over the last two games, Asi is 1 for 16 from the floor and 0 for 12 from 3-point range. That has dropped her 3-point percentage from 42.9% to 37.1%.
Cowgirls must avoid turnovers
OSU’s guard-heavy lineup has been reliable in taking care of the ball this season, averaging just 14.2 turnovers per game.
That will be critical in holding off WVU on Saturday. The Mountaineers rank fourth nationally and well ahead of everyone else in the Big 12 in turnovers forced, causing 25.9 per game.
How to watch OSU-West Virginia women
The Cowgirls and Mountaineers will be broadcast on ESPN+ at 2 p.m. Saturday. Streaming for the game can be found here. The OSU radio broadcast will be on KGFY 105.5 FM.
Score prediction for OSU-West Virginia women
West Virginia 64, OSU 63: A few key Cowgirls, like Asi, have been cold from the floor in recent games, and that trend is sure to turn in their favor soon. But West Virginia’s defense might be catching OSU at the ideal time to steal a road win.
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West Virginia is one of the most successful programs in college football history. As a matter of fact, they are the winningest team in college football without a national championship.
Is that a good thing? Well, yes and no.
It shows that the program has consistently won and is at a high enough level to be among the best programs in the country. However, it’s certainly not a label that Mountaineers fans are exactly proud of. The 1988 and 2007 seasons are still burned into the memory bank of WVU fans and getting back to the big dance in this day and age is a tall task.
The Mountaineers entered the 1988 Fiesta Bowl against Notre Dame with an unblemished record and clobbered many of their opponents on their path to the big game. Unfortunately, star dual-threat quarterback Major Harris injured his shoulder on the third play of the game and wasn’t the same player the rest of the game. The Mountaineers would fall to the Fighting Irish 34-21.
In 2007, well you all Mountaineer fans know the story. But for those who don’t, West Virginia entered the final week of the season ranked second in the country and all they needed to do was beat a 3-8 Pitt team in the Backyard Brawl, at home, to secure a spot in the national championship.
The high-powered WVU offense went stagnant as star quarterback Pat White injured his non-throwing hand early in the game. White didn’t return until late in the fourth quarter and the Panthers were able to hang on to pull off the stunning upset, defeating the Mountaineers 13-9.
That was the last time WVU has been on the doorstep of a national title.
So, which team in the NFL has shared that same level of misery yet has been a consistently winning organization? That would be the Minnesota Vikings.
They have the best winning percentage of any team in the NFL who have yet to win a Super Bowl. Only the Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, and Kansas City Chiefs have a better winning percentage, but they all have Lombardi Trophies.
Now, technically, the Detroit Lions have the most wins of any NFL team without a Super Bowl win, but they have a winning percentage of .455, so it’s not exactly an accurate representation of the success West Virginia has had at the collegiate level.
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