Sometimes it gets a little depressing in the Mountain State.
Google West Virginia and you'll see stories saying we're last or in the bottom tier of well-being, education systems, drug overdose mortality, business setup, court systems ... and that's just what pops up on the first couple of pages. (We're near the bottom in "people who want to work." Really?)
Today, though, I'm going to shine the light on excellence within our state. And it's found nestled in the Kanawha Valley.
As you might know, the University of Charleston's men's soccer team is playing tonight in the NCAA Division II tournament's second round. UC, ranked No. 6 nationally, will host No. 21 Urbana at 7 p.m. at Schoenbaum Stadium.
Questions: Have you ever really examined the program? Have you ever given the team more than a cursory glance? If not, you should.
See, these guys are West Liberty-basketball good. And, even if UC falls to Urbana tonight, they are simply a study in excellence.
The Golden Eagles are all about experience. They are all about worldwide recruiting. And they are certainly all about coach Chris Grassie, now the school's all-time wins leader.
Quick setup: Grassie, originally from England, attended Alderson-Broaddus, played soccer and continued playing professionally before getting into coaching. He moved to UC after serving as an assistant coach at the University of Michigan.
Recently, he repeated as the Mountain East Conference Coach of the Year after guiding his team to the title for the second straight season. The Golden Eagles were ranked in the top five nationally most of the season - including a stint at No. 1. UC, of course, fell just short - 3-2 to Lynn University - in the DII national championship last year. It compiled a 22-1-1 record, which was the most victories among all NCAA schools in men's soccer.
I could go on and on about the achievements of Grassie and the program, but let's get to the root of the column: how the Golden Eagles soccer team was built. For it is a fascinating story.
"When I took this over, there were 20 players," Grassie said. "We had some talent, but we needed to get more. So I went back to what I knew. In my last job we went for kids from Michigan and junior colleges, but we really couldn't compete.
"In Division II, though, there's a niche that allows you to recruit players that have been professional as long as they are in high school or one year out. Well, there are a lot of very good soccer development programs and professional clubs in Europe, England, Germany, France and Brazil. So we started to focus on those guys, guys who weren't Division I-eligible, but guys who are very good players. We wanted to get them to UC.
"If they want to play in the NCAA, their only real option is Division II. We don't have to compete with the big boys, UNC, Wake Forest and those guys."
Check out UC's roster. Cambridge, England. Brasilia, Brazil. Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. Aachen, Germany. Sainte Maxime, France. Denbigh, Wales. St. Catherine, Jamaica.
"We recruit them to Charleston and show them what we can provide for them," Grassie said. "We show them diversity. We try to get a lot of diversity. We have guys from Germany, England, France and Brazil. We teach them to respect each other and appreciate diversity.
"I've had it put to me there are many different ways to solve a problem. If you limit yourself to one mindset, one ideology, you're never going to solve that problem."
Grassie certainly solved the problem - and, in doing so, has provided Charleston with very high quality soccer.
"Getting these guys to come in as professionals is a way," Grassie said. "They're very competitive. They have an ego and I let them run a little bit. I let them have their own way a little bit. I let them fight and scream. But then I show them a better way. I show them to be positive about being part of a team.
"They realize then they are competing for a starting job and to represent the school. But they are not competing for their livelihood in the way they would [otherwise]. They can relax a little bit for four years. They can really integrate as part of a team and express their passion through the team. We teach them the right way to do it. That's kind of been the ideology."
The result is polished young men and terrific soccer.
"When we add new guys, they can learn what the seniors have gone through," Grassie said. "They can watch the freshmen come in and be pissed off at this or that, help them develop _ and laugh at it because they see themselves from before. Yet they know a better way."
There is one drawback to the excellence though. Rarely is there room on the varsity for West Virginia kids. In fact, there are none on the current roster and but three players from the United States.
"[MEC Offensive Player of the Year] Will Roberts has played before 30,000 people," Grassie said. "I know he can play. I watch the West Virginia state championships and I see 16- and 17-year old kids compete. There's no comparison on earth. They might have unbelievable potential, but it might take three or four years to get it out of them - whereas I have the finished product somewhere in the world I can bring in."
Grassie looks for experienced players who have gone through a "gap year" after high school. The more liberal Division II rules allow for it. The result is play that's better than that of, say, WVU or Marshall.
"The top [United States high school soccer players] will go to the top big programs, the UNCs, the Notre Dames, the Wake Forests, the UCLAs," Grassie said. "I can't compete with that. We can't compete with that. But what we can do is put a better product or a similar product on the field as the Division I schools. We do.
"We constantly beat Division I programs. Since I've been here we're 64-2 against Division I teams. We would definitely compete for the Top 25, just not with the same players."
Nonetheless, with excellent players.
Within an excellent program.