Ye olde notebook:
I've been asked what kind of effect WVU's recent basketball success has had on recruiting.
Well, rather than judge, I thought I'd let you in on exactly how it's going. Here are five players with whom the Mountaineers are currently involved:
n Derek Culver, Warren (Ohio) High: The 2017 class power forward is perhaps the best in the Buckeye state and a top-50 player nationally. At 6-foot-8, the four-star recruit has offers from WVU, Clemson, Indiana, Memphis, Xavier, Arizona, Florida and Iowa.
n Rayshaun Hammond, Norcross (Georgia) High: The 6-8, 200-pound four-star recruit is considered the top 2017 power forward in the South and No. 1 in Georgia, according to Scout. The Mountaineers are in there, along with Alabama coach Avery Johnson, Auburn and Tennessee.
n Sterling Manley, Pickerington (Ohio) Central High: Manley is a 2017 three-star recruit who has caught Huggins' eye at 6-10. His offers were initially mostly from the Mid-American Conference, but he's now emerging as a high-major prospect.
n Dwayne Cohill, Holy Name (Ohio) High: I've mentioned Cohill in the past. WVU's coaches did well to get in on the 2018 class shooting guard early. The 6-3 four-star recruit has been to Morgantown already and has offers from Xavier and Penn State, in addition to West Virginia. He also is considered the state's top player in his class.
n Sincere Carry, Solon (Ohio) High: Another 2018 recruit, Carry has been scouted for a long time. The 5-11, 180-pound player was once called the "top ranked sixth grade point guard." I kid you not. Huggins has been to see him.
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While on the subject of answering questions, a reader asked if I could clarify a situation regarding Marshall and Conference USA.
As you may know, our Doug Smock recently reported MU and the other 13 Conference USA schools apparently will have to make do with about $500,000 less in television revenue next season.
League TV revenue is likely to fall by about half when new contracts with Fox Sports and the CBS Sports Network take effect July 1.
Well, reader Greg Thompson in Texas remembered a column I wrote back in 2013. At that time, when Conference USA schools were leaving en masse for the American Athletic Conference, MU athletic director Mike Hamrick commented on exit fees.
Reports were floating at that time of exit fees being in the $6.6 million range. Hamrick said, however, that was incorrect. Each departing school was only obligated to pay $500,000 - with a catch. That catch was the departing schools had to pay the difference if the TV contract income dropped.
On Tuesday, he clarified.
"It was the difference between our current contract and any drop," Hamrick said. "When those schools left, our TV partners were able to cut the revenue. Two didn't and one did. The difference there was made up [by the departing schools]. We didn't lose any money from the current TV contract. It doesn't have anything to do, though, with the contract being negotiated now."
Let's hope the remaining C-USA schools all have rainy day funds, because the clouds are gathering.
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If the top seeds all advance, the Mountain East Conference basketball tournament March 5-8 at the Charleston Civic Center could be something special.
On the men's side, fans could see not one or two but three Division II top-10 teams in the semifinals. Wheeling Jesuit is No. 2 nationally, while West Liberty is No. 3 and Fairmont State is No. 7. It'll be interesting to see if nice crowds show for that even if a Kanawha Valley school doesn't make the semis.
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If you're seeking sports TV programming involving a Mountain State figure, tune into NBA TV at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.
According to Turner Sports public relations man Jay Moskowitz, a feature on Greenbrier owner and gubernatorial candidate Jim Justice will be aired at that time. Hosted by Matt Winer, the show is called "Beyond the Paint" and focuses on off-the-court stories related to basketball. The Greenbrier, you may know, hosts the New Orleans Pelicans' preseason camp.
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Betting site Bovada released its early odds for college football teams to win the next national championship. As one might expect, Ohio State is the odds-on favorite at 6-1. Alabama is close behind at 7-1.
Meanwhile, WVU comes in at 200-1, along with Arizona, BYU, California, Georgia Tech, Maryland, Mississippi State, North Carolina State, Northwestern, Penn State and Virginia Tech.
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And finally, a couple Big 12 hoops notes.
First, the league sent out an eye-catching memo. Heading into the week, the Big 12 held the best Rating Percentage Index number (.5990) in its history, since league play began in 1997. It was also the second highest number for any conference since 2000.
Also, heading into Tuesday's play, Kansas and Oklahoma were Nos. 1-2 in the RPI. (WVU was No. 11.) So there's a chance the Big 12 could have two No. 1 seeds in the upcoming NCAA tournament.
Oh, and if you're marking your calendar, Selection Sunday is March 13.