The bus began to roll at 6:01 a.m.
Some sleepy WVU basketball players had boarded, pillows in their arms. A few - very few - were wide-eyed for the day's adventure.
And, oh, would it be an adventure. The Mountaineers were headed to Wharton in Boone County to help give out food and supplies to a community wracked with misfortune.
The list of those helping with the venture was long, from Little General, Coca-Cola, Foodland and Walmart to Coventry Health Care, Mountaineer Food Bank, Facing Hunger Food Bank, Broughton, Heiner's and Team Sled.
But the trip, spearheaded by Mountaineer coach Bob Huggins, ex-WVU student body president Jason Parsons and WVU's Jay Kuntz, was also an education.
For all involved.
Arnold Edwards, the quick-witted bus driver, drove the team from Morgantown to Charleston and down into Boone County, where a police escort awaited. Starting at Price Hill, the team dove into a 10-mile stretch that once held more coal mines than any other area in West Virginia. But no more.
Coal miners are laid off or flat unemployed. Railway cars by Marthatown sat idle as the bus passed.
Past Jarrell's Valley Community Church and the Van Car Wash (Bubble Brush) went the Mountaineers. Finally, around 10:11 a.m. the bus pulled into the Van High School Baseball Complex.
OK, so along the way there was fun. Huggins told the team the bus was leaving at 6 a.m. Elijah Macon and Brandon Watkins were late. And left behind. Threats of tire lifting in Morgantown "until we get back" were leveled at the pair by the coach.
But the duo volunteered to drive down - and ended up first heading toward Wharton, Pennsylvania, after incorrectly setting their GPS.
Fun was also had with Huggins' good friend Denver Allen. But sometime along the way, a call hit Huggins' cell phone.
"Some have been camping out since last night," said the coach.
What the team found upon arrival was stunning. There were truckloads of food and supplies for 500 families of four - 2,000 in all. There were vouchers. Cars were lined up for the help back to 85 North.
And there was Tambra from the Mountaineer Food Bank. (She dropped her last name years ago "just because I could.") She directed the WVU players, including four freshmen, from the very moment they stepped off the bus.
"They fear me," she later laughed.
Yet those players worked and worked under the hot sun. They lifted and unpacked boxes. They stuffed grocery bags. Finally, they delivered the boxes and packages to the cars.
"When you're working with a team, they know how to work as a team," Tambra said.
It was a sight to behold. But it was also a sight to remember.
There was frail Roger Marcum, a former miner of 33 years, pulling up.
"It's a help," he said of the food. "It's a big help. I worked for Massey, but then was disabled. I became a security guard after that, but had a stroke last September. Plus, I have the burden of six foster kids, a total of eight in the family.
"It's going to help a lot. I'm always looking for ways to make ends meet."
There was an appreciative Julia Foster, who drove up in a gray Toyota Camry.
"This is a great thing," she said. "It's wonderful they came down. At least we're remembered."
There was Barry Brown, whose twin brother Larry was killed in a roof mining accident, attending.
"I think this was the best thing that could ever happen to this community," Brown said. "At one time we had 20 mines working here. Now we're down to three. For Coach Huggins and the team to come down here shows a lot of support for the community. It was the perfect thing to do."
The team - including Macon and Watkins, who did show - worked from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
"First of all, this is great for the people down here," Huggins said. "They've gone through so much. Hopefully, this brightens their day a little bit. Plus, I think it's great for our guys. I think they now understand the folks that cheer for them every time they step on the floor, whether that be through radio, TV or at the game.
"The greater appreciation they have for our people, the better."
"It's good to come back and give to some of the families, the miners that are out of work," said Mountaineer forward Nate Adrian. "That's been a big part of our state and any time I get a chance to help, it's excellent."
Again, there were light moments. Guard Teyvon Myers shot hoops on the nearby barnlike basketball floor with brothers Jadyn, 14, Landon, 10, and Ashton, 6, Stewart. ("It's like playing with Steph [Curry]," Myers said, "and I'm Draymond [Green].")
But the Mountaineer players understood.
"We've been able to see a lot of people not as fortunate as us," said Esa Ahmad. "To come out and put a smile on their faces means a lot."
In the end, all the food, the Ramen noodles, onions, bananas, frozen meats, bread and water, was given out. But the line of cars continued, even after the team bus left.
Which was somewhat symbolic.
The tough times for folks in Boone County will undoubtedly continue. But, as Julia Foster said, at least on this hot June day they were remembered.
"Nobody operates like a West Virginian," Tambra said, wiping sweat from her brow. "They have true compassion and sincerity in their hearts."
Just like a team.