We like our basketball in West Virginia. In the southern coalfields, the fans like high-scoring, fast break-basketball.
We used to call it coalfield basketball. Thanks to the influence of coaching legends like Lewis D'Antoni and Willie Akers, fast-break basketball filled the gyms in places like Logan, Mullens, Williamson, Oceana, Harts and Northfork.
In case you hadn't noticed, Lewis' son Danny is coaching coalfield basketball at Marshall and, win or lose, the fans seem to be enjoying it. He is also trying to play with home-grown West Virginia players. He has Jon Elmore (Charleston) and Stevie Browning (Logan) in his starting lineup and more are coming.
Just over 30 years ago, Tex Williams was utilizing this same formula at the University of Charleston.
From 1982-86, the Golden Eagles had one of the most outstanding runs in the history of the old West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, and he did it with mostly in-state players. Four of the five starters were West Virginians, and there were 14 on the UC roster.
Williams was a Clear Fork High graduate who played at Marshall from 1959-61. His program had an incredible season in 1985-86.
Among his players in 1985-86 were Keith Tyler from Charleston, Tony Gordon from Wheeling, Gary Thompson and David Bradley from South Charleston, Ron Gaiter from Logan, Tim Dagostine from Poca, Bryan Dickerson from DuPont, Mark Ellis from Chapmanville, Bruz Hicks from Nitro and Antonio Martin from Northfork.
Former UC and current Longwood head coach Jayson Gee was also on the team. The assistant coaches were Dave Daniel from Seth and Rick Greene, the current coach at George Washington High School.
UC created a great deal of excitement in Charleston in 1985-86. The Golden Eagles opened the season with a win over Marshall and went on to a 30-5 record. They were 19-0 in the WVIAC before being upset by a Sam Cooke-led West Virginia Tech team in the league's tournament championship game. UC set 22 school records and finished ranked No. 5 in the country, averaging 98 points a game and scoring 149 against Wright State.
Coached by Craig Carse, West Virginia State was also a national-caliber NAIA team, and when the Yellow Jackets and Golden Eagles played, the gyms were packed. There was even coverage on local television. UC was an NAIA national quarterfinalist.
n Gee's Longwood University team in Farmville, Virginia, played at Creighton on national television on Friday night. Longwood also has upcoming games at George Mason, Ball State and Texas Tech before the new year.
n In the days before ESPN and interstate travel to Morgantown, college basketball fans in Charleston often turned to Morris Harvey basketball in the 1960s for their college hoops fix. There were several Kanawha County high school stars who played for the Golden Eagles, such as Roger Hart (Charleston), Jim Hayes (Herbert Hoover), Tom Neal (St. Albans), Spike Conley (South Charleston) and Bobby Wesley (Stonewall Jackson).
n A state native with a new head coaching job is former Morgantown High player Zach Spiker. The former head coach at Army, Spiker is in his first season as the head coach at Drexel, located in Philadelphia, and he's off to a 4-4 start this season. Spiker is the son of longtime WVU health care professional and athletic trainer John Spiker.
n Former Huntington High guard Tavion Dunn-Martin, who led his team to two Class AAA state championships and three state title-game appearances, is having a good freshman season at Akron. The dimunitive point guard is averaging just over 14 minutes and six points a game for Keith Dambrot and the Zips.
Contact Frank Giardina at flg16@hotmail.com.