Sparklers, spinners, snakes and a few views from here:
Remember all the rhetoric about how WVU couldn't get into the ACC because of its academic reputation?
Well, think back to when conferences were expanding. There was no such talk when that same ACC invited Louisville. It simply whisked the Cardinals in and has been rewarded by some nice athletic accomplishments, including winners in football, men's basketball and baseball. In regard to the latter, there was a College World Series berth. There's even been a Heisman Trophy winner (Lamar Jackson) thrown in.
That, of course, has fed the appetite of a few within the Big 12 that's grumbled the league should have grabbed the Cardinals instead of the Mountaineers. WVU had 10 wins in football this past season, a Sweet 16 basketball appearance and a nice baseball run. Still, in this year's Director Cup standings, UL finished No. 26 and WVU No. 45.
But if those grumbling take UL's accomplishments, they also have to take the Cardinals' scandal involving prostitutes and strippers for basketball recruits, correct? They also have to accept Rick Pitino's act in the face of NCAA penalties, right? Are those tradeoffs OK in light of the athletic accomplishments?
Unfortunately, we know the answer for many out there: Yeah, probably.
n While speaking with former WVU basketball standout and current Cleveland Cavaliers NBA executive Mike Gansey last week, I asked how maddening it is to run a G League (formerly D League) team with its constant turnover.
"The roster turns over daily," he said. "You have guys getting called up. NBA players are going down. It's hard for me, but really hard for the coaches. Week to week, day to day, they might have different players, teams. They are the ones that have to adjust."
Gansey laughed.
"Everyone that's been in the D League in some capacity always says, 'Man, if you can do the D League, you can do anything,' " he said. "There's a lot of change and a lot of adversity to deal with. It challenges you and makes you better."
n Gansey, you might remember, played on some of the same WVU basketball teams as Frank Young. Well, back on June 9, Young joined the Presbyterian College staff as an assistant coach. The Blue Hose are situated in South Carolina and play in the Big South Conference.
Head coach Dustin Kerns brought Young in from North Florida, where he was director of basketball operations.
Good for Young.
n This year marked the 45th anniversary of Title IX, a law I've been writing about for at least half of those years. If unaware, it's legislation that's helped create opportunities for women and girls to play sports.
A recent report generated at the University of Central Florida, however, pointed out progress is not being made when you look at gender, race and LGBT inclusion in regard to head coaching hires.
Race and gender data for head coaches of women's teams were collected for conferences - including WVU's Big 12 - and found that a majority of the coaches (56.9 percent) were male.
When the report's authors, from the Tucker Center, issued grades on percentage of female head coaches, the Big 12 came in last (32.7 percent) and earned a "D." The league did better in percentage of head coaches of color, although earning a C-minus at 13.3 percent (fourth of eight conferences).
Let's hope the progress that's been made via Title IX continues to these areas.
n And finally ...
A sad note on this Fourth of July.
Word came from the Pittsburgh area that a former Pennsylvania football standout and WVU recruit was shot and killed early this past Sunday morning.
According to reports, Jeremiah Jones, 19, was pronounced dead shortly after 3 a.m. after being shot more than once.
Jones was a quarterback and safety for Woodland Hills. The Mountaineers offered him a scholarship in 2014 but apparently pulled back, and Jones re-opened his search in 2015.
Prayers go up for Jones' family.
Contact Mitch Vingle at 304-348-4827 or mitchvingle@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @MitchVingle.