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WLU’s Crutchfield Enjoys His Job

WHEELING — “This is the only job I ever want.”

That was the message delivered by Jim Crutchfield during Tuesday’s Wheeling Rotary Club luncheon at WesBanco Arena. The highly successful West Liberty University men’s basketball coach was the guest speaker at the well-attended event.

The Clarksburg native is in his 13th year at the West Liberty helm. During that time, he has built the Hilltoppers into a Division II juggernaut.

Under his adept tutelage, West Liberty has won 338 games while losing just 57. Crutchfield owns the highest winning percentage of any college basketball coach in history with at least 10 seasons as an NCAA coach.

That is just the tip of an ultra-successful iceberg. He has guided the Hilltoppers to seven straight conference championships, seven successive Sweet Sixteen berths, five Elite Eight spots in the last six years and a national runnerup showing.

Winning at such a high rate does make for an enjoyable job. But that is just part of the equation.

“I really enjoy the players I coach and I love the people I work with. We also have a loyal following,” Crutchfield told the lunchtime crowd. “When I recruit players I like to bring in guys that have a sense of right and wrong. I don’t want to have to babysit my players.

“We want talented players but also want character young men. It has worked out pretty well so far. I enjoy coaching and being around my players.”

One of those character individuals is St. Clairsville High product Dan Monteroso. The former Red Devils two-sport all-stater received a football scholarship to Purdue. He played three years for the Boilermakers and earned his degree in that time.

With one year of football eligibility and two years of basketball eligibility remaining, the sweet-shooting southpaw opted to take his talents to West Liberty, where his dad (Jeff) is the football team’s defensive coordinator.

Monteroso enjoyed a super football season although West Liberty endured a losing campaign. The glue-fingered wide receiver earned all-Mountain East honors.

Making his two-sport saga remarkable is that he played two basketball games and one football game in a 24-hour period for the Hilltoppers. He made his hoop debut for Crutchfield the night prior to the Hilltoppers’ final football game the next afternoon. Monteroso again played another hoop game the same night of the grid finale.

“Dan is a really good athlete. His athletic ability is amazing,” Crutchfield said. “But along with that talent goes a lot of character and a super work ethic. He is defintely not afraid of hard work. Even during football season you could find him in the gym at nights getting shots up and working on his game.

“Playing two college basketball games and a college football game in a 24-hour span is remarkable. Dan is now finding his comfort zone. Dan makes my job much easier. It is nice knowing we have him for two seasons.”

Crutchfield also realizes that all winning raises the expectation level of the Hilltoppers fanbase.

“We are rated the No. 1 team in the country even though I don’t think we are right now. But it is good for the school, our program and our fans,” Crutchfield said. “We are No. 1 right now because of past results. Twelve years ago, we were just happy to get a spot in the others listings below the top 25.”

BUBBA’S BITS

∫ Also in attendance at the Wheeling Rotary luncheon was former WVU Athletics Director Ed Pastilong. The Moundsville native still resides in Morgantown but travels to West Liberty one day a week to aid the Hilltoppers in various capacities. The OVAC Hall of Famer said, “Once a Valley boy, always a Valley boy.”

∫ Emporia State saw its successful season come to an end last Saturday, falling to unbeaten and No. 1-rated Northwest Missouri State, 44-13, in the second round of the NCAA Division II playoffs. Emporia ended the campaign, with a sparkling 11-2 mark, both losses coming at the hands of Northwest Missouri State.

The Hornets have gone 22-5 over the last two years with four of the five losses coming to Northwest Missouri. Emporia State has advanced to the playoffs in three of the last four years and played in the post season in four of the last five years. The Hornets and Bearcats are the only two MIAA teams to win playoff games in back to back years since Pittsburg State did it in 2004 and 2005.

∫ Two Shadyside natives are key members of the Emporia State grid staff. Brothers Matt and Bryan Nardo — both former St. John Central athletic standouts — are coordinators for the Hornets. Matt runs the offense and Bryan the defense. Matt also serves as recruiting coordinator.

∫ Michelle Bielanksi has her Austin College (Texas) women’s basketball team off to a 3-2 start. She was a two-time all-Ohio performer at St. John Central, scoring 1,436 points for the Irish, winning three OVAC titles during that time.

∫ The Ohio Valley Football Coaches’ Association is holding its annual fall recruiting night at Generations Restaurant in Wheeling on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The cost is $5 per staff member. Food and drink will be provided. Please make every effort to attend or send a member of your staff for representation. Some 60 colleges are expected to attend.

∫ Missy Tiber has her University of North Alabama women’s hoop team off to a great start. The Lions are 5-0 heading into today’s game against Alabama-Huntsville. Tiber is a former Bellaire High and West Liberty hoop standout.

∫ I am not a Michigan fan but I do like Jim Harbaugh. However, his whining about the officiating in his Wolverines’ loss to Ohio State rang hollow. The deciding factor in the double-overtime contest was three costly Michigan turnovers.

∫ Kudos again go out to Wheeling Jesuit University’s Christy Benner as she earned the American Volleyball Coaches Association Atlantic Region Coach of the Year award. It marks the third time she has been accorded that honor.

∫ The Steubenville Big Red came up a field goal short for the second straight year to Bishop Hartley in the Division IV state champion game, but Coach Reno Saccoccia’s team should be commended for another banner season.

Bubba Kapral can be reached at bkapral@timesleaderonline.com

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