It's one of the biggest clichés in sports...there's no 'I' in team. The idea of 'team' is preached by every coach, at every level of sports in the world.

 

Well, okay, maybe not EVERY. I guess there are some individual performance sports like golf, tennis and a few others that aren't as concerned about team, but you get my point.

 

This year's West Virginia basketball team is a great example of the sum being greater than the individual parts.  While they do have a superstar in preseason big 12 player of the year, Juwan Staten, it's the rest of the group that continues to impress me. Here we are heading into the final month or so of the season and there is no definitive number two guy behind Staten. Normally, that would concern me. Most really good teams have at least two guys you can count on every game. This Mountaineer team has that though, it's just not always the same two guys.

 

Nearly every night we see a different guy stepping up and producing. Take this week as a perfect example. Against TCU last Saturday, Daxter Miles was huge, especially on the offensive end. He carried the team down the stretch, hitting a tough, driving layup to force overtime and then two big three's late to get the win.

 

Tarik Phillip did not play against TCU, yet came out Tuesday against Kansas State and had a career high 12 points while Miles only managed two points.

 

That's just one example. I could name many more. That's the beauty of depth. It doesn't so much matter which guy steps up as long as someone does.

 

With so many different options, it helps minimize the risk of your season going down the drain if a couple of key players hit a slump. This WVU team just plugs in a new guy.

 

I heard a story earlier this week that illustrates this point perfectly. Someone with the Kansas State program remarked to a member of the West Virginia traveling party that the WVU bench was "like a clown car." He said, "you just keeping running guy after guy in there and they all do the same things."

 

The other encouraging part of this script if you're West Virginia is that this depth had been achieved with so many new (first year) guys. Rarely do you mix in as many new players as West Virginia has and get quality production out of nearly all of them.

 

Add to that the fact that WVU completely overhauled its system and sits at number 15 in the latest RPI rankings and number two in the best league in the country is remarkable.

 

What will the next month and a half hold for this Mountaineer team?

 

There are a bunch of big games against really quality opponents still on the schedule. However, barring a surprising collapse, this Mountaineer team is almost certain to return to the NCAA Tournament after a two year absence.

 

Once March Madness begins, I like this WVU system even more than I do now. Tournament games are played at neutral sites, often times in giant buildings with smallish crowds (in the early rounds). Shooting can be difficult in those type of environments. A premium is placed on defense. Also, good luck to those teams seeing the West Virginia press for the first time and with a short turnaround to prepare for it.

 

We have plenty of time to break down the tournament. For now, enjoy what you're seeing. West Virginia is back among the very good teams in the country. Let's see how far this TEAM can go.

 

Editor's Note: Photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.