Post by KY Kid on Jun 12, 2002 19:03:42 GMT -5
West Virginia to play Florida in basketball
By Chuck McGill The Daily Athenaeum
(U-WIRE) MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The West Virginia men's basketball team will reportedly face the Florida Gators in the upcoming season. The game is scheduled to take place on Dec. 4. The game is a "home" game, but will not take place in Morgantown. The venue will be the Civic Center in Charleston, W.Va.
The site was chosen because the Gators feature star guard Brett Nelson, who is a native of West Virginia. Nelson attended St. Albans High, which is located approximately 10 miles outside of Charleston. During his senior season at St. Albans, Nelson and his team played a majority of their games in the Civic Center to accommodate the huge crowds that they drew.
Nelson was the high school player of the year at St. Albans and chose the Gators because of his connection with head coach Billy Donavan, who used to coach at Marshall in nearby Huntington.
Donavan has attempted to give all of his players a homecoming game at some point in their careers. The game will also present new WVU head coach John Beilein with a premium opportunity to impress the Mountaineer fans in Charleston.
In exchange for the game, West Virginia will play Florida once again in the 2003-04 season in Florida. That game will also be at an off-campus site, as it will take place in Miami.
© 2002 The Daily Athenaeum via U-WIRE
By Chuck McGill The Daily Athenaeum
(U-WIRE) MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- The West Virginia men's basketball team will reportedly face the Florida Gators in the upcoming season. The game is scheduled to take place on Dec. 4. The game is a "home" game, but will not take place in Morgantown. The venue will be the Civic Center in Charleston, W.Va.
The site was chosen because the Gators feature star guard Brett Nelson, who is a native of West Virginia. Nelson attended St. Albans High, which is located approximately 10 miles outside of Charleston. During his senior season at St. Albans, Nelson and his team played a majority of their games in the Civic Center to accommodate the huge crowds that they drew.
Nelson was the high school player of the year at St. Albans and chose the Gators because of his connection with head coach Billy Donavan, who used to coach at Marshall in nearby Huntington.
Donavan has attempted to give all of his players a homecoming game at some point in their careers. The game will also present new WVU head coach John Beilein with a premium opportunity to impress the Mountaineer fans in Charleston.
In exchange for the game, West Virginia will play Florida once again in the 2003-04 season in Florida. That game will also be at an off-campus site, as it will take place in Miami.
© 2002 The Daily Athenaeum via U-WIRE
