CHARLESTON -
It seems a new cheering section is establishing itself for
the WVU basketball team. It resides right there on the Mountaineers' bench.
Aaric Murray and Juwan Staten are doing all they can to help
West Virginia even in a year that requires them to miss out on any game action.
The two transfers are becoming more and more vocal from
their front row seats, chiming in throughout the game with a word of advice or
encouragement for those in gold and blue and some heckling for anyone else.
"They talk to me, they say all types of crazy stuff and it
just like loosens me up and not takes away my focus but kind of just relaxes me
and know that the game isn't that serious and just play," says WVU senior
forward Kevin Jones. "Those two cheering on the bench is the funniest thing
ever and I'm glad that they're there."
During Wednesday's Capital Classic, Murray was starting
chants with the hope that his teammates would join in and was throwing a few
interesting insults toward the Herd.
At one point, after Damier Pitts missed a shot, Murray came
up with something about armpits in an effort to get in the Marshall guard's
head.
Maybe it worked, maybe it didn't, but it's something the
other Mountaineers have noticed and are feeding off of.
"I like that. I really like that," says Kevin Noreen. "He's
been doing that in practice more lately, too. When we're down in practice, when
we're a little sluggish, he'll amp us up and start jumping on the sidelines,
doing something crazy. It lightens the mood and helps pick us up."
You have to put yourself in Murray's and Staten's shoes and
understand the decision they made to transfer to West Virginia and forfeit a
season of meaningful involvement in a basketball game.
After the win Wednesday, Staten said something to the effect
of he has no choice but to embrace this role as the support on game days in
addition to the work he's able to contribute in practice.
Murray currently has a broken hand and can't give much
physically at all, so perhaps that's why his voice can be heard louder than
Staten's. If this is his biggest contribution to the team, at least it's
something.
"I'd be fine with that. He does a good job," says Noreen.
Along with all the photographers who were in range of
Murray's words, one of the game officials heard them too and basically said to
knock it off.
The next trip down the court, Murray went out of his way to
say things like, "Let's go Mountaineers," rather than anything negative toward
the opposition.
His teammates find it funny and the coaches appreciate
having a support system on the bench.
"I do notice that Juwan talks a lot with Jabarie and Gary
during the timeouts when they come out of the game," says associate head coach
Larry Harrison. "They're really into it. For them to travel here and support
the team shows that they're really into the team and trying to do everything
they can to help us win."
Their numbers are growing, too. Against Marshall, Deniz
Kilicli joined the mix and freshman Pat Forsythe has been coming along ever
since he's been relegated to the bench.
None of these players want to be in this position, but
they're doing all they can once the ball is tipped to make their presence known
and have a positive impact on the game.
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