Enjoy...

The Charleston Gazette Wrote:Bad news for WVU fans; WNBA and Notre Dame
By Mitch Vingle
Sports Editor
July 18, 2008

THERE'S A word that describes Tevita Finau's chances of playing for West Virginia University's football team this fall.

Bleak.

The junior college defensive end, a four-star recruit, was being counted on to make an immediate impact along the Mountaineers' front. But reading the words of Phoenix College offensive coordinator Mark Mejia won't please WVU fans.

"He hasn't [qualified] yet," Mejia said Thursday. "He has a test - language - through BYU he was supposed to take at Arizona State. But Arizona State won't let him take the test there because he's not enrolled as a student."

"So that's an issue, plus he needs an English class. And time is real short. I talked to Tevita and told him he needs to start doubling up. Camp is in two weeks.''

Mejia said Finau learned he could earn credits by taking the language class via a proctor or on the Brigham Young campus, a 15-hour drive. He was originally going the proctor route at Mesa College, then ASU.

"He signed up two weeks ago," Mejia said. "It's been frustrating for him. The people at ASU said BYU should have told him he had to be enrolled.''

Mejia knows Finau, and knows what kind of a hit WVU takes if the end isn't eligible.

"It would be huge," said the coach. "But right now Tevita is getting overwhelmed and frustrated.''

Mejia said if Finau doesn't make the grade, he'd probably return to Phoenix College and finish his degree. (Whether he plays another season there, said the coach, is up to Finau.) He could be in Morgantown for the second semester, but his eligibility at WVU would be cut from three years to two.

* * *

West Virginians who didn't have a favorite WNBA team before this season might root for the Detroit Shock now.

The reason is not, well, shocking. Both Alexis Hornbuckle, who attended Capital and South Charleston before Tennessee, and Olayinka Sanni, who stood out at WVU, play for the team.

Hornbuckle, the No. 4 overall pick in the last WNBA draft, is averaging 5.8 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 21 minutes per game. Sanni is averaging 2.2 points and 1.7 rebounds in 7.8 minutes per.

The Shock, a two-time WNBA champion, is leading the Eastern Conference.

* * *

And finally, a few midsummer observations and notes.

* Big East fans hoping Notre Dame might some day join the league as a full-fledged member didn't get good news when Jack Swarbrick became the new Fighting Irish athletic director.

Swarbrick said remaining independent is "a critical part of who we are as a school.'' He did say, however, the Bowl Championship Series setup may dictate the school's status.

"If the BCS gets reformed in some way, if there's a reshaping of the conferences, we have to navigate those waters,'' Swarbrick said. "But yes, my strong interest is maintaining independence.''

* An odd story out of Connecticut has former starting Husky wide receiver Terence Jeffers transferring to Vanderbilt. Jeffers led UConn in receiving last season with 44 catches, but apparently wanted bigger numbers.

The story is odd because Jeffers flat-out dropped about 15 passes last season. Mr. T could have had 60 catches had he simply kept his eye on the ball.

* Louisville's football team hasn't had much luck this off-season. First, cornerback Rod Council, one of the nation's best, was dismissed after being arrested in connection with an armed robbery. Then, a few days ago, receiver JaJuan Spillman pleaded guilty to drug and weapons charges. He too has been dismissed.

* If you have doubts about the Big East's basketball strength this winter, consider the "ridiculously early preseason Top 25'' list put out by CBSSports.com senior writer Gary Parrish.

He lists three Big East teams - in the top five. You read correctly. He has Louisville at No. 2 behind North Carolina, and the Cards are followed by No. 3 Connecticut, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 Notre Dame.

If that's not enough, he lists Pitt at No. 8, Marquette at No. 14, Georgetown at No. 15 and Villanova at No. 16. He has WVU and Syracuse just missing the cut.

* Pitt's Jamie Dixon received a commitment from 6-foot-9 Dante Taylor the other day. The Panthers haven't had a McDonald's All-American since 1987, but may have one in Taylor, rated the nation's No. 23 player by Rivals.com.

* Before I forget, yours truly will participate as an Associated Press college football poll voter this coming season. As in the past, the Gazette will publish the vote Monday mornings with the poll.

In case you're wondering, the preseason poll will be released on Aug. 16 and in papers the next day.

* Lastly, you may remember the name of Ewan Porter, the Australian who participated in the Nationwide Tour's Players Cup golf tournament last week in Bridgeport.

I wrote about him in this space because he was heading straight from the Pete Dye event to the Royal Birkdale course and the British Open. Last season, he participated at Carnoustie but finished last, one shot worse than 64-year-old Tony Jacklin.

Well, this year he's faring better. Porter, who missed the cut at the Players Cup, shot a plus-6 round of 76 Thursday. That puts him above another former Pete Dye tournament participant, 2006 runner-up Boo Weekley, who, along with Vijah Singh, John Daly and Ernie Els, shot a plus-10 80.

Just thought you should know.

Vingle is a pretty darned good beat writer for WVu ('eer fans can you confirm?). His columns are usually pretty good. I wish a lot of other schools were as lucky as you.

Hoquista Wrote:Vingle is a pretty darned good beat writer for WVu ('eer fans can you confirm?). His columns are usually pretty good. I wish a lot of other schools were as lucky as you.

I was thinking that same thing. The Enquirer just does not cover the Big East at all.