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Tourney 'home run' for WVU
Weber played big role in Maryland rebound
BY MICHAEL CASAZZA
The Dominion Post
Not long ago, University of Maryland basketball was in a state of disarray. When Gary Williams returned to his alma mater as head coach, the program was shrouded in scandal stemming from
the overdose death of Len Bias. It was a terrible time for the Terrapins. Then, as the university's facilities steadily improved, Charlie Weber began hosting a summer basketball event on the College Park campus and things quickly changed. Recruiting classes were top-notch. National rankings were common. Slowly but surely, Maryland was on the rise. When Maryland won the national championship last year, 11 of its 12 players were spotted at the university's Charlie Weber event. Was it as much Weber as it was Williams?
"Ask any of the other ACC coaches that question," Weber said. "I know what they'll say. Part of the attempt to stop some of these tournaments from being held is to stop schools like Maryland from benefiting. It's why I've caught all sorts of ripping from the Matt Dohertys of the world for what it has done for the Maryland program. Why do you think schools are begging me to do an event on their campus? If I had a dollar for every school that has asked me to host an event on their campus ..." So, 16 years after the death of Bias rattled the Maryland program, possible NCAA violations and a string of coaching changes have done the same at WVU. And along comes Weber with his Triple S Harley-Davidson Charlie Weber Invitational. The Mountaineers can hope to reap similar benefits as the Terrapins when three days of play begin at 3:30 p.m. today.
"There's no question when you bring kids on campus, you develop a relationship between the kids and the campus," Weber said. "You want to get kids there that you wouldn't normally get to visit. If you get those kids on campus, you have a chance of maybe stealing a kid."
The invitational features 124 teams and more than 1,400 players. Competition is split up into three classifications: a 12-team 15-year-old division; a 32-team 16-year-old division; and an 80-team 17-year-old division, separated into two 40-team pools. Games will be played at the Student Rec Center, the Coliseum, University High and Morgantown High.
"It's a very important event," said Clemson's Larry Shyatt, one of many Division I head coaches in town for recruiting purposes. "Charlie Weber has always been synonymous with extremely well-organized and classy tournaments. He makes sure good people surround the program and the event. Right off the bat, it's a home run for West Virginia University."
The West Virginia Mohawks, one of six West Virginia-based teams in the field, have the honor of opening the weekend, against Pennsylvania's Renegades. "We actually look very good," Mohawks coach said Cliff Sutherland. "We're pretty large and really athletic."
Many of next year's top college recruits will be competing at the tournament. The notable exception is Akron, Ohio, phenom LeBron James. James, a senior-to-be who might opt for the pros, has already graced the cover of Sport Illustrated and gained national attention for working out with the Cleveland Cavaliers last month. However, he suffered a broken wrist recently when falling awkwardly on a botched dunk attempt and is sidelined for the summer.
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