West Virginia gives Big East a good name

ATLANTA -- When the Big East blew up three years ago, nobody talked about West Virginia as the league's potential flag bearer.

Most probably thought of West Virginia's sports teams the way Patrick Beilein thought of them when he was a high school senior in Richmond, Va.

"I'd only seen a couple of football games and really didn't pay attention just because, well, you know, West Virginia," said Beilein, now a senior guard on the Mountaineers basketball team, which happens to be coached by his father, John, and which happens to find itself in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. "I knew they were in the Big East, but I just figured they were at the bottom of it. I really didn't know much, to tell you the truth."

Today, everybody knows about West Virginia athletics. How could they not, after the basketball team made a Cinderella run to the Elite Eight, and the football team jacked up Georgia in the Sugar Bowl?

The simple truth is that West Virginia, more than any school in the conference, has preserved the Big East's good name.

Some deemed the loss of football powers Miami and Virginia Tech as a lethal blow. Thanks to West Virginia, that's laughable now. The Mountaineers finished last season ranked higher than both and will begin this season the same way. Louisville also might be ranked ahead of Virginia Tech.

"West Virginia has been our main torch bearer in football," Big East commissioner Mike Tranghese said Wednesday. "And the basketball team clearly has made a significant contribution. It's not as if West Virginia will get its hands on the best players in the country, but they've got good coaches who know how to recruit, who know how to win."

Tranghese's a pretty good recruiter himself. He recommended his close friend John Beilein to West Virginia in 2002, after top candidates Bob Huggins and Dan Dakich flamed out.

At the Final Four that year, Tranghese learned that Beilein -- then Richmond's coach -- had just declined a job opportunity elsewhere and wanted to work in the Big East. Tranghese dialed West Virginia athletic director Ed Pastilong, who deserves immense praise. He's the one who hired football coach Rich Rodriguez and Beilein.

Pastilong credits Tranghese with a major assist on the Beilein hire, though he says the school already had Beilein on its list.

"Mike has a keen eye for coaching talent, particularly in basketball," Pastilong said. "His comments were very important to us."

Only Villanova, Connecticut and West Virginia have made consecutive Sweet 16 appearances since the Big East re-aligned last season. The Mountaineers meet Texas tonight with a chance to get back to the Elite Eight.

The Mountaineers' combined football-basketball record since the re-alignment: 65-26 (.714).

"People think of West Virginia in a whole different way now," Patrick Beilein said. "They know, if you're going to play West Virginia -- football or basketball -- you better be ready."

The key to sustaining that success will be keeping Rodriguez and John Beilein on the payroll. Pastilong is confident he can do that, and he promises to continue to improve the school's facilities each year.

Both coaches have competitive contracts. Beilein's, signed after last season, reportedly pays $700,000 per year, with annual raises, through 2011-12. It also contains a $3 million buyout. Rodriguez signed a seven-year deal after the 2002 season.

Still, Pastilong acknowledges the obvious: Other schools will come calling for both men. In Rodriguez's case, some already have.

People tend to want your coaches when you're winning.