John Beilein is New Basketball Coach

By Bryan Messerly

John Beilein, who has won 447 career games and ranks among the Top 30 in victories among active Division I head coaches, has been named WVU's 20th head basketball coach. Beilein (pronounced bee-line), a 1975 Wheeling Jesuit College graduate who had been head coach at the University of Richmond, replaced retired coach Gale Catlett.

"I'm very excited about the opportunity to coach at West Virginia University," said Beilein. "This is something I've strived for since I was a high school coach in 1975. I have a lot of respect for West Virginia, the tradition of the program, and Gale Catlett. He was a tremendous coach who had a fabulous record at WVU."

At Richmond, Beilein compiled a 100-53 (.654) record in his five seasons with the Spiders, reaching the century mark faster than any other Richmond coach, and making him the second most successful coach by percentage of wins in the school's basketball history. "

John Beilein is a man of integrity, education, and experience," said President Hardesty. "He is highly competitive and successful in any venue. He is well-rounded, pragmatic, and focused. He is a man of impeccable character. When you couple this with his impressive credentials, he is the right coach for our players."

Beilein, 49, has a career record of 447-257 (.635), compiled winning records in 22 of 24 years as a head coach (including the past nine seasons), and made six post-season appearances in his 10 years at the helm of a Division I college basketball program.

"At 49 years old and to have been a head coach for 24 years, winning 447 games, is remarkable," said Athletics Director Ed Pastilong. "He has been highly successful at every school he has coached and has had outstanding graduation rates at each stop. We're confident that he will continue to be successful at WVU."

In his first year at Richmond, 1997-98, Beilein orchestrated one of the most memorable campaigns in program history, leading the Spiders to a 23-win season and an NCAA tournament appearance. The Spiders grabbed national headlines that season by edging South Carolina, 62-61, in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Success has followed Beilein throughout his career. He has put together 11 20-win campaigns, and is the only current college coach to record 20-win seasons at four different levels: junior college, NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division I. Prior to arriving at Richmond, Beilein spent five years as the head coach at Canisius College in upstate New York. He was also head coach at LeMoyne College (Syracuse), Nazareth College (Rochester), and Erie Community College (Buffalo).

Beilein played college basketball at Wheeling Jesuit from 1971 to 1975. He received a bachelor's degree in history there in 1975 and earned a master's degree in education from Niagara University in 1976. Beilein began his coaching career at New Fame Central High in New Fame, New York.

Beilein will have a five-year contract that will pay him $550,000 annually. This includes a $150,000 base salary and $400,000 in guaranteed promotional income (Mountaineer Athletic Club appearances, radio, television, Internet, and endorsements). Beilein will have the opportunity to earn an additional $175,000 per year in incentives and income from summer camps. Incentives will include graduation rates, team grade-point averages, NCAA appearances, NIT appearances, Big East championships, and season ticket sales.

"With a lot of patience, understanding, and hard work, I hope to bring West Virginia men's basketball to the top of the Big East conference," said Beilein. "If you can compete at the top of the Big East, then you will be known as one of the top teams in the nation."

A native of Burt, New York, he and his wife, Kathleen, have been married for 24 years. They have a daughter Seana, 22, and three sons: Patrick, 19; Mark, 17; and Andrew, 11.

Rodriguez and Team Gear Up for Fall

The 2002 Mountaineer football team began spring practice March 16 and concluded it with the annual Gold-Blue scrimmage on April 20. With the home opener against Tennessee-Chattanooga just four months away, second-year Head Coach Rich Rodriguez was optimistic about his team's chances to rebound from a disappointing 2001 season. His top goal, and what he hopes will become the trademark of his team, remains the same.

"When the referee spots the ball, whether it's on offense, defense, or kicking, there will be 11 guys out there ready to go full-speed who know what they're doing all the time," said Rodriguez. "That's where I think we will see great improvement after a year in this offense—people will know what they're doing and what's expected of them on every play.

"When you aren't comfortable, it slows you down. It limits your emotion and enthusiasm. I think last year we were still unsure of what to do and that's what happened. We need to be comfortable to the point where we can just go out there and let loose."

Rodriguez said that recruiting went well this year: 29 student-athletes have signed national letters-of-intent to play football at WVU. West Virginia ventured into some unusual states to make up this year's recruiting haul. In addition to traditional territories Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, New York, and Florida, the Mountaineers also landed prospects from Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas.

2002 Mountaineer Football Schedule

Aug 31	Tennessee-Chattanooga	home
Sep 7	Wisconsin	away
Sep 14	Cincinnati	away
Sep 28	East Carolina	home
	Parents Day
Oct 5	Maryland*	home
	Varsity Weekend
Oct 12	Rutgers*	away
Oct 19	Syracuse*	home
	Homecoming
Oct 26	Miami*	home
Nov 2	Temple*	away
Nov 9	Boston College*	home
	Mountaineer Day
Nov 20	Virginia Tech*	away
Nov 30	Pittsburgh*	away

*Big East conference game
Get Tickets! Call 1-800-WVU-GAME.

Jones Wins National Title; Turnbull is Coach of the Year

By John Antonik and Adam Zundell

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