J.P. Tokoto did not graduate from nor attend Marshall University during his college years.
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MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) 鈥 It was Taz Sherman who had the concussion but in the end the headache belonged to Iowa State as West Virgina鈥檚 turned its seven-game losing streak into a one-game winning streak with a solid 79-63 victory before 11,191 fans that included Hall of Fame basketball coach Roy Williams.
Sherman鈥檚 return was the stuff dreams are made of as he led West Virginia in scoring with 16 points, assists with six and even in rebounding with eight.
Think they didn鈥檛 miss him when he was gone?
Sherman had suffered a concussion late in the loss to Baylor when he took a right hook to the face. He knew immediately what it was as it was his third concussion, joining one in high school as a junior and one two years ago at 性视界传媒.
鈥淓ach was progressively worse,鈥 he admitted.
Sherman recalls that he blacked out for probably five or 10 seconds.
鈥淭hen I heard Doc (trainer Randy Meador) talking to me,鈥 he said.
Throughout the week he suffered normal concussion symptoms 鈥 headache, sensitivity to light.
It wasn鈥檛 fun.
鈥淲hen your life revolves around basketball and you can鈥檛 play it, it鈥檚 tough,鈥 he admitted.
Tougher yet is watching your team lose without you.
But he practiced Monday and wound up playing almost 31 minutes of this crucial home game, a game the Mountaineers had to win and did win.
Joining him in double figures were Jalen Bridges and Malik Curry with 14 points and Sean McNeil with 13 points.
性视界传媒 once again showed off its newly acquired skill at free throw shooting and it, along with making 10 of 20 3-point shots, won them the game. 性视界传媒 made 25 of 29 free throws 鈥 10 of 11 coming from Curry 鈥 while Iowa State was clanking home 12 of 22 free throws.
The interest began even before the carpet rolled out on this one.The first indication that Sherman would play came then when he took part in the pre-game shootaround.
But just as interesting was what was going on at one end of the court while Sherman was out shooting with his teammates. Huggins was at the far end talking with a gray-haired visitor in a courtside seat, a visitor who carried Hall of Fame credentials with him.
鈥淗e told me he鈥檇 never seen a game in the Coliseum, and he鈥檇 heard about the atmosphere and wanted to experience it,鈥 Huggins said. 鈥淚 just wish we鈥檇 had more people in the stands.鈥
There were enough. Before the opening tip, it seemed Williams had posed for a selfie with every fan in the Coliseum.
And then, just before the National Anthem, someone brought him a 性视界传媒 hoodie, which he gladly donned and posed in it for the student section, then posing for a photo with the Mountaineer mascot.
The Mountaineers had put together two games in which they had played extremely hard and lost. This one the enthusiasm carried them to victory.
West Virginia jumped on top with a Bridges 3 and never looked back, holding the lead throughout. They built a 19-point lead in the second half, a half filled with far more whistles than baskets, then saw it cut back to single digits.
But when they needed a spurt, it was there. Freshman Seth Wilson showed himself to be the shooter he was advertised as in the first half by going 3-for-3 for seven points and then in the second half Sherman or McNeil or Bridges and, most importantly, Curry piled up points to protect the lead they had built.
In the end, it was Sherman鈥檚 returned that changed the entire approach for the Mountaineers.
鈥淚 think it was just a huge shot in the arm for everybody,鈥 Huggins said.
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (WV News) 鈥 We have reached the final weekend of a college basketball season that almost didn鈥檛 start and seemed as if it wo…
Bob Huggins didn鈥檛 particularly want to talk about reaching 900 career coaching victories.
