West Virginia Wesleyan

Paul Gibson - PF

Team: West Virginia Wesleyan Bobcats [ID #520]

Location: Buckhannon, WV (Central)

Conference: VI.3 [Division 3]

President: None

Rating: 33.81 - Overall Position: #817

Fan Mood: 59.05

Alumni Mood: 47.85

Prestige: 72

Team Notes:

• Mar 31 2042: 2-star prospect Todd Langston committed.
• Mar 15 2042: 1-star prospect Vince Riggins committed.
• Mar 07 2042: 1-star prospect Ethan Rhodes committed.
• Feb 27 2042: 2-star prospect Grady Jansson committed.
• Feb 15 2042: 1-star prospect Sherman Watson committed.
• Jan 23 2042: 2-star prospect Blake Eads committed.
• Dec 14 2041: 2-star prospect Sergio Benitez committed.
• Nov 30 2041: 2-star prospect Jimmy Horn committed.
• Aug 29 2041: Hank Stevenson was hired as the new assistant coach.
• Aug 29 2041: Lance Price was hired as the new assistant coach.

Record:

Wins: 2 Losses: 2 Pct: .500 Conf Wins: 0 Conf Losses: 0 Conf Pct: .000 Conf Rank: 11 Last10: 2-2 Streak: L1

Pts Ave: 73.8 - 83.3 Pts Diff: -9.5 Team Power Index: 114.4

Press Releases:

Oct 18 2034: A hot start? - by jdh on September 28th, 2023

WVWC comes out with a 7 point win in the home opener floyd winning player of the game

is the future bright for wvwc?

Oct 12 2034: new president - by jdh on September 27th, 2023

Hello everyone it is a pleasure to meet you all and I can't wait for the future

Oct 07 2032: basement dweller - by swishomatic on June 3rd, 2023

The Bobcats have been shooed downstairs to the basement for the upcoming 2033 season. Not that that was any real surprise to those of us who kept a finger on the pulse of our beloved WVWU squad. But now that it is clear as to the immediate future of the team we can focus our attention on this and subsequent seasons to come. For sure, Coach Brian Petronio and his staff have a real mountain to climb and it will definitely take time and a lot of hard work to bring this team from depths of obscurity to a level of respectibility they so desperately desire. The cats' squad have a very young group of players, all freshmen and sophmores so it is definitely going to be a steep learning curve for them. The one thing the team has goin for it is a veteran coach who knows the ropes and with a competent group of assistants can navigate and guide the Cats through what is sure to be a difficult climb out of the cellar.

Mar 18 2032: turning the corner? - by swishomatic on May 27th, 2023

Well as we close the door on what proved to be a frustrating 2032 season, a season in which the WVWU Bobcats saw more than their fair share of adversity, from injuries to several key players at different times throughout the year to being overmatched in almost every facet by their opponents, to what would eventually lead to the dismissal of first-year head coach Matt Dukes and the hiring of veteran assistant coach Brian Petronio as the new head coach, it definitely appears that the program is in a state of much-needed change. For the better? That remains to be seen. the cats closed out the season with a home victory against Grand Valley State by a final tally of 77/73 before falling to Seattle on the road 113/85. They would then follow it up with a 28 point blowout loss to Division rival Davidson in the first round of the conference playoffs. Whether the team will be relegated to a lower position within the same division or be dropped down to division 3 remains to be seen. One thing is certainly clear. Changes must be made if the squad is to achieve improvement in the upcoming season and that will largely depend on recruiting. The coaching staff has been hitting the recruiting trail hard since Coach Petronio took over the reigns and the results have proven fruitful, landing six signees thus far for the upcoming campaign,3 of which are in-state products. "we knew what we were up against right from the get-go" said Coach petronio in a recent interview. "we were fortunate enough to recultivate the relationships with some guys who had already been recruited and with the addition of "big man" Monty Atkinson from Fort Wayne Indiana and Lonnie Joyner, a 6 '9" power forward from Schererville Indiana, we feel like we're off to a reasonably good start with our personnel. We definitely needed more size than we have and with the addition of those two guys, we feel like we've addressed those needs." Coach Petronio didn't specify his intentions as far as trying to sign any additional players for the upcoming campaign but insider reports indicate that the coaching staff remains hard at work on all fronts, making their presence felt across the region and beyond. This would seem to suggest that Coach Petronio feels there is still room for an additional spot or two on the roster. Besides recruiting, change was evident in the cats' last outing, an invitational game against Division VI '24" Indiana State in which the cats procured a 90 77'" victory. It was a game in which for probably the first time this season, the squad stayed even with an opponent on the boards as well as forcing 18 turnovers while only committing 12 of their own. "After reviewing lots of film of games throughout this season, given our personnel, we needed to make some changes in the way our offense and defense was structured" Petronio said. The cats will face a much harder challenge in the second round of the invitational when they take on Illinois State, a Division V.10 competitor but one with a lot more talent and a team boasting 8 scholarship players on the squad, a big difference from Indiana State which was made up exclusively of walk ons. Can the Cats claw and scratch their way into post-season respectability or will they flounder into obscurity? Outcome pending.
update: Well the bobcats' season has officially come to a merciful end. I don't see the need to beat a dead horse so we turn our attention to next season's predictions and theories. With the future of the team still being up in the air as far as where they will land in conference position for next year, one has to assume that any changes will be welcomed and certainly necessary. Coach Petronio and staff are doing everything they can to rebuild and revamp the squad in preparation for what will hopefully be the start of climbing the ladder from obscurity to at least moderate respectability for next season and beyond. With their latest signee, California front-court man, Adrian Hunter, Coach Petronio has gone the distance to shore up some much-needed size on the interior. That gives him 7 out of a potential 8 scholarship players and for sure an upgrade to what was, admittedly, one of the weakest teams throughout the division. Along with an upgrade in personnel, the staff will definitely have to make some changes to the offensive and defensive structure moving forward. Because of their lack of shooting prowess at this point, one would have to assume, given their improved size, these changes will begin with a definite inside attack. Of course this is only speculation but one with cautious optimism. A lot of things will have to fall into place at the right time for these hungry Felines.

Feb 28 2032: winds of change blow WVW's way again - by swishomatic on May 20th, 2023

Well, as it happens, the latest move out of Buckhannon West Virginia was not all that surprising considering the type of season the Bobcats have endured under first-year head man Matt Duke. With a total of six wins against a whopping thirty-two defeats, one had to wonder if Coach Duke was on borrowed time on the bench. That question was answered today following another Blowout loss to division foe UNLv by a most lopsided score of 104-60, a perpetual unwelcomed phenomenon which was ongoing throughout this campaign. In an effort to turn things around before next season, President of Basketball Operations, Swishomatic, decided to move on and go with someone with more bench experience. He did that in the hiring of fifty-one-year-old Brian Petromio from Mount Vernon Ohio. Petromio has been an assistant at three previous stops, the latest being Division six conference member Luyola Maryland and before that he spent a number of years as an assistant at Division V Gustavus Adolphus College where he was part of several teams which had a moderate amount of success. "I just felt like we needed to go in another direction" Swishomatic said when asked about this new hire. "coach Duke is a young enthusiastic coach who will do well, given the right fit and we wish him every success wherever his next job lands him. I just felt like, given the school's position from a competetor standpoint, we needed to make a change and look for someone with more seasoning under his belt. Coach Petromio is a hard-working coach with a lot of energy and a wealth of knowledge which he brings to the table which I'm sure will translate to the kind of success desired by our alumns and fans alike."
"I want to thank the University of West Virginia Weslian for the opportunity to coach this team. I know we have a lot of work to do in terms of coaching, recruiting and building a strong foundational relationship with our fans and alumnai if we are to turn things around. My fifteen years experience as an assistant has allowed me to accumulate a wealth of valuable knowledge as a coach which I intend to bring to the program here" stated Coach Petromio at a press conference held earlier today. While it may be said that the hiring of Petromio isn't a step up when you consider that he doesn't have experience running a program much like Duke, those on the inside have a far more insightful view of things. As this reporter pointed out at the time of Matt Duke's hiring, only time will tell what the outcome may bring. One thing's for certain; You can never go wrong with experience, a fountain of which Coach petromio brings to the table.
The squad will close out the remainder of this year's schedule at home with Grand Valley State before closing out the schedule with a final road trip to Seattle