MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Jordan McCabe said he avoided taking a charge once and it was something Bob Huggins would never let him forget.
“I did it against Tennessee, I moved away from a charge,” McCabe said.
McCabe explained Huggins had a “few choice words” for him and that a valuable lesson was learned by the freshman.
It showed in West Virginia’s 104-96 triple-overtime victory against TCU on Tuesday, in which getting robbed — and plowed over — after trying to draw one charging call didn’t deter McCabe from doing it again.
The call in question: After TCU guard Kendric Davis picked up a steal with 12:20 left in regulation, he found teammate Alex Robinson, who had a clear path to the basket and a full-head of steam.
McCabe, all 6-foot and 183 pounds of him, was the Mountaineers’ last line of defense and he stepped in to take the charge.
He didn’t get the call, but did get knocked into next week.
“In terms of that, I can’t really go in there and think this might hurt and I might not get the call,” McCabe said. “Coach Huggs will then have some choice words for me.”
Fast forward 10 minutes later, TCU forward Kouat Noi, who is 6-7 and 205 pounds, had a drive to the basket with only McCabe in his way.
This time McCabe got the call, preserving a 66-62 lead at the time. Not getting the call on the first one never entered his mind.
“No, not at all,” he said. “I’ve been to the Beetle Bolden school of taking charges. That’s what somebody said to me during one of the timeouts, which I thought was hilarious.
“I’ll never move away from a charge again, I promise. Huggs made sure I’ll never move away again with some of the things he said to me.”
Stealing rebounds
West Virginia guard Jermaine Haley said at nearly every level of basketball he’s played, it took him some time to become comfortable enough to simply go out and play.
“I knew throughout the season that I would start playing differently,” said Haley who has combined for 31 points, 15 rebounds and 11 assists in his last two games. “Everywhere I’ve been, it’s been the same thing. I’m just getting more comfortable now.”
At 6-7, Haley’s ability to rebound from his guard position — he averages 3.4 boards per game this season — has helped the Mountaineers become the top rebounding team in the Big 12.
He had eight boards against TCU.
“From the beginning of the game the main thing coaches were telling me was they needed me to rebound the ball and play defense,” Haley said. “I’m always thinking about going after rebounds. Even if I can’t get it, I want to crash the glass and create some chaos.”
Haley may have even stole some rebounds from teammate Derek Culver, who finished with 21 of them, the most by a WVU player since 1974.
“Yeah, I did get some of his,” he said with a smile.
Hitting the books
On Thursday, Bolden was named to the all-Big 12 academic second team. It was the third straight season Bolden earned the honor.
He was joined by teammates Chase Harler and Lamont West, who were named to the first team.
West Virginia forward Logan Routt also was named to the second team.
To qualify, student-athletes must maintain a 3.00 GPA or higher and must have participated in 20 percent of their team’s scheduled contests.
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