Nov 21, 2025
WVU Kierra Wheeler seems to cross towards Appalachian State. (Photograph by Ron Rittenhouse/The Dominion Publish)
MORGANTOWN — It’s been a 20-year journey now for Mark Kellogg, one which hit a serious milestone Thursday, after the Twenty third-ranked WVU girls’s basketball crew surged previous Appalachian State, 80-51, contained in the Hope Coliseum.
For Kellogg, it was his five hundredth profession victory.
An Schooling Day crowd of 10,067 witnessed the occasion, though it didn’t come as easily because the scoreboard might need indicated.
“It was an attention-grabbing recreation,” Kellogg mentioned. “Didn’t love the way in which we performed, to be trustworthy. In my youthful years as a coach, I in all probability would have let (his gamers) have it within the locker room. I let up just a little bit at this time.”
Don’t let Kellogg idiot you, he’s nonetheless acquired a lot left within the tank. He’s nonetheless just a few weeks shy of his fiftieth birthday and his profession document of 500-136 equals out to a 78.6% clip of successful. That’s the next proportion than Corridor of Famers and legendary coaches resembling C. Vivian Stringer and Muffett McGraw.
“It means so much, however I don’t mirror a complete lot on it till somebody asks me to,” Kellogg mentioned. “It means you’ve been within the recreation for a short time, however I’ve been actually lucky.”
In these 20 years, laborious selections had been made, however they had been made with the thought of holding Kellogg marching ahead.
“We’ve moved 5 instances, so my household has bounced throughout the nation for this man to chase a dream,” Kellogg mentioned. “They’ve been there by means of all of it.”
He was handed nothing alongside the way in which, solely given alternatives. It started at a small liberal arts school in Durango, Colo., the place the house health club sits solely 2,750 for hoops video games.
There was a one-year cease at one other small Division II faculty in Missouri – that was a chance given to him by his present boss, WVU athletic director Wren Baker – earlier than heading again to his house state of Texas.
“You’ve acquired all of those gamers, coaches, directors and AD’s that gave me an opportunity,” Kellogg continued. “One right here that’s given me an opportunity twice. These are the issues I’ll briefly mirror on.”
In his third season with the Mountaineers (5-0), Kellogg is already as much as 55 victories. He has WVU in an early place to contend for an additional spot within the NCAA event, though that’s nonetheless too far-off to consider.
On this one, it was bizarre for various causes. WVU was coming off its monumental win final Friday towards Duke, wherein the Mountaineers needed to play the second half of that recreation with simply 5 gamers, however nonetheless held on for a 57-49 win.
His rock, Jordan Harrison, was pressured to take a seat out the Appalachian State recreation whereas serving a one-game suspension handed down by the NCAA for her position within the shoving match towards Duke.
“This was my first recreation with out Jordan Harrison in three years and 5 days,” Kellogg mentioned. “I believed we had been just a little off there. There was some worth that we clearly missed along with her.”
There was additionally the wave of feelings that got here after the Duke win, and Kellogg mentioned his gamers needed to be taught to take care of the aftermath of the victory.
“If you wish to be nice, I hope we now have different large wins,” Kellogg mentioned. “Now we have to be taught and develop. We needed to get after them just a little bit (Wednesday), as a result of I didn’t suppose they had been doing what they had been imagined to.”
Gia Cooke led the Mountaineers with 19 factors, as WVU pressured 27 turnovers and shot 56% from the sphere. Kierra Wheeler added 15 factors and 5 rebounds and Jordan Thomas added 10 factors.
All of it added as much as a five hundredth notch on Kellogg’s win complete. The spectacular half is these wins got here in simply his 636th profession recreation.
“It’s successful 500, however to do it on the success fee that we now have is each bit as (necessary),” Kellogg mentioned. “, if I used to be 500-500, it nonetheless means you’ve been doing it some time, however you’re not overly profitable. To do it and have the profession we’ve had, it’s particular.”
One of the best half? That simply could also be West Virginia getting set to journey to the Bahamas this weekend to play within the Baha Mar Hoops Pink Flamingo Championship. WVU takes on McNeese State within the first spherical on Monday and can doubtless face Ohio State within the title recreation.
“Not a nasty technique to spend it, proper?” Kellogg joked. “I don’t know if we’ll be on the seashore so much, however perhaps I’ll take a fast second to go on the market earlier than we tip it off for the following one.”
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