Nov 21, 2025
WVU Kierra Wheeler seems to be to move in opposition to 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 workforce surged previous Appalachian State, 80-51, contained in the Hope Coliseum.
For Kellogg, it was his five hundredth profession victory.
An Training Day crowd of 10,067 witnessed the occasion, though it didn’t come as easily because the scoreboard might need indicated.
“It was an fascinating sport,” Kellogg mentioned. “Didn’t love the best way we performed, to be sincere. 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 right now.”
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 report of 500-136 equals out to a 78.6% clip of successful. That’s the next proportion than Corridor of Famers and legendary coaches reminiscent of C. Vivian Stringer and Muffett McGraw.
“It means loads, however I don’t mirror a complete lot on it till somebody asks me to,” Kellogg mentioned. “It means you’ve been within the sport for a short while, however I’ve been actually lucky.”
In these 20 years, exhausting choices had been made, however they had been made with the thought of conserving Kellogg marching ahead.
“We’ve moved 5 occasions, 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 best way, solely given alternatives. It started at a small liberal arts school in Durango, Colo., the place the house gymnasium sits solely 2,750 for hoops video games.
There was a one-year cease at one other small Division II college in Missouri – that was a possibility 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 match, though that’s nonetheless too far-off to consider.
On this one, it was bizarre for quite a lot of causes. WVU was coming off its monumental win final Friday in opposition to Duke, wherein the Mountaineers needed to play the second half of that sport 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 sport whereas serving a one-game suspension handed down by the NCAA for her function within the shoving match in opposition to Duke.
“This was my first sport 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 together with her.”
There was additionally the wave of feelings that got here after the Duke win, and Kellogg mentioned his gamers needed to study to cope with the aftermath of the victory.
“If you wish to be nice, I hope now we have different huge wins,” Kellogg mentioned. “We’ve got to study and develop. We needed to get after them just a little bit (Wednesday), as a result of I didn’t assume they had been doing what they had been alleged to.”
Gia Cooke led the Mountaineers with 19 factors, as WVU pressured 27 turnovers and shot 56% from the sector. 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 whole. The spectacular half is these wins got here in simply his 636th profession sport.
“It’s successful 500, however to do it on the success price that now we have is each bit as (necessary),” Kellogg mentioned. “You already know, 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.”
The most effective 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 probably face Ohio State within the title sport.
“Not a foul technique to spend it, proper?” Kellogg joked. “I don’t know if we’ll be on the seashore loads, however possibly I’ll take a fast second to go on the market earlier than we tip it off for the subsequent one.”
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