West Liberty women’s coach Kyle Cooper and his staff took advantage of the early signing period and officially welcomed four additional players into the Hilltoppers’ family.
Those four are Baldwin’s Anna Lucarelli, Norwin’s Danielle Rosso, Maysville’s Bailee Smith, and Mohawk’s Paige Julian.
LedeNews will again cover each signee and area college’s signing classes in-depth later in the academic calendar once all classes are finalized. But a quick look at these four players and you’ll notice a budding trend up on the hilltop.
West Liberty’s roster is now fertile ground for some of Western Pennsylvania’s top players and that trend will likely continue.
Yes, Coach Cooper and Associate Head Coach Cassie Seth grew up together in Western, Pa. Seth also played her collegiate ball at Mercyhurst in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Those do help.
But it’s not hometown that’s bringing the WPIAL’s best and brightest to the Northern Panhandle. Cooper and Seth have worked diligently at building those inroads. They are selling not only the Hilltoppers’ brand of basketball, but also the Mountain East Conference.
“I think the biggest thing is that it’s been an adventure to break down those barriers in Western, Pa.” Cooper said. “It’s amazing how hard it is to break those down. You have to cross the entirety of the PSAC, but also teams in the Horizon and Patriot Leagues and the Atlantic-10.
“That’s a lot of conferences to go against.
Lots of Competition
The PSAC is synonymous with quality Division II’s women’s basketball. In the past, during West Liberty’s numerous trips to the NCAA regional tournament, it’s been a PSAC team standing in the way of advancement.
But it’s not just the PSAC. Perceived higher-tiered talent may hear the calling of mid-major Division I basketball in the Horizon League, Patriot League, Atlantic-10 and even the Northeast Conference (St. Francis).
During Cooper’s journey from assistant to head coach at West Liberty, he’s slowly worked Pa. players into the mix. His first season as an assistant, the roster had just one. By the time he became head coach, that number grew to three and eventually five for this season.
If all current players eligible to return do for 2021-22, coupled with this incoming class, the Pa. footprint will increase to seven players, with the potential for more as this class if finalized.
“There’s so many different conferences you have to go against to cross back into West Virginia,” Cooper said. “I’m not saying it’s mission accomplished yet, but we’ve definitely set a good foundation and I think we’re thriving in Western, Pa.
“This class is a testament to that, as was the last. We’ve pulled in some top-notch talent from Western, Pa.”
First-Hand Accounts
The 2020 recruiting class featured three WPIAL players in East Allegheny’s Amaia Johnson, MoHawk’s Karly McCutcheon, and Sydney Reed, who transferred from a PSAC school in Mansfield to come to West Liberty.
Naturally, McCutcheon played a role in landing Julian, her former teammate and lifelong friend. But when a recruit comes to visit campus, there are five Western, Pa. voices singing the praises of West Liberty and MEC basketball.
It certainly can’t hurt.
“They are seeing players come here and be successful and it gives them something to relate to,” Cooper said. “Paige and Karly are best friends so that was a huge asset for us. But all three of those girls play together on the WPA Bruins.
“They communicate well and love playing together.”
The Bruins’ AAU program has long been a fertile ground for recruiting some of the WPIAL’s top talent. Cooper and Seth have worked hard to build those relationships. Whether AAU or high school, there is trust there with the coaching staffs.
Different Atmosphere
The players are starting to see that not only can they have a successful basketball experience at WLU, but also a collegiate one. This program is a family-style feel to it. It’s run to help these young women grow not only as players, but people.
“That’s the thing, it’s so much bigger than just basketball; it’s a total development vision for what we do, from academics to basketball and more,” Cooper said. “Yes, it benefits us in basketball, but it’s about helping these women grow as people, empowering them. Our program does things other than just win.
“It allows them to be part of something different.”
That’s not to say the Hilltoppers’ staff is ignoring Ohio and W.Va. now. Last year’s class included Beaver Local’s Jenna Riccardo. The 2021 class so far is headlined by Maysville’s Smith, a first-team all-Ohio player originally committed to Youngstown State.
Cooper has known the Smith family for a number of years, back when Bailee’s sisters were attending camps and she was the wide-eyed younger sister along for the ride. She was fully aware of the family atmosphere at West Liberty and cited it as a major factor in making her final section.
