Post by cviller on Aug 21, 2007 11:02:38 GMT -5
Devine not thinking about the past
By Mike Casazza
Daily Mail sportswriter
MORGANTOWN -- Shortly before 4:30 last Friday afternoon, the doors silently swung open and Noel Devine entered the room to virtually no fanfare whatsoever. It hasn't happened all too often before and, if one believes the hype, won't happen too many times in the future.
West Virginia's prized running back recruit from Fort Myers, Fla., moved cautiously, though not because he was hindered or haunted by any of the baggage he's carried with him all his life.
"Tired," he said, smiling and flashing two rows of gold teeth. "Practice is tough."
With that, he settled into a chair, dressed in black socks, sandals, shorts and a tank top. He's cut his dreadlocks and is growing a scraggly beard. Tattoos cascade down his enormous arms, from his bulky shoulders to the tops of his hands.
"Each of them has meaning to me," he said. "I've lost a lot in my life."
An athlete of unquestioned ability, one who ran for 6,842 yards and 92 touchdowns in high school, who was three-time Class 5A All-State and a U.S. Army All-American, is not defined by his triumphs as much as he is by tragedies.
Both of his parents contracted HIV and died before he was a teenager. He later witnessed a friend's murder after an argument with a group of others turned deadly.
He wasn't into discussing those things, from his body art to his lifetime of experiences.
"I'm just here to play West Virginia football," he said.
Devine did let people in, confessing he misses his two young children and finds it unfortunate he won't be able to get home to see them nearly as much as he'd like.
For now, though, he is here, adjusting to the game about as well as he, his teammates and his coaches could have expected. Such surprises aren't new.
Devine stunned them all by signing with WVU in the winter after the National Letter of Intent was held up by a tug-of-war between his family, his guardians and his mentor, Deion Sanders.
"It was basically my decision," he said. "I took my visit here and I fell in love with the place. I knew I wanted to come here."
Devine arrived in July and was promptly paired with running back Steve Slaton, who has become Devine's tutor on campus.
"It's great to have someone in the running for the Heisman Trophy showing me about the game and the technique," Devine said.
Devine knows a whole lot about the position himself. True, he's adjusting to the game. The players are bigger and faster, making this perhaps the first time speed has been an issue for Devine.
It is he who became a YouTube legend as reels of his highlights hit the Internet and created a buzz that brainwashed the recruiting landscape. He shook defenders and broke free from gang tackles and nobody ever caught him.
He downplayed the amazement the clips uniformly produced.
"We didn't have a really good line," he said. "Now, everything is really good.
"All I have to do is read the block and make one move. I can't make a lot of moves now. I have to eliminate all those moves."
To review, Devine did what he did because and in spite of an average offensive line.
"All I can say is I've been blessed," he said, "but that's the past and I'm trying to do some better things here."
If nothing else, the task figures to be easier. Put him behind an offensive line like WVU's, one that facilitates great possibilities for speed and cuts, and the otherwise tranquil freshman can't hide the anticipation.
"It's amazing how the holes open up and how the offensive linemen make the right blocks," he said. "All I have to do is read it right and make the right cut."
Contact sportswriter Mike Casazza at mikec@dailymail.com or 437-4491.
By Mike Casazza
Daily Mail sportswriter
MORGANTOWN -- Shortly before 4:30 last Friday afternoon, the doors silently swung open and Noel Devine entered the room to virtually no fanfare whatsoever. It hasn't happened all too often before and, if one believes the hype, won't happen too many times in the future.
West Virginia's prized running back recruit from Fort Myers, Fla., moved cautiously, though not because he was hindered or haunted by any of the baggage he's carried with him all his life.
"Tired," he said, smiling and flashing two rows of gold teeth. "Practice is tough."
With that, he settled into a chair, dressed in black socks, sandals, shorts and a tank top. He's cut his dreadlocks and is growing a scraggly beard. Tattoos cascade down his enormous arms, from his bulky shoulders to the tops of his hands.
"Each of them has meaning to me," he said. "I've lost a lot in my life."
An athlete of unquestioned ability, one who ran for 6,842 yards and 92 touchdowns in high school, who was three-time Class 5A All-State and a U.S. Army All-American, is not defined by his triumphs as much as he is by tragedies.
Both of his parents contracted HIV and died before he was a teenager. He later witnessed a friend's murder after an argument with a group of others turned deadly.
He wasn't into discussing those things, from his body art to his lifetime of experiences.
"I'm just here to play West Virginia football," he said.
Devine did let people in, confessing he misses his two young children and finds it unfortunate he won't be able to get home to see them nearly as much as he'd like.
For now, though, he is here, adjusting to the game about as well as he, his teammates and his coaches could have expected. Such surprises aren't new.
Devine stunned them all by signing with WVU in the winter after the National Letter of Intent was held up by a tug-of-war between his family, his guardians and his mentor, Deion Sanders.
"It was basically my decision," he said. "I took my visit here and I fell in love with the place. I knew I wanted to come here."
Devine arrived in July and was promptly paired with running back Steve Slaton, who has become Devine's tutor on campus.
"It's great to have someone in the running for the Heisman Trophy showing me about the game and the technique," Devine said.
Devine knows a whole lot about the position himself. True, he's adjusting to the game. The players are bigger and faster, making this perhaps the first time speed has been an issue for Devine.
It is he who became a YouTube legend as reels of his highlights hit the Internet and created a buzz that brainwashed the recruiting landscape. He shook defenders and broke free from gang tackles and nobody ever caught him.
He downplayed the amazement the clips uniformly produced.
"We didn't have a really good line," he said. "Now, everything is really good.
"All I have to do is read the block and make one move. I can't make a lot of moves now. I have to eliminate all those moves."
To review, Devine did what he did because and in spite of an average offensive line.
"All I can say is I've been blessed," he said, "but that's the past and I'm trying to do some better things here."
If nothing else, the task figures to be easier. Put him behind an offensive line like WVU's, one that facilitates great possibilities for speed and cuts, and the otherwise tranquil freshman can't hide the anticipation.
"It's amazing how the holes open up and how the offensive linemen make the right blocks," he said. "All I have to do is read it right and make the right cut."
Contact sportswriter Mike Casazza at mikec@dailymail.com or 437-4491.