Athletes - Mike Gansey

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	Athletes - Mike Gansey

Michael Gansey (born December 21 1982) is an American basketball player who currently plays small forward for West Virginia University. A senior, the 6'4", 205 lb (1.93 m, 93 kg) Gansey has emerged as a major star for the Mountaineers, and is now projected as a potential late first-round pick in the upcoming 2006 NBA Draft. He will likely be a shooting guard in the NBA. One of his brothers, Steve Gansey, currently plays NCAA division I basketball for the Cleveland State Vikings.

Early years

Gansey, who grew up in the Cleveland, Ohio suburb of Olmsted Falls, was a three-time All-State player at Olmsted Falls High, including first-team honors in his final two years. In his senior season, he averaged 27.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 3.3 steals per game, and was named the state's Division II Player of the Year. He then began his college career at St. Bonaventure University.

St. Bonaventure

In Gansey's freshman season of 2001-02, he averaged 8.3 points and 4.7 rebounds, mainly coming off the bench, and was named to the all-newcomer team in the Atlantic Ten Conference. The following season (2002-03), he became a regular starter, averaging 13.9 points and 5.0 rebounds, and also shooting just over 40% from three-point range. However, the St. Bonaventure basketball program would be rocked by an academic scandal during that season, when it was revealed that a junior-college transfer had been admitted to the university by virtue of a welding certificate. With NCAA sanctions hanging over the program, several players, including Gansey, jumped ship immediately after that season. Once he announced his intention to transfer, he was pursued especially hard by WVU coach John Beilein, who was coaching in the A-10 at Richmond during Gansey's freshman year at St. Bonaventure. Gansey would enroll at WVU.

West Virginia

After sitting out the 2003-04 season as required under NCAA transfer rules, Gansey entered the Mountaineers' starting lineup. During the summer of 2004, the team toured Europe (all Division I teams are allowed one offseason overseas trip every four years); Gansey scored 22 points in his first game as a Mountaineer, against the Netherlands national team. He went on to lead the Mountaineers in scoring on the tour at 15.5 points per game.

In his first season at WVU, he averaged 12.0 points and 5.1 rebounds, leading the team in rebounds and becoming a crowd favorite for his hustling play. During a strong late-season run, Gansey and teammate Kevin Pittsnogle were the main keys to turning the Mountaineers from an NCAA tournament "bubble team" to a regional finalist that lost its bid for the Final Four in overtime against Louisville. He and Pittsnogle were roommates at West Virginia, which helped them mesh as players. During the offseason, Gansey played on the gold medal-winning USA team at the World University Games in Turkey.

The 2005-06 season promised to be a big season for the Mountaineers, who were returning four of their starting five and virtually all their roster. As the Mountaineers were reaching heights in the national rankings they had not seen since the early 1980s and gaining a level of national publicity they had last seen in the days of Jerry West in the late 1950s, Gansey stepped up his game to a new level. As of February 9, 2006, he was averaging 18.5 points while taking fewer than 12 shots per game, and adding 5.5 rebounds per game. More remarkably, Gansey was shooting 59.7% from the field, making him the only player in NCAA Division I under 6'5" (1.96 m) in the top 50 in the nation in field-goal percentage.

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Athletes - Mike Gansey

Early years

St. Bonaventure

West Virginia

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