West Virginia investing in talent, opportunity
West Virginia is investing in talent when it comes to the basketball roster rebuild.
The Mountaineers added a pair of transfer commitments from Illinois in guard Sencire Harris and forward Amani Hansberry. The duo each come to Morgantown with three years of eligibility remaining and the coaching staff is banking on their talent both in the short and long term.
The pair are former top 100 recruits nationally in their respective classes but were stuck in logjams at their respective positions in Champaign. The Illini have made a commitment to the transfer portal in recent classes, which means getting older and more experienced options in the program.
West Virginia is banking on the talent of both rising to the top. Both players have seen limited action in their careers so far but have the pedigree and talent to make significant leaps given more opportunities in their new surroundings in Morgantown. And that’s exactly what the coaching staff is expecting given their backgrounds.
Harris, 6-foot-4, 170-pounds, spent two years with the Illini basketball program but entered the transfer portal in mid-April after spending last season redshirting. That decision was made in order to work on adding strength to his frame and to develop his overall game.
But Harris proved productive during his first year with Illinois as he played in all 33 games and even started seven of those while averaging 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He also shot 43-percent from the field and 31-percent from three during that campaign. Known as a defensive specialist, the Ohio native possesses excellent length and plays the game with a high energy level on both ends.
A native of Canton, Ohio, Harris averaged 20.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.8 steals as a senior for St. Vincent-St. Mary. He led his team to consecutive Ohio Division II state championships. He was rated as the No. 64th best player in the country in the class of 2022 according to Rivals.com.
Hansberry, 6-foot-8, 240-pounds, spent only one season with the Illini where he appeared in 19 games while averaging 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in just seven minutes per contest. He shot 45-percent from the field and has a strong pedigree considering he too was a consensus four-star prospect out of high school.
A skilled big, Hansberry has excellent mobility and is a crafty finisher around the rim. He scored eight points against Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament this past season.
Hansberry was rated as the No. 83rd rated player nationally by Rivals.com in the 2023 recruiting class and was named the 2023 Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 15.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists at Mount Saint Joseph High School.
Both are going to have to realize their potential at West Virginia given more expected usage but the talent is critical and both of these transfer additions are oozing with it.
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