Ahmad doing it all without the ball

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Esa Ahmad learned how to play the game of basketball without the ball.

The Ohio native often would play against older players growing up which forced him to become accustomed to learning to play without the ball in his hands.

That meant understanding cuts and curls and putting himself in position to score the basketball without dribbling it.

“He grew up playing with men so he didn’t have the ball so he’s really learned to play without it really well,” head coach Bob Huggins said.

Problem is at times Ahmad, like many players in today’s game, gets away from that which often results in him finding himself in trouble. While he isn’t necessarily a liability when it comes to handling the basketball and attacking off the dribble, it isn’t his strong suit either.

“I kind of get him playing without the ball and then he’s back handling the ball again. Handling the ball is not his thing, he’s not a real explosive kind of athlete but he’s really a good basketball player because he understands how to play,” Huggins said.

Through the first three games of the season Ahmad had a combined 15 turnovers compared to six assists which prompted Huggins and his coaching staff to make some adjustments.

“He is way, way better without the ball than he is with the ball. We kind of came to that understanding, he’s played much better,” Huggins said.

The fact that West Virginia has gotten better at passing the ball has an effect as well as Huggins pointed out that many of the same plays that were executed against Valparaiso with Ahmad cutting to the basket were missed against Buffalo or Western Kentucky.

It also doesn’t hurt that Huggins credits Ahmad for putting in extra work in the gym to help craft his game. But it’s that knowledge of what to do without the ball that has put him in position to take advantage of it.

“He does a good job of cutting it to the rim. A lot of those guys would veer that way instead of cutting it to the rim like he does,” Huggins said.

Against St. Joe’s, West Virginia only turned the ball over twice while scoring 12 points and he turned in a career best performance against Valparaiso with 30 points and only one turnover.

“It was just my night. I just felt good and my teammates kept going to me and I was finishing,” he said.

That means that over the last 54 minutes of action Ahmad has only been responsible for three turnovers as the Mountaineers have focused on his strengths on the floor.

West Virginia is going to need more of that with the schedule set to toughen up not only with the remaining non-conference slate but navigating the Big 12 as well.

And with Ahmad now understanding his role and how to attack opposing defenses, it could mean good things for him and the Mountaineers.

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