Akok Akok only played 12-minutes against Drexel but he made it count.

Akok made his way back to the court against Pittsburgh after missing the first seven games of the season following a medical emergency where he collapsed on the floor. After receiving medical clearance, the senior big played only 8-minutes against the Panthers.

In his second appearance, Akok finished at +15 during his time on the floor, the highest mark on the team despite finishing with just 5 points on 2-3 shooting.

“More than anything he just gives everybody a lift on the defensive end. With his size and length, he can sit down and guard a point guard if he has to, he can switch onto anybody on the floor,” head coach Josh Eilert said. “He can guard a big so from a coaching standpoint it gives you so much more leverage out there to do what you want to do defensively.”

Center Jesse Edwards dove into his impact a little further.

“He’s really good at timing. He is up in the air to make the shot very hard for whatever it is for his own man but he does do a great job of helping off his man, too. It makes it a lot harder for the opposition to get a good shot off,” Edwards said.

Related: West Virginia gets back on track, holds on to defeat Drexel 66-60

Akok has given the Mountaineers a lift not only because he provides the ability to rest some of the players on the roster but his ability on the defensive end and what he brings on offense simply makes this a much better basketball team.

Akok flashed some of those skills on the offensive end by drilling a three-ball against the Dragons. It’s not an all-too-surprising development for those that have watched him practice since he arrived in Morgantown as he made all seven of his three-balls in one practice session.

And those on the team are confident in him shooting the ball from deep.

“He’s special, man,” guard Seth Wilson said.

But now the goal is to increase his conditioning after being away from the court for so long to get into a position where he can play over 20-minutes per game eventually according to Eilert.

“He looked a little better, a little fresher out there. I know we had to get him out at one point,” he said.

That makes this week important in the sense that Akok will have four hard practices to help build endurance so he can make a bigger impact outside of short bursts.

The hope is that Akok can continue to improve his minutes throughout the season because getting into peak game-shape is a little different than just simply being in shape.

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