Bench, depth playing a key role for WVU
In a season where West Virginia has showed some inconsistency in a number of areas, one area that has blossomed over the course of this season is the performance of its bench and the depth the team has showcased.
West Virginia’s bench displays a combination of experience and young talent that have been able to contribute in numerous ways which has helped pave the way for success for the Mountaineers as well as produce team wins and depth that is critical for any college basketball team.
“We just come in and compete,” redshirt freshman guard James Bolden said. “When those guys get into foul trouble, he (Huggins) can trust us to put us in to continue to run the offense and continue to contribute.”
The reserves have scored 30 or more points in 38 of the team’s last 52 games for the Mountaineers and were averaging 37 points a game going into Saturday’s matchup against Kansas State.
If there’s one thing that this West Virginia team has shown is that any player can step up in any given matchup. Take Bolden for example.
Bolden has been the spark off the best for the Mountaineers in the past couple of games, leading the team with 17 points while only playing 10 minutes in a rebound win against Oklahoma this past week.
The redshirt freshman also played a key role in Saturday’s win over Kansas State, scoring nine total points, including five straight points in the first half for West Virginia which helped the Mountaineers overcome an early eight-point deficit and a shaky start.
Bolden is part of a freshman group that has earned some valuable minutes throughout this season and have made major contributions on the floor both offensively and defensively, proving that they are capable of stepping up and making contributions on the spot.
Both Bolden and redshirt freshman guard Lamont West are both have been key scorers offensively for the Mountaineers and true freshman forward Sagaba Konate has been a defensive machine, racked up 38 blocks this season.
“I definitely think he’s (Huggins) gained some trust in us,” Bolden said. “We’re starting to show him that we can play and help our team get some wins because when it comes down to March and all the important games later on, we need to step up when those guys that are ahead of us don’t contribute.”
One looming concern though may be the ability of these freshmen to make adjustments during games in the heat of the moment, which could result in more playing time for upperclassmen bench players such as senior Brandon Watkins and junior Elijah Macon who have more experience and know what to expect under head coach Bob Huggins.
“They know more,” Huggins said. “It’s hard to make adjustments with those freshman on the floor like I can do with guys that have been here and understand what I’m talking about.”
Whether or not these freshmen can make adjustments in the heat of the moment remains to be seen.
With these young freshman having the ability to make significant contributions on the court combined with the talent and experience of the upperclassmen on the bench as well as the starters could be the stepping stone that the Mountaineers need to overcome their inconsistencies such as free throw shooting and turnovers.
With the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments nearing, it will be in these tournaments and this final stretch of the regular season where we’ll see just how impactful West Virginia’s bench will be.