West Virginia is still very much in the process of constructing what the basketball roster will look like in year one under new head coach Ross Hodge.
The Mountaineers have already brought in ten players through both the transfer portal and high school level with North Dakota guard Treysen Eaglestaff, UNC Wilmington center Harlan Obioha, North Texas forward Brenen Lorient, Chattanooga guard Honor Huff, Troy forward Jackson Fields, North Texas guard Jasper Floyd, St. Bonaventure wing Chance Moore, South Carolina guard Morris Ugusuk and two prep prospects in 2025 guard Jayden Forsythe along with 2025 forward Deandre Thomas. The program also returned redshirt freshman big Abraham Oyeadier after he initially entered into the transfer portal to bring the total number to eleven.
That is it for the time being as the entire roster outside Oyeadier from a season ago exited the program either through graduation of the transfer portal.
This is nothing new for Hodge as he was tasked with rebuilding teams during his time at the junior college level and in both of his seasons at North Texas. And the head coach made it clear that there still needs to be a few more additions.
So, what positions still need to be addressed with the remaining roster spots?
Looking at the current build of the roster, some of those needs are obvious. West Virginia needs at least one more quality big to go along with center Obioha. The 7-footer gives the Mountaineers a quality big man to build around but he only played a total of 20.1 minutes per game and that was at 26.6 per game the year prior.
That means that finding a complement to go with him that can provide a punch at the center position is going to be a major boost to the roster given the nature of the Big 12. That importance was highlighted with the addition of Eduardo Andre last year, and truthfully while it might be difficult two more there wouldn't be the worst thing.
That received a boost with the return of Oyeadier but more depth is needed.
The Mountaineers also need another experienced point guard to go with what Jasper Floyd brings to the table. Floyd already has plenty of experience running Hodge's system at North Texas but another primary ball-handler would take some of the stress off of him and allow more flexibility with the roster in general. This doesn't necessarily need to be a starter, although that would go a long ways, but it does need to be somebody that can be counted on to come in and provide valuable minutes.
The Mountaineers do have an option that could handle the ball in Eaglestaff, but finding another primary ball-handler would certainly help the overall build.
As for the final pieces, another guard or forward with size that can put the ball on the floor and stress the defense at the rim would certainly be beneficial. Especially when you consider all of the shooting options that the program has added that can space the floor it makes finding another option that can get downhill on offense and has positional flexibility to guard multiple positions a key addition as well.
West Virginia has been actively attempting to fill out the roster and while the coaches have certainly already made some impressive strides, they’re still looking to add even more to round things out.
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