High school targets still key for West Virginia hoops
The transfer portal has become integral when it comes to building a roster in college basketball. Just take a look at this past off-season where almost all of the additions to the West Virginia roster came from the database at some point.
That isn't something unique in Morgantown either as adding proven college-ready players has become a trend that has spread all over the landscape of college sports.
But that doesn't mean there isn't a place for navigating the traditional avenues of pursuing and landing high school options either.
In the case of West Virginia, the Mountaineers had to essentially complete three roster turnovers in the sense of two off-seasons given all that unfolded with Bob Huggins resigning and the coaching change.
That essentially made it necessary for the coaching staff to place a strong emphasis on finding players who could make an impact immediately. When it comes to future classes, that might not be as big of a necessity so there is the possibility of diving back into the high school ranks to fill out needs across the roster.
For one, continuity is underrated when it comes to building a roster and having players that are going to be with the program longer than a year helps in that department. One of the biggest challenges in the transfer portal era, and it was apparent last season and at times in this one with the West Virginia basketball team, was struggling to adjust to each other on the floor.
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Building a roster overtime side steps those challenges but with it comes the lumps of playing younger players and having them adjust to the college game.
That's why there is room for both. When it comes to building a college basketball roster, a healthy mix of both the transfer portal and traditional means through high school and even junior college is going to be the solution.
West Virginia has already targeted a long list of talented options in the 2024 class that the program is currently pursuing. The Mountaineers might not be there at the end for some of them, but you can't get them if you don't try.
West Virginia has one commitment in PHHoenix Prep (Az.) guard Carmelo Adkins. The Texas native reclassified into the 2024 class and is coming off a season where he averaged 16 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and 1.3 steals per game while displaying versatility on both ends. He committed to the Mountaineers following his official visit.
Adkins grew up a fan of the Big 12 Conference and at 6-foot-5 the coaching staff likes his ability to make shots and as well as get his teammates involved. He too has been in contact with McCabe and the coaches believe he could he a good fit at either the one or the two as the first addition for the Mountaineers 2024 class.
West Virginia also hosted another option from the prep school in wing Jinup Dobuol.
He emerged on the Mountaineers' radar after receiving a scholarship offer from assistant Jordan McCabe just like his teammate Adkins.
Dobuol, 6-foot-8, also has collected offers from Mississippi and Wichita State with interest coming from many other options after a productive summer. The wing is very athletic and can shoot the basketball to stretch defenses. He is versatile on both ends of the floor and has a knack for making impact plays.
But those aren’t the only options.
The Mountaineers also are targeting others such as Denton (Tx.) guard Jeremiah Green who plans to take an official visit and Erlanger (Ky.) forward E.J. Walker are just a few of the other names on the list of targets.
Transfer portal has taken centerstage but the Mountaineers are certainly not forgetting about the high level of talent at the high school level.
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