The West Virginia Mountaineer basketball program will welcome a number of talented transfers into the fold and WVSports.com looks at each of those.
What are the opportunities for each this coming season and how do they fit into the picture with the basketball program?
We examine each.
Kriisa is an experienced point guard that was brought into the Mountaineers basketball program to take a lead role in the back court. The Estonian product has great size at 6-foot-3 and has been a dependable shooter from deep during his career at 36-percent and is going to be able to offer that immediately to this team as well. But where he will excel is when it comes to simply running the team and from a leadership perspective. A skilled passer, Kriisa led the Pac-12 in assists last season at 5.1 per game and while he will take some risks at times is a significant upgrade as a distributor. West Virginia made Kriisa a priority in the transfer portal and you don't do that without a clear plan. That is going to see the redshirt junior soak up a lot of minutes and handle the point.
Edwards is a very athletic big that excels in rim running situations. He finishes well and plays above the rim which is a welcomed change to the front court for the program. The Netherlands native became a critical target for the program and given his length and 6-foot-11 frame there are a lot of reasons to be excited. Edwards immediately becomes the best big on the roster after averaging 14.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Can score with his back to the basket, but will be exciting to see what Edwards can do with Kriisa in the two-man game in pick and roll situations. Not only an asset around the basket and on the rebounding front, Edwards is an elite rim protector. His length will help cover up mistakes made on that end of the floor and he averaged 2.7 blocks per game which is the type of presence that the program hasn't hade in quite some time. Edwards is going to play a major role and will see as many minutes as he can handle.
While West Virginia addressed two major needs with Kriisa and Edwards, there was still a necessity to find a wing that can score off the bounce and create his own shot. Battle can do that after averaging 17.7 points per game last season and excels getting to the rim and finishing there even through contact. But he isn't limited to just that as Battle shot 35-percent from three last season and gives the program the versatility and true scorer that was necessary. Extremely athletic, Battle is going to assume the role as the starting two-guard for the Mountaineers and will have every opportunity to showcase his skill set as part of the bigger piece of the puzzle with this roster as long as his waiver request for immediate eligibility is approved.
West Virginia needed to round out the roster with some help in the post and Akok is going to certainly be able to provide that after an all-around productive season at Georgetown. He runs the floor well and possesses good athleticism inside of his 6-foot-10 frame with plenty of bounce. He is going to add even more of an element of rim protection to go along with Jesse Edwards and displays good timing and instincts in that area while showing an ability to get up quickly. Akok has a long wingspan that he uses to alter shots and come down with rebounds, but he also has the skill set to step out and hit jump shots to stretch the floor including threes. His length also helps on the glass, although he still possesses a lean frame. Still, what he brings to the table is perfect for what the Mountaineers needed to find out of the four spot and there is plenty of experience to go with it. He will have a major role.
Bembry was the first late addition after the roster experienced a series of changes due to the resignation of head coach Bob Huggins and Josh Eilert being tabbed as the interim head coach. A 6-foot-6 point guard with length and versatility, Bembry did not play for the Seminoles in his lone season with the program due to injuries. He is skilled at getting to the basket and makes excellent decisions with the ball in his hands. After the departure of Joe Toussaint, West Virginia needed somebody to step in and handle that role and Bembry is going to be able to provide that juice off the bench. His length will allow him to defend multiple spots and should help him see the floor this season.
Slazinski initially was set to attend St. John's after coming over from Iona with his head coach Rick Pitino but opened things up after a few months and entered into the transfer portal yet again. The 6-foot-9 big fills a need for the Mountaineers as a stretch four that can shoot the basketball and keep the defense honest. He has touch from behind the arc and also is capable on the glass and defensive end of the floor. The Mountaineers needed to find players that could fill valuable minutes in the front court and Slazinski is going to be able to provide just that. He has experience under his belt and while it's unclear if he will start for the Mountaineers he is going to bring a dimension to the table that the roster was lacking prior to his addition.
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