After a 17-point West Virginia lead had been whittled down to merely six, the Mountaineers were looking for a spark – any kind of spark.

It might come as a surprise to some that it was redshirt sophomore Brandon Knapper that was the one to provide it.

Leading 67-61 with 10:25 left in the second half, it was the South Charleston native that stymied the run with a three-pointer to calm the waters.

“Knap was good,” head coach Bob Huggins said.

That’s something that almost assuredly wouldn’t have happened a season ago, as the South Charleston native battled issues with his confidence after returning from a knee injury. But now a full-year removed, Knapper served as a quality bench piece for the Mountaineers with 9 points on 4-7 shots.

A more confident, comfortable Knapper displayed an improved handle as well as an assertiveness on both ends of the floor that wasn’t there last season. He understands his role and has embraced it.

“Last year I didn’t feel myself. I just want to play my game and I’m a winner. Last year was very uncomfortable for me and this year with the group we have I feel like we can bring back the winning tradition,” he said.

Knapper sought some sound advice in the off-season from somebody certainly qualified to give it in former West Virginia guard Jevon Carter. The message was one that Knapper saw Carter doing while he roomed with him on the trip to Germany as a true freshman.

“Watch a lot of film and study. Study yourself, study other players. Take some stuff from other players and put it in your game. I feel like every time I step on the floor the game has slowed down and now I just have to go out there and make the right decisions,” he said.

The guard had paid close attention to how Carter handled his business when he was part of the program and hopes that those traits will carry him down the pathway to success. So he too has been active in film work diagnosing things and picking up things on both ends of the floor.

Carter impressed upon Knapper to remain coachable at all times.

“Coach is always going to be hard on you but he wants you to get better,” he said. “If you listen to them while they’re coaching you, you’ll do things a different way.”

Not to mention the time he’s spent in the gym working on improving his handling the basketball. It’s paying off as well as Knapper is proving he can play on or off the ball while showcasing a better ability to pass the ball in order to slide into that facilitator role when asked.

“That’s always been a part of me and being a guard it’s something I’ve always got to work on,” he said.

Knapper understands he is still working on his defensive game but that too is coming along as he looks to make a sizeable leap in his second year on the floor. It’s off to a good start, but now the challenge will be to keep it up to remain in the rotation as the schedule stiffens.

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