Return, improvement of Konate comes as no surprise to Huggins

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Bob Huggins didn’t budge the entire time.

The message delivered during the course of the process was that if junior to be Sagaba Konate did not receive a first-round grade during the NBA Draft combine he would return to school.

And even after an impressive performance in Chicago, it came as no surprise when Konate announced his intentions to come back for another year in Morgantown after failing to crack the first round in mock drafts leading up to the May 30 deadline.

“That’s what happened,” Huggins said.

His source?

Konate himself as the big man would said he rather return to the college level and work on his craft than run the risk of ending up in the developmental league as a late pick.

So needless to say when Huggins received formal word he wasn’t necessarily too surprised. That doesn’t mean those around him didn’t have their moments of jubilation about the news.

While doing an event in Hilton Head, Huggins walked in and was greeted by a West Virginia fan that proceeded to give him a big hug and congratulate the head coach after Konate exorcised his right to withdraw from the draft and come back to play for the veteran coach.

“But he knew I knew so it wasn’t a big deal,” Huggins said.

Konate saw a significant jump in his play from year one to year two raising his totals across the board. After playing only around 11 minutes per game as a freshman with 4.1 points and 2.8 rebounds, Konate played 25.4 minutes per game scoring 10.8 points and grabbing 7.6 rebounds.

He also improved his free throw percentage by almost 16-percent and only continued to showcase his shot blocking abilities going from an impressive novelty in the department to one of the nation’s best.

His 116 swats ended up being eight short of the all-time record and he now needs only 22 this year to be at the top in program history for his career trailing D’Or Fischer in both departments.

The improvement might have caught some by surprise but according to Huggins that is what is supposed to happen as players adjust and acclimate to the college game.

Now the hurdle is getting even higher this year with Konate needing to show an improving jump shot as well as the ability to better pass the ball out of double teams on the offensive end.

On the defensive end, scouts want to see that Konate will be able to play in space show the footspeed to fit into the professional game as opposed to being primarily an under the basket rim protector.

A big part of a potentially exciting club in Morgantown this season, Konate’s return is certainly a big deal for a team that is looking to get over the hump. A big deal indeed.

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