WVSports.com looks back at the West Virginia basketball recruiting classes from 2002-2018 to look at how the top rated players fared during that time.
That time period is considered the Rivals.com internet era and we will be looking at strictly those high school or prep prospects that signed with the Mountaineers during that time period. So this excludes junior college or transfer options.
Years in the program: 2009-10
Statistics: 69 games, 11.2 points per game, 7.9 rebounds per game
Ebanks is the one and only five-star prospect to sign a letter of intent with West Virginia during the Rivals.com internet era and played a vital role in helping the team accomplish a trip to the Final Four in 2010. The lengthy wing elected to leave the program after his sophomore season and was selected in the NBA Draft. His time was short at West Virginia, but he certainly looked the part during his two years on campus.
Years in the program: 2014-17
Statistics: 103 games, 5.0 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 46 blocks
It took a while for Macon to make it onto the court at West Virginia as he spent a season at prep school and then redshirted before making his debut in the 2015 season. He served primarily as a role player during his three years but started to make some major strides in his final season before surprisingly electing to go pursue a professional career overseas.
Years in the program: 2014-16
Statistics: 102 games, 11.1 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game
Williams had a connection with Huggins due to his time in the Cincinnati area and that led him to Morgantown. The big man certainly didn't disappoint as he developed into a force for the Mountaineers in the post during his career and his numbers increased each season just narrowly missing a double-double per game in his third year. Still, Williams elected to bypass his final season and head overseas to start his career. He certainly lived up to his ranking during his time but there will always be some wondering if he could have done even more during one last year.
Years in the program: 2016-19
Statistics: 112 games, 9.3 points per game, 4.3 rebounds per game
Ahmad played the better part of four seasons at West Virginia and at times certainly looked the part by dominating and controlling games with his athleticism. However, those instances were few and far between as he dealt more with inconsistency and an inability to put together those efforts on a regular basis. He ran into issues with discipline at times and eventually was dismissed from the program during his final season after appearing in 23 games.
Years in the program: 2008-12
Statistics: 139 games, 13.1 points per game, 7.5 rebounds per game
Jones was part of the touted 2008 recruiting class and made an impact almost immediately. But what made him so special during his time in Morgantown was that he continued to get better each year he played. During his final season he was arguably snubbed for Big East Player of the Year after averaging 19.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game. He was selected in the NBA Draft and is remembered as one of the greats.
Years in the program: N/A
Statistics: N/A
Cottrill was looked at as an impact prospect when he signed with West Virginia but multiple off-the-field concerns cost him a chance at a career in Morgantown.
Years in the program: 2018-current
Statistics: 57 games, 10.9 points per game, 9.2 rebounds per game
Culver is one of the only two players that are still active off this list so his story has yet to be fully completed. Still, the talented big man has been a double-double machine since arriving in Morgantown after a year at prep school. The Ohio native has had ups and downs at times but when he's on he has really made an impact. It will be interesting to see how he fares during his junior campaign this fall.
Years in the program: 2012-13
Statistics: 65 games, 7.4 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, 71 steals
Hinds was projected to do a lot of big things during his career at West Virginia but after two seasons where he averaged exactly 7.4 points per game he decided to transfer. Hinds showed flashes at times and it would have been interesting had he remained at West Virginia for his entire career but he decided to go elsewhere to finish up.
Years in the program: 2012
Statistics: 13 games, 0.4 points per game, 0.6 rebounds per game
McCune never really got his career off the ground at West Virginia as he appeared in only 13 games and was suspended twice in his only year with the program. That forced him to leave the school and he never was able to make an impact.
Years in the program: 2019-current
Statistics: 63 games, 5.8 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game
Matthews is still active on the roster so he still has time to work even further on what he has done but today he has shown real flashes of taking the next step. Matthews has to learn to be more aggressive on the offensive end but has a lot of potential to make a serious move up the list over the last two years of his career.
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