Seth Wilson’s breakout performance in West Virginia’s much needed win against Texas Tech has been lurking beneath the surface for a while now.

Wilson has shot an outstanding 42% from deep over the course of the season, and when given the chance to be the go-to scorer (upon frustration over early turnovers, Bob Huggins subbed out his entire starting roster for five new players, including Wilson) he seized the opportunity with two hands.

“I just had to stay ready, cause you never know,” said Wilson. “Coaches did have us prepared and they told us we would be able to get open threes… my whole thing was just making sure I was ready for those moments.”

It’s safe to say he was ready, as he knocked down a career high five threes for a career high 15 points on the night.

“Seth’s playing with a lot more confidence. He’s doing really well recently, especially in practice. He’s just killing it,” said teammate James Okonkwo.

Unlike many of the players on the Mountaineer’s veteran roster, Wilson is only in his sophomore season and as such, hasn’t yet earned a leading role. In his freshman season, he played an average of just seven minutes per game.

“Being a competitor it’s always hard, but at the same time though, I knew who I was learning behind. I was learning from Shaun and Taz which are two great guards to learn from. I just tried to be a sponge and absorb everything I can in order to help us move forward,” said Wilson.

His learning mentality has paid off, as this season he’s doubled his minutes from his first year and become an important scorer off the bench for WVU. For someone who was second in all-time points for his high school, only behind LeBron James, the role player position could be daunting, but Wilson sees things differently.

“I understand what I have to do to help us win games and that’s all that matters to me, so if I could do that by coming off the bench… it doesn’t make any difference,” said Wilson.

For now, this is likely the role Wilson will continue to play for the remainder of the season, but his consistency and growth suggests more success, and possibly a larger role sooner than we may think.

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