Suemnick making most of opportunities at West Virginia
Patrick Suemnick wasn’t highly recruited out of his native Wisconsin so he understands the concept of making the most of the opportunities available to him.
That’s exactly what the senior forward has done of late.
Suemnick, 6-foot-8, 235-pounds, has been thrust into a larger role on the floor with starting center Jesse Edwards sidelined and West Virginia looking for help at the five spot.
After hitting the 20-minute mark only once across the first 12 games, the big man has averaged 25 minutes per game over the past three and has been productive with that time on the floor.
During that span, Suemnick has averaged 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds including a career-high scoring effort.
“Every game you go out there trying to do what you can and make the most of your opportunities,” he said. “I’ve really just been capitalizing on the opportunities I’ve been given.”
That led to his first career start at West Virginia.
“You can see the confidence for sure he carries himself differently,” head coach Josh Eilert said.
It was a long time coming from the perspective of Suemnick who started his career at Robert Morris before moving onto Triton College at the junior college level.
A multi-sport athlete in high school Suemnick also played football and baseball where he lined up at pitcher and first base. However, he never stopped growing, leading him to the hardwood.
However, after some early attention from high majors, things never progressed further due to the COVID-19 pandemic. West Virginia took notice of the junior college option at a tournament where former head coach Bob Huggins and assistant Larry Harrison were in attendance.
After impressing, West Virginia offered a scholarship and he took that opportunity. Now, in his second year with the program, he’s looking to make the most of that.
“Really I’ve just been going out there with the same mindset,” he said.
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