WVSports.com continues our series looking back at the past by examining the top West Virginia basketball transfers of the Rivals.com recruiting era.
This era stretches from 2002 until now and we focus on those prospects that made the biggest impact after leaving another school for Morgantown.
This list only includes players that transferred from a division one school not junior college players or walk-on prospects.
Years in the program: 2004-05
Stats: 65 games, 9.2 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, 190 blocks
Fischer spent two seasons at Northwestern State where he had two productive seasons including a sophomore year where he accounted for just short of a double-double per contest and 133 blocks or 4.43 per game, ranking him second nationally. He sat out a season due to transfer rules and then put together his best season leading the Mountaineers in scoring and rebounding at 10.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. His 124 blocked shots also broke a previous school record. Would follow up that with another solid season serving as a key cog in the middle for the Mountaineers who advanced deep into the NCAA Tournament.
Years in the program: 2005-06
Stats: 68 games, 14.4 points per game, 5.4 rebounds per game
Gansey was runner-up for Mr. Basketball in his native Ohio before electing to play at St. Bonaventure. There he was named to the all-Atlantic 10 rookie team and followed that up with an impressive sophomore campaign averaging 13.9 points and 5.0 rebounds. Still he decided to transfer to Morgantown and after sitting out a season averaged 12.0 points per game and scored the most on the entire team. He took his game even further during his senior year, averaging just short of 17 points per game and being named a first-team all-Big East performer. He was one of the central figures of the renaissance under John Beilein and will forever be remembered for his efforts against Wake Forest in the NCAA Tournament. Was named to the West Virginia Hall of Fame.
Years in the program: 2013-15
Stats: 94 games, 13.4 points per game, 4.6 assists per game, 3.8 rebounds per game
Staten came to West Virginia after a successful freshman season at Dayton where he led the Flyers in assists. After sitting out a year, Staten had an up and down first season before really settling into his role and becoming an impressive guard for the Mountaineers. Staten averaged 18.1 points and 5.8 assists per game during his junior season but dealt with some injuries that slowed him down as a senior although he still put up very solid numbers. Staten was a key piece when it came to turning around the program after a rough two-year stretch without NCAA tournament appearances.
Years in the program: 2006-07
Stats: 73 games, 3.8 points per game, 2.5 rebounds per game
Smalligan came to West Virginia after two seasons at Butler where he served as a role player. He continued that role in Morgantown playing 14.4 minutes per game during his first year but hitting 45-percent of his three-point attempts. As a senior he saw a dip in overall production but was still an important piece off the bench.
Years in the program: 2013
Stats: 31 games, 8.8 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game
Murray is the most controversial name on this list not because of his talent but because things were never really able to come together for the impressive big man. Murray considered the Mountaineers out of high school but signed with LaSalle where he'd average 15.2 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore before leaving the program due to clashes with his head coach. That led him to Morgantown where he sat out a season but ran into some trouble. Inconsistency would follow him during his one year on the floor and by season's end Murray was on the move again this time to Texas Southern. There he made the most of his skills earning Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year after averaging 21 points and 8 rebounds per contest.
Years in the program: 2005-06
Stats: 69 games, 2.6 points per game, 2.6 rebounds per game
Summers started his career at Penn State where he made 41 career starts for the Nittany Lions averaging 3.9 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Came to Morgantown where he was used sparingly in his first year but took a step forward in his second season averaging 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per contest. Never necessarily a star during his time on campus, Summers did understand his role as a big.
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