West Virginia is still in search of their next head coach but now with the backdrop of the transfer portal window opening for college basketball programs.
The window, which remains open until April 22, was shortened this year to just 30 days instead of the 45 it previously was in order to try to bring more stability to college rosters.
The transfer period is critical when it comes to building a roster especially one that is very much in flux like West Virginia given the coaching change and the loss of key seniors from a season ago.
Currently, West Virginia has six scholarship players on the roster but it’s unclear how many of those will remain with the program once a hire is made. But even with the transfer portal now open for business, Athletic Director Wren Baker has operated on his own timeline and stuck with a process.
Baker has long held to the mantra, “be quick, but don’t hurry,” in regard to coaching searches and this one will be no different. There is of course the pressure to make a hire as quickly as possible, but it can’t be done just for the sake of meeting a timeline when it comes to the transfer portal.
“That’s probably a greater pressure point than it used to be. But I think as an athletic director, you have to resist that driving the search because long-term you can make a mistake trying to solve some short-term concerns,” Baker said.
It’s important to note that players just have to enter their names into the transfer portal by that window, that isn’t the only times that a roster can be built. Once a player has entered their name, college coaches can recruit and target them throughout the course of the off-season.
And it’s also critical to note that any coach that is hired could potentially bring players with them as well on top of potential recruits as well.
While the coaching search is still ongoing, Baker is confident that the job is one that will allow a new coach to be competitive from the start.
“People see that you can come in, get the resources to build a roster to be competitive instantly,” he said.
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