Bob Huggins and his West Virginia basketball team isn’t worried about next year.
Instead the focus is squarely on the present. For good reason considering the Mountaineers return all of their production outside three senior role players from a 21-10 club a season ago.
The Mountaineers return roughly 80-percent of their scoring, 83-percent of their rebounding and 77-percent of the minutes played from that club with some exciting additions to boot with newcomers Isaiah Cottrell, Taj Thweatt and Kedrian Johnson being put into the rotation. That doesn’t even include Jalen Bridges, who could have easily played last season, but wanted to redshirt to improve his body or another freshman in Seny Ndiaye, who isn’t expected to play this coming season to do the same.
That creates a logjam in the post where sophomore Oscar Tshiebwe and junior Derek Culver will command the most minutes, with senior Gabe Osabuohien and the freshman Cottrell filling out the rotation. That makes sense for the Mountaineers to preserve Ndiaye, unless further needed.
Needless to say, there is a lot of experience and a lot of depth returning for this club.
That’s a lot of reasons to be excited about this West Virginia basketball team and even more so because none of the players are looking into the option of opting out from competition.
“I think our guy are of the mindset that we have a chance to do some special things and they want to be part of it,” Huggins said. “I haven’t had anybody talk about next year or anything other than this year or what we have to do to be successful this year.”
Nobody knows what the future could bring, as West Virginia has post-players with professional opportunities in the future like Tshiebwe and Culver, but the club is focused on what they can control for now which is the upcoming season.
And to date, Huggins has been pleased with how his group has blended together.
“They enjoy being around each other. It’s a special group from the standpoint that they do appreciate each other. They’re friends,” he said.
One interesting option that will be available to the two seniors on the roster is that Taz Sherman and Gabe Osabuohien would be eligible to return next year if they elect to do so given the adjustments to the NCAA rules by the Division I Council. So while the focus is now, the future does get a little bit more interesting regardless what unfolds in the off-season with others.
“They’re going to have the opportunity to come back. I haven’t really talked to them about it but I don’t know why they wouldn’t do that unless a really big opportunity comes their way,” he said.
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