West Virginia has landed their first commitment in the 2025 recruiting class with a commitment from Huntington (W.Va.) Huntington Prep guard Braydon Hawthorne.
Hawthorne, 6-foot-8, 175-pounds, selected the Mountaineers over a long list of scholarship offers including Ohio, Old Dominion, UMBC, Florida Gulf Coast, Pepperdine and Mount St. Mary's.
The prep school prospect received a scholarship offer from West Virginia which led to a quick decision giving the Mountaineers after a start on what the 2025 class will look like for the program.
The talented wing possesses excellent size and length and fits the mold of what the Mountaineers are looking for with a versatile skill set. The addition also keeps an in-state prospect home as Hawthorne is considered one of, if not the, top players in the state in the 2025 cycle.
Hawthorne is the first pledge in the 2025 class for head coach Darian DeVries.
WVSports.com breaks down the commitment of Hawthorne and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers basketball program both now and in the future.
Skill set:
At 6-foot-8 and equipped with long arms, Hawthorne has excellent length which he uses to not only affect shots but get into passing lanes and play above the rim. He is a strong rebounder and has demonstrated the ability to hit shots on the perimeter as well as create off the bounce.
Hawthorne is comfortable and confident scoring off catch and shoot opportunities while his length and ball handling give him the ability to get to the rim and finish. He is a defender that can theoretically guard one through five and that makes him a strong fit on that end as well.
Hawthorne is going to need to continue to fill out his frame but his versatility and ability to play above the rim is something that college coaches want to find at the wing spot.
There is a lot to build on here and his best basketball is certainly ahead of him at this stage.
Fitting the program:
West Virginia was able to keep one of the state’s best at home which is always a positive when finding those players that can make an impact at this level. The fact that the Mountaineers prioritized him and things came together quickly is a testament to the interest in both sides.
A native of Beckley, Hawthorne has spent the past two years at Huntington Prep but was at Woodrow Wilson before that and had a strong connection to the school. Given that he also fits the needs of what West Virginia wants out of their wings on both ends of the floor it was an easy match.
----------
• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.
• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.
• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel
• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe
