The West Virginia basketball program has landed their second transfer addition of the off-season, and it comes from a player that Ross Hodge is plenty familiar with in North Texas forward Brenen Lorient.
Lorient, 6-foot-9, 215-pounds, is coming off a standout season with the Mean Green where he averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and over 1.1 blocks per game across 24.8 minutes per game.
He shot 57-percent from the field his efforts were rewarded by being named a first-team all-American Athletic Conference selection and the league’s Sixth Man of the Year.
Lorient came to North Texas from Florida Atlantic where he spent two seasons where he appeared in 21 games as a reserve as a freshman and followed that up appearing in all 31 games while averaging 2.2 points and 1.3 rebounds per game before leaving for Denton.
Lorient clearly saw his game flourish under Hodge and now will make the leap with him to Morgantown to be part of his first team with the Mountaineers.
He has one season of eligibility remaining in his career.
The athletic forward becomes the second transfer portal commitment for West Virginia since Hodge took over the basketball program joining UNC Wilmington center Harlan Obioha.
WVSports.com breaks down the transfer of Lorient and what it means to the West Virginia Mountaineers basketball program both now and in the future.
Fitting the program:
Lorient is exactly the type of athletic four-man that college programs crave. He can finish above the rim and has the length and athleticism to be a factor on both ends of the floor. He scored over 60-percent of his points at the rim this past season and is equipped with a variety of options including an effective jump hook and floater.
Lorient can score with his back to the basket, as well as create off the dribble to get to the rim. Also displays the ability to hit jump shots and even shot 47.8-percent from three on 23 attempts. Lorient is also a plus passer for a big man.
Lorient really blossomed this past season and was one of the most impactful players on the North Texas lineup without starting a single game. He can get downhill and finish.
On the defensive end, Lorient is a versatile piece that should translate well into the Big 12. He is a major piece to the building blocks of what this roster could eventually look like under Hodge. There is also a sense of trust between the two and that was evident by him entering into the transfer portal with a no-contact tag and then committing to the Mountaineers only a few days later.
West Virginia needs as much help as possible with reconstructing the roster and Lorient is a player that should be a foundational piece to what Hodge is going to put out on the floor.
Recruiting the position:
Much like all other positions on the roster, West Virginia simply needs quality bodies to round out the roster and find players that can help this team win basketball games in the Big 12. With Lorient in the fold, the Mountaineers now have five total scholarship players in the mix and even that number is far from set.
That means that you can expect West Virginia to continue to mine the transfer portal when it comes to putting the roster together and will need more help at essentially every spot in doing so.
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