West Virginia answered two of the biggest remaining questions on the basketball roster without adding a single new player into the equation.
That’s because the Mountaineers got the news that two of their key players in transfers Treysen Eaglestaff and Brenen Lorient were pulling out of the NBA Draft process.
It’s not necessarily a major surprise considering that it was the likely outcome all along but it solidifies what head coach Ross Hodge has been able to put together to date.
Eaglestaff was one of the more highly recruited players added to the roster after coming off a standout season at North Dakota. There he averaged 18.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 41.6-percent from the field and 35.9-percent from three.
The North Dakota native initially committed to South Carolina after entering the transfer portal but had a number of high-level options after opening things up, including BYU, Gonzaga and several others before taking an official visit to Morgantown and picking the Mountaineers.
Eaglestaff is expected to be a major piece to the roster build and with one year left will have the opportunity to showcase what he can do within the Big 12 Conference. He has the ability to be used on or off the ball and is going to be counted on to put the ball in the basket.
Lorient was another major building block for Hodge and company, considering the success that he had during last season at North Texas. The forward blossomed for the Mean Green last seaso,n earning American Athletic Conference first-team all-league and Sixth Man of the Year honors.
Lorient 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 and 47.8-percent from three on 23 attempts. He entered the transfer portal shortly after Hodge left the program with a no-contact tag and elected to follow him to Morgantown while exploring the NBA Draft process.
Now, Lorient will look to make the most of his final season at West Virginia by giving the program an athletic forward at the four spot who has the possibility to expand his game even further.
With those two major building blocks now solidly in the fold, West Virginia has ten roster spots accounted for heading into the season but still will look to put the finishing touches on the group. The Mountaineers are still searching for at least another big man as well as at least one guard and perhaps another wing that can put pressure on the basket at a minimum.
It’s a complete roster rebuild for basically the second consecutive year, but the pieces are now officially sliding into place for Hodge and company to make the most of it.
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