West Virginia versatility making offensive engine go
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It didn’t take long for Emmitt Matthews to realize the offensive potential for this West Virginia team.
That’s because it was apparent to the fifth-year senior after the second open gym of the summer. The Mountaineers featured a re-tooled roster that relied heavily on the transfer portal and featured a unique mix of players that can put the ball in the basket.
West Virginia has four players that average in double figures in scoring with guard Erik Stevenson (13.6 points), forward Tre Mitchell (12.9 points), guard Joe Toussaint (11.3 points) and forward Emmitt Matthews (10.8 points) while guard Kedrian Johnson is at 8.9 points.
That doesn’t even take into account all of the other players that contribute, meaning that the Mountaineers have a lot of different ways to attack teams.
“As long as we keep the offense open in space and we know everybody’s strengths and we play to that I think we’ll have one of the most electric offenses in the country,” Matthews said.
Head coach Bob Huggins can go with a number of different lineups and the versatility is something that can create issues for opponents.
Mitchell has showcased the ability to create issues with both his size and skill, while Stevenson has developed into a scoring option that brings toughness to the fold,
When it comes to Matthews he has refined his shot and become a reliable shooter at his size with the ability to handle the ball and the Mountaineers can play both of the point guards at once to create issues on both ends.
The ability to use so many different lineup combinations only adds to the ability of this team to create issues for the opposition. Especially when players can move to multiple positions to create mismatches.
“Every game it’s going to be someone new step up. That’s been the trend of the season so far. We’re a team where everybody can score,” Matthews said.
The Mountaineers are averaging 80.5 points per contest and are shooting 49-percent from the field with the offense carrying the team through the first ten games. The fact that West Virginia has relied on so many different options to score the ball with five different players finishing as the top scorer throughout the year.
That was on display against UAB where Stevenson only scored 8 points, but the Mountaineers were able to win 81-70 due to four others hitting double figures.
“We’re a hard team to guard,” Huggins said.
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