The West Virginia basketball program has filled out the 2024-25 roster with scholarship additions but how do the new pieces fit into the mix on the roster?
The Mountaineers added both AOSS Prep (Ca.) big Abraham Oyeadier and Canadian transfer forward Haris Elezovic to the mix in order to round out the depth on the roster. Both were necessary depth pieces considering what was already in place and where the roster still needed some help to round things out.
Elezovic has the easiest pathway to immediate playing time considering he is a senior with one year of eligibility remaining. The Canadian forward comes from Laval University in Quebec where he averaged 12.2 points and 10.3 rebounds per game while hitting 44.9 percent of his shots.
At 6-foot-8, 240-pounds, Elezovic has good size and has already proven the ability to play well against division one basketball programs as he averaged 14.6 points and 11.6 rebounds in three summer games against Oregon, Florida State and Vermont in 2022.
Elezovic is a versatile forward who has a diverse skill set, especially in the department of scoring. He can create some off the bounce, and finish with some crafty moves around the rim. The experienced forward has shown the ability to step out and hit shots beyond the three-point line.
At worst, Elezovic is going to be a veteran body that has the ability to supply some minutes as a potential big who can stretch the floor and rebound the basketball. He is likely going to slide into a rotational role with the Mountaineers but given his size and skill set there is an avenue there.
West Virginia wanted to get some versatility with the late additions and he is a seasoned option that has already played a lot of college basketball albeit in the Canadian ranks.
The second addition is very different in nature in the sense that Oyeadier is a high school prospect. The Ghana native comes from a strong prep program in California where he spent a season and made an impression on the coaching staff there with his physical brand of basketball.
While the 6-foot-9, 230-pounder missed some time due to injury last season he averaged 10.7 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game during league play and made his presence felt. He is a plus-shot blocker and understands how to rebound the basketball.
Those two skills are going to lend themselves into potentially playing as a depth piece from the jump. The Mountaineers need help in the front court and are lacking big bodies which is the entire reason that Oyeadier came into focus late in the process. While his offensive skill set is limited at this stage, he does have the added benefit of a complete complement of eligibility in his pocket.
But even last year Oyeadier displayed the ability to step out and hit 15-19 foot jumpers on top of even being used around the three-point line at times but that is still very much a developing skill set.
West Virginia needs help behind Eduardo Andre and Amani Hansberry in the front court which is where the door is opened for Oyeadier to prove himself capable for some minutes in his freshman year. That won’t be decided until closer to the season, but either way the freshman has time on his side to continue to refine his skill set and build off his enforcer role on defense and the glass.
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