West Virginia now has 13 players on the roster for this basketball season. But will that be it?

That’s the question now that the program added Eastern Michigan guard Noah Farrakhan to the roster giving the program what could be considered a full complement of players for this season.

But of course, there are some catches to that considering the Mountaineers are waiting on a waiver decision for Montana State guard RaeQuan Battle which isn’t expected to be resolved for some time while Farrakhan will likely not be eligible this season as a two-time transfer.

Neither of these are surprising developments for the coaching staff but of the two Battle’s eligibility status for this coming season is the most pressing concern as he is expected to play a significant role in the backcourt for the Mountaineers this coming campaign. But wheels of the waiver process often turn slow so expecting any sort of quick resolution there isn’t realistic.

When it comes to Farrakhan it’s unsure if a waiver will even be applied for after he previously transferred from both East Carolina and Eastern Michigan but there were benefits to having him in the program to raise the level of play in practice and acclimate him to Morgantown.

So, the next question is are there any additions left for the Mountaineers this off-season? The short answer is yes if the right fits are out there. The West Virginia coaching staff has continued to remain aggressive throughout the offseason adding a total of eight transfers, while seven have departed.

It’s a group despite the ups and downs this off-season is still perched as one of the nation’s best classes in terms of the transfer portal which is a testament to the work done there.

The front court has taken shape with center Jesse Edwards (Syracuse), forward Akok Akok (Georgetown), forward Quinn Slazinski (St. John’s), forward Josiah Harris, forward Ofri Naveh and forward Patrick Suemnick handling those roles. Jose Perez is also expected to fill a role at the three this season.

Still, even looking at that group there is still need for more depth at the center position behind Edwards after the departure of both Mohamed Wague and James Okonkwo to the transfer portal. The Mountaineers did a good job filling the departure of Tre Mitchell with the combination of Akok and Slazinski, but West Virginia could still benefit from a bigger body that is going to help to eat up some minutes that can rebound the basketball and handle things on the defensive end.

Akok can certainly help in that department given the lineup on the floor, but it’s likely that the Mountaineers will use him at the four at first and build around.

West Virginia has filled some needs in the back court behind point guard Kerr Kriisa (Arizona) with the addition of Florida State transfer guard Jeremiah Bembry and the other guards Kobe Johnson and Seth Wilson. Of course, Battle is the key to help round things out while Farrakhan will provide practice depth but losing Omar Silverio after his waiver was denied opens up the possibility for another guard.

Now, that’s no guarantee with time ticking out but finding a player that can help fill versatile roles at either the two or three could go a long way toward addressing any lingering concerns caused by Silverio’s career ending when his eligibility waiver was denied. Like before, this player is likely to be a depth piece that can handle minutes and not put as much stress on the first wave of options.

West Virginia is going to need each of the returning players to elevate their game in both areas with Harris and Suemnick in the front court and Wilson and Johnson in the back. Those latter two are likely to see much more of a role now in light of what unfolded with Silverio and now in their third year that could be expected.

Still time is ticking and while it wouldn’t be surprising if the additions aren’t done, the likelihood is that those will come to help with depth more than anything.

----------

• 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

•Like us on Facebook