Young, Sooners present tough challenge for WVU at home
Bob Huggins admittedly enjoys watching sensational Oklahoma freshman point guard Trae Young.
Just not this coming Saturday night.
That’s because Young and the Sooners will be traveling to the Coliseum to take on West Virginia in a conference matchup of unbeaten clubs. Young has led the Sooners to a 12-1 mark in his first season with the program by filling the stat sheet averaging just under 30-points and 10.6 assists per game.
No, this is not a test – those are the real numbers of a true freshman point guard. And you’re not the only one that’s been impressed by his on the court exploits.
“I think he has the most impact from the point guard position of anybody since Jason Kidd,” Huggins said of the Oklahoma native.
If that seems like lofty praise, well it gets better.
“But (Kidd) didn’t shoot the ball, score the ball, the way Trae is scoring the ball,” Huggins continued.
While Young is the centerpiece, he doesn’t do it alone for Lon Kruger’s bunch. His supporting cast is what makes this team a difficult match up.
Khadeem Latin and Jamuni McNeace provide rim protection on the defensive end, while Christian James and Kameron McGusty have bought into their roles on the supporting cast which isn’t always the easiest adjustment. The Sooners have two others in double figures and several more that contribute nightly.
“They know where people are going to be, they deliver the ball to where people are going to be and most importantly they make shots,” Huggins said.
Young is the trigger man to the attack, but it only matters if those players are able to hit the shots.
“His ability to find open people and then to be perfectly honest those people he finds their ability to make shots,” Huggins said. “I think Oklahoma is terrific.”
West Virginia is currently on a 13-game win streak, something that hasn’t happened in Morgantown for 30-years, but will face a difficult challenge in what the Sooners can do offensively with Young in control.
West Virginia has to stay afloat for this matchup and the following one with Baylor before Esa Ahmad, who averaged over 11 points per game a year ago returns.
For Huggins, however, this match up with Oklahoma is simply just another night in a league that is as loaded as any he’s coached in during his career.
“This is the hardest league I’ve ever coached in, the best coached league I’ve ever coached in, the best from top to bottom I’ve ever been in and round-robin play makes it that much harder. We don’t have a bottom,” Huggins said.
The game is set for a 7:15 p.m. tipoff.
