2022 Record: 19-15 (7-11)

Head Coach: Josh Eilert (First Career Season as a Head Coach)

Projected Rotation:

PG: Kerr Kriisa (9.9 Pts, 2.4 Reb, 5.1 Ast)

SG: Raequan Battle (Montana State 17.7 Pts, 2.9 Reb, 0.9 Ast) (Double Transfer, Waiver TBA)

SF: Jose Perez (2021-22 Manhattan 18.9 Pts, 3.2 Reb, 4.5 Ast)

PF: Quinn Slazinski (Iona 11.3 Pts, 5.7 Reb, 1.9 Ast)

C: Jesse Edwards (Syracuse 14.5 Pts, 10.3 Reb, 1.6 Ast)

6: PF Akok Akok (Georgetown 6.5 Pts, 6.2 Reb, 1.0 Ast)

7: PG Seth Wilson (4.2 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.5 Ast)

8: SG Kobe Johnson (2.0 Pts, 1.0 Reb, 0.5 Ast)

9: PG Jeremiah Bembry (Florida State RS)

10: PF Pat Suemnick (1.4 Pts, 1.3 Reb, 0.1 Ast)

11: SF Josiah Harris (1.8 Pts, 0.9 Reb, 0.1 Ast)

12: SF Ofri Naveh

13: Noah Farrakhan (Eastern Michigan 12.1 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 2.3 Ast) (Double Transfer, Sit Out)

West Virginia suffered many losses this offseason both right as the season ended as usual and then later in the offseason after the firing of former head coach Bob Huggins. Players from last seasons team that opted to return are: PG Seth Wilson, PF Pat Suemnick, SF Josiah Harris, and SG Kobe Johnson. Wilson saw the most action of all the returning players averaging just over 4PPG in 13 minutes per game on average. He also shot over 40% from 3. Josiah Harris and Pat Suemnick saw very minimal action this past season but will likely see more this season after the complete roster turnover. Suemnick also played at Robert Morris and Triton CC. Kobe Johnson made 4 starts this past season and averaging 2PPG on 57% shooting. Also returning to the team is Jose Perez who is a transfer from Manhattan but had his waiver denied by the NCAA this past season forcing him to sit out his first year in Morgantown. Perez can play multiple positions and rebounds well for his size. He can also score off the bounce and passes well too.

West Virginia had to do a lot of work in the transfer portal after losing all they did this offseason. One of the additions they made before the Huggins firing who decided to stay with the team was PG Kerr Kriisa from Arizona. Kriisa can be very inconsistent shooting the ball on the offensive end, but he plays very emotionally and makes an impact on the game even when he isn’t shooting well. He’s a great passer averaging over 5 assists per game. He also has a good A:TO ratio. Another transfer added before the Huggins firing was big man from Syracuse Jesse Edwards. He was a machine this past season for Syracuse. He averaged a double double and seemed to be everywhere on the court. He was the most heavily recruited big in the portal after Hunter Dickinson. Edwards excels as a scorer around the rim and is also a terrific defender known for his shot blocking.

West Virginia also had to add some transfers late post Huggins firing after some of the players already on the roster decided to enter the transfer portal. The Mountaineers added Quinn Slazinski from Iona and Akok Akok from Georgetown. Both of these players are power forwards but play with their own unique style. They will battle for the starting PF position all throughout the offseason. Akok is known more for his interior defense and post game as well as rebounding. He is also capable of stretching the floor at times. Slazinski is more of a scoring forward. He known for stretching the floor and taking a lot of mid range and three point shots.

West Virginia also added transfer guard Raequan Battle from Montana State. He will need a waiver to play this season because he is a double transfer who hasn’t yet graduated. If he gets his waiver, he will be a very intriguing player to watch this season on the Mountaineers. He’s known mainly as a high volume scorer capable of putting it in the bucket from anywhere in the halfcourt. The Mountaineers also signed transfer guard Noah Farrakhan from Eastern Michigan who is also a double transfer. It’s less likely that he gets a waiver and he may not even apply for one anyways. Farrakhan is another capable high volume scorer but can be very inconsistent at times. The final transfer the Mountaineers added is former 3 star point guard Jeremiah Bembry out of Pennsylvania. Bembry attended Florida State this past season but opted to redshirt and didn’t appear in any games. He adds depth to the Mountaineer backcourt. WVU also got a commitment from 2023 forward Ofri Naveh out of Israel who will be a developmental piece for Josh Eilert this season.

It’s very tough to determine how good this West Virginia team will be this upcoming season after a rollercoaster of an offseason. Before the Huggins incidents and subsequent firing, West Virginia was a fringe Top 25 team and seemed like a virtual tournament lock. West Virginia lost 3 potential starters that opted to enter the portal after Huggins got fired. This team still has some talent that is capable of surprising people this year. The Big 12 is very tough top to bottom this season and WVU still projects to be towards the bottom. However, it is possible for this team to be better than expected and the NCAA Tournament isn’t out of the question if Josh Eilert can rally the team together down the stretch.