Early look at the 2016-17 season
Last week West Virginia took an early exit from NCAA Tournament by dropping its first round game to Stephen F. Austin. The year ended with disappointment, but in the big picture West Virginia had a successful season finishing with an overall record of 26-9 and a Big 12 conference record of 13-5.
The majority of its 2015-16 roster returns for the 2016-17 season. Only Jaysean Paige, Jon Holton and Ricky Romeo III graduate.
“I believe this team can still do great things,” guard Jevon Carter said, after him and his team fell to Stephen F. Austin.
Depth was a major asset for West Virginia throughout the year and as long as head coach Bob Huggins continues to use the frenetic full court pressure defense, depth will have to remain a staple for the program.
With that in mind, here’s a way too early glance at what West Virginia will look like when it takes the floor come November. The roster is broken up into three pieces – the starting five, second wave and rest of the bench.
Projected Starting Five:
G – Jevon Carter – Junior
G – Daxter Miles Jr. – Junior
F – Esa Ahmad – Sophomore
F – Nate Adrian – Senior
F – Devin Williams – Senior
There are two locks for the starting lineup next season – Devin Williams and Esa Ahmad.
Williams pledged to return to West Virginia for his senior season after recording 16 double-doubles as a junior. Standing at six-foot-nine, 255 pounds, Williams once again will be relied upon for both scoring and rebounding. Williams averaged more than 13 points and nine rebounds per game as a junior.
“I need to continue to expand my game,” Williams said. “I have a lot more that I haven’t tapped and I need to just continue to become a better team leader.”
As a freshman, Ahmad didn’t play his best basketball until the second half of the season. The expectation for Ahmad is to grow during the summer months and elevate his game to help Williams carry West Virginia next season.
The other three starting spots are not as secure because there are unknowns at guard. Huggins has to figure out whether or not James ‘Beetle’ Bolden is a legitimate option to run the offense at point guard. If so, Bolden or Tarik Phillip could move into the starting lineup allowing Carter to move off the ball.
If Huggins decides to start either Bolden or Phillip at point guard, West Virginia could go with a three-guard look of Bolden or Phillip plus Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. off the ball. That would push Nate Adrian from the starting lineup to the second wave.
Since the guard spots are unknowns, it is hard to assume some of those changes, so Carter, Miles Jr. and Adrian alongside Ahmad and Williams, is most sensible to project into the starting five.
Second Wave:
G – Tarik Phillip – Senior
G – James ‘Beetle’ Bolden – Redshirt Freshman
G – Teyvon Myers – Senior
F – Elijah Macon – Redshirt Junior
F – Maciej Bender - Freshman
There are plenty of reasons to keep Phillip in the second wave regardless of whether or not Bolden emerges as a potential point guard. Phillip can score the ball and proved he was capable of doing so throughout the Big 12 schedule, averaging better than eleven points per game during league play.
With the second group, Huggins is going to need someone to drive the lane in order to create shots for himself or his teammates, a lot like Paige and Phillip did throughout the 2015-16 season. Phillip is most capable of creating offense and could provide West Virginia with instant scoring off the bench as a senior.
Teyvon Myers improved a great deal from his late arrival on campus to the end of the season. With a full offseason in Morgantown, Myers can work with Huggins and his teammates. Myers has the potential to help West Virginia, especially in the scoring column next season.
At forward, both Elijah Macon and newcomer Maciej Bender will be ideal candidates to help Williams in the post.
Macon started his redshirt sophomore season with promise, but finished slow averaging 2.5 points per game over the final ten games of the year.
“Going into the summer, I know I need to have good workouts to completely change myself,” Macon said. “I need to keep my work ethic strong to become a better player.”
The Poland native, Bender stands at six-foot-ten and is viewed as an athletic big man, who can help the team in multiple ways.
“He brings the ability to stretch the defense beyond the line and also score with his back to the basket. In addition, he gives us a big man capable of running the offense because of his ability to pass the basketball,” Huggins said upon signing Bender last November.
Rest of Bench:
G – James Long – Redshirt Senior
G – Chase Harler – Freshman
F – Lamont West – Redshirt Freshman
F – Brand Watkins – Senior
F – Logan Routt – Redshirt Freshman
F – Sagaba Konate – Freshman
Lamont West was groomed throughout his first year on campus to eventually play Holton’s spot within West Virginia’s pressing defense. At six-foot-eight, the Cincinnati native must be able give Huggins some quality minutes playing within the defense.
One player in this group capable of giving West Virginia more than what he gave the team this season is Brandon Watkins. Coming off an ACL injury, Watkins saw ten minutes of playing time or more only five times throughout the entire season. If healthy, Watkins could be the rim protector he has shown he could be when healthy.
The final piece to keep an eye on is Sagaba Konate. Last week the standout had 17 points and 22 rebounds to lead Kennedy Catholic High School to a PIAA Class A State Championship. Kontae can provide depth behind Williams, Adrian, Macon, Watkins and Bender.