Three Mountaineers pick up Big 12 honors

The West Virginia basketball team had, arguably, its best season in the Big 12 Conference. Now, three Mountaineers have been honored by the league.

Jaysean Paige earned a unanimous vote as the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year, while Devin Williams and Jevon Carter were named to the All-Conference Second Team.

Also, Carter earned a nod to the Big 12 All-Defensive team.

These honors are all well-deserved by the No. 2 squad in the toughest conference in the nation.

The Mountaineers were shut out on the All-Conference First Team. Last season, former point guard Juwan Staten earned first-team honors. This year, Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield, Iowa State’s Georges Niang and Kansas’ Perry Ellis were repeat winners on the first team. Baylor’s Taureen Prince and Isaiah Taylor of Texas filled out the other two spots.

Paige did not make the Big 12 First-Team, though he was surely a strong candidate. He wasn’t the traditional first-teamer, though. Paige only started one game for the Mountaineers, and that was when fellow guard Daxter Miles went down with an injury.

He started 10 games as a junior, his first year with the Mountaineers, but the usage of this year’s lineup, dictated by head coach Bob Huggins, allowed Paige to be much more productive.

Paige led the WVU basketball team with 14.3 points per game. He had a 46-percent field goal percentage and led the team with a 77-percent outing at the free throw line.

He was fourth in the league in conference play with 16.3 points per game, including setting a school record for most points by a non-starter with 34 versus Iowa State on February 22.

The West Virginia offense ticked because of Paige.

As for Williams and Carter, they helped the Mountaineers in their own right.

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At times, Williams looked like the strongest big man in the conference. His 12.7 points per game were second on the Mountaineers and he averaged 9.8 rebounds per game, two more than the next WVU player on the list.

Carter helped lead the notorious “Press Virginia” with 56 steals, which was most on the team. Carter, who stands 6-foot-2, also had 10 blocks. Elijah Macon and Esa Ahmad, who had 15 and 17 steals, respectively, for the Mountaineers stand seven inches taller than Carter.

Carter still has two more years of eligibility for the Mountaineers, but options are limited for Paige and Williams. Paige will graduate and Williams could leave the program after his junior season.

He likely would not get drafted by an NBA team, just yet. However, Williams could be ready for a move overseas to jumpstart his professional career.

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