Things have quickly went from bad to worse for West Virginia men's basketball on Monday.
After getting shockingly snubbed from the NCAA Tournament despite seeming like a March Madness lock on Selection Sunday, WVU declined postseason opportunities amidst rumors swirling that first-year head coach Darian DeVries could end up with a different program next season.
And now, there is fuel to add to the fire on those rumors: West Virginia freshman guard Jonathan Powell, who started multiple games for WVU this season, has already entered his name into the transfer portal. Powell was good for 8.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per contest in 23 starts and 32 appearances for the Mountaineers and was a crucial scorer in multiple wins.
This likely leaves a lot of fans with a growing question on their minds to begin this sunny week in Mid-March.
Is It Time To Panic?
I'd argue we don't know for sure yet, but the anxiety fans are feeling should be a good bit higher tonight than it was on Sunday night.
WVU declining both the NIT and College Basketball Crown -- the latter of which offers automatic bids to Big 12 teams missing the NCAA Tournament -- seems fishy.
There's rumored to be an NIL prize component to the Crown, and the NIT carries a lot of history and prestige despite teams opting out in recent years. Wouldn't it make sense as a program with a first-year coach to want to earn some hardware, demonstrate nationally why his team was obviously snubbed, and finish the season strong?
Add in the additional statements from DeVries and WVU AD Wren Baker to decline those tournaments with a weird lack of allusion to "next year" by DeVries specifically, and things get slightly more alarming. Why were a second round of full statements needed after they both spoke on the matter last night?
But Powell hitting the portal so quickly is the real kicker. He was a high school prospect persuaded to join DeVries after initially being committed to Xavier -- he earned a role in the starting lineup and saw tons of playing time under DeVries.
While it is natural for young players to want to hit the portal in this era to explore their value, if he was brought to WVU after committing elsewhere by DeVries specifically and he is entering the portal just hours after the season was declared over, alarm bells do start ringing.
Of course, Powell might decide to stay in Morgantown by the end of all this, and whether he does or not, DeVries has not officially made an announcement as to what his intentions are. So things could still go either way. But maybe also hold onto your seats.
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