The West Virginia Mountaineers will look a lot different next season than they have over the past couple of years. Since beginning his tenure with the program three seasons ago, Mark Kellogg hasn't had to deal with a roster overhaul like the one he faced this offseason, with just one starter and two players in total returning from last season's team.
The consensus has been that the Mountaineers walked away from the transfer portal with a pretty solid haul, and early polls are already projecting that the Mountaineers will once again be a Top 25 team. But with all these new faces, exactly how will the rotation shake out? Let's take a look.
Projected West Virginia Mountaineers depth chart
PG: Gia Cooke, Kennedy Harris
SG: Alexis Bordas, Madison Parrish
SF: Zahirah Walton, Marya Hudgins
PF: Skylar Forbes, Divine Tshibuabua
C: Khyala Ngodu, Hawa Doumbouya
Who does Mark Kellogg actually play?
Depth charts are tentative, and lineups don't always look traditional for the Mark Kellogg – he ran three more traditional guards on the wing last year in lieu of two guards and a more traditional forward. The incoming lineup is also guard heavy, but there is more size in the post than last year, and size was a fatal flaw for WVU in the postseason.
It's hard to see Parrish returning as a sophomore without believing an increased role will be up for grabs. It's also hard to see a sharpshooter like Alexis Bordas not factoring into the equation. Kellogg cited Kennedy Harris as a point guard during her signing, and Gia Cooke can run the offense or a more natural 2-role. These are the four I would expect in the back court in various rotations though former five-star recruit Nylah Wilson will also be in play.
Zahirah Walton is listed as a guard/forward combo at 5-foot-11, so expect her to play the 3-position in the front court. Marya Hudgins is listed as a guard but given her 6-foot frame and the surplus of smaller guards, she feels like a natural fit a small forward as well. All six of these players will play some sort of role in the main 8-9 player rotation that Kellogg seems to favor.
That leaves the two post positions in the front court – Skylar Forbes is listed as a forward and Khyala Ngodu as a center, so expect them as former Power 5 starters and seniors to inherit the 4-role and the 5-role, respectively.
Hawa Doumbouya's played limited action in her first few years collegiately, but her 6-foot-7 frame will like be used in a reserve backup role. Divine Tshibuabua will likely be the backup at power forward, though she's the one out of the four post players listed here that will probably see the least playing time.
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