Ross Hodge could elevate WVU's roster by landing prestigious transfer with local ties

The West Virginia Mountaineers still have some basketball left to play this season, as they will travel to Las Vegas to take on the College Basketball Crown in April. But with players already declaring their plans to enter the transfer portal, which will open soon after postseason basketball wraps up, recruiting is also at the top of Ross Hodge's mind.

And if the Mountaineers want to make a game-changing addition to their front court, they can do so by taking a look just up I-79 towards Pittsburgh, where a West Virginia native who played his high school ball less than a half-hour from Morgantown is planning to enter the portal after being named the Horizon League Player of the Year.

Robert Morris forward, Fairmont Senior alum Desean Goode to enter transfer portal

Desean Goode, who played prep basketball under prestigious head coach David Retton at Fairmont Senior, is reportedly set to enter the portal when it opens next month. Goode spent his sophomore season with the Robert Morris Colonials, averaging 15.2 points and 8.7 rebounds per game on the way to being named Horizon League Player of the Year.

Goode spent his freshman season at IU-Indy, where he averaged 7.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game and was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team. He averaged 18.4 points per game a a high school senior at Fairmont Senior and was a Class AAA First-Team All-State selection, and was a crucial member of back-to-back Class AAA State Championship teams for the Polar Bears.

One thing the Mountaineers have lacked in recent seasons is significant size inside, and with 6-foot-10 signee Aliou Dioum coming in and 6-foot-9 freshman DJ Thomas coming off a strong true freshman season, Goode could be the perfect addition to continue to add size to the post while bringing in a proven Division 1 scorer.