WVU basketball had an exciting offseason, highlighted by exceptional work on the recruiting trail – both in terms of the team's high school class as well as their transfer portal haul. But no player they added seems to have more potential, nor more buzz surrounding them, than incoming freshman Miles Sadler.
Sadler, who is the highest-rated prospect to ever sign with the program, actually committed to the Mountaineers last fall – so it's been know he'll be joining the team for awhile. Which only made it more thrilling for West Virginia fans when he was able to rise above what was already an exceptional reputation during his senior year to become one of the top prep players in the nation.
What does WVU basketball freshman Miles Sadler need to do to handle pressure entering his freshman season?
All that hype comes a heavy weight upon Sadler's shoulders, and there is always a chance that a young player isn't quite ready to handle that type of pressure. So while head coach Ross Hodge believes Sadler is the real deal, he also wants to make sure he approaches Sadler's freshman season in a way that doesn't overwhelm the highly-touted guard.
“You're saying like expectations – I don't think anyone means harm by any of that stuff, but the reality is to ultimately get to where we're trying to get to, and even as an individual where a very talented player may be trying to get to, really you're just trying to strip it down," Hodge said.
"Okay, let's have a really good weight room session this morning, let's have a good practice, get treatment, go to class, come get your work in. And if you can encourage young players just to really control what you can control, because you can get caught up and you start going down a path of what's going to happen and what could happen and what will happen, but you don't know what's going to happen."
WVU Ross Hodge on taking the pressure off of Miles Sadler:
— Spencer Ripchik (@RipchikSpencer) July 30, 2026
“Pressure is a privilege, and you've earned it. He has earned the right to have those expectations, but the reality is none of that is going to be able to be accomplished today.” pic.twitter.com/s1NOXUvGWr
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