The West Virginia Mountaineers have gotten off a strong start in the Ross Hodge era, as the Mountaineers are currently 14-8 overall and 5-4 in Big 12 play, and still alive and well when it comes to NCAA Tournament contention.
But who you see on the floor during games for the Mountaineers is only a glimpse of the talent that helps prepare WVU to compete night-in and night-out in the Big 12 – and those unseen players could be the foundation for the future of the program.
West Virginia Mountaineers See Important Contributions From Young Players
WVU basketball has seven seniors on the current roster, six of whom will be out of eligibility after this season – forward Jackson Fields may be eligible for a medical redshirt, but that would preclude him from playing much (if at all) for the rest of the season. The rest of the 15-man roster is made up by seven players who are either freshmen or redshirt freshmen, and one junior.
That junior, Morris Ugusuk, and two freshmen in Amir Jenkins and DJ Thomas, have featured heavily in the rotation for WVU this year, but are seventh, eighth, and ninth on the team in minutes played. The rest of the roster has seen little to no action.
But those players have been crucial in helping the Mountaineers as well, putting in significant effort on the scout team to make sure West Virginia stays ready to play against the top competition in the country while continuing to develop into future weapons for the program individually.
"They've been great. They've been an integral part of everything we're doing. And a large majority of that is spent on the scout team. You know, helping prepare us while also getting reps and improving as individuals," Hodge said. "But they have been great, man. They have helped us a ton. They get to learn a lot of different actions that other people may run, and play in some different defenses. But that's where they have helped us the mst.