Frosh Ahmad Boosts WVU's Wing Athleticism
October 13, 2015 10:48 AM | Men's Basketball
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - The three best high school basketball players in the state of Ohio last year chose to leave the Buckeye State, and one of them is currently sporting a gold and blue jersey at West Virginia University.
Esa Ahmad, a 6-foot-8-inch, 225-pound, wing from Shaker Heights made Mountaineer basketball fans very happy last September when he committed to veteran coach Bob Huggins over such schools as Ohio State, Maryland, Wisconsin and Oregon.
Ahmad averaged 23.3 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 2.5 blocks and 1.6 steals per game as a senior, leading his team to the state regional finals. His numbers were even better during his junior season in 2014 when he averaged 26.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game, making him one of the most coveted players in Ohio, along with Cleveland’s Carlton Bragg (Kansas) and Franklin’s Luke Kennard (Duke).
ESPN.com rated Ahmad the No. 41-rated player and the eighth-best wing forward in the country for the class of 2015. Based on that alone, Ahmad should give an already talented Mountaineer roster some much-needed size, versatility and athleticism on the wing.
“Esa is a talented guy and he brings a lot to the table,” admitted sophomore guard Daxter Miles Jr. “He’s big, but he can stretch the floor out. I think he can handle the ball well, too.”
The Big 12 has become an athletic league full of players that can score off the bounce. All you have to do is scan the rosters at Kansas, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Baylor, Texas, Oklahoma State and Kanas State to realize that.
That was one area West Virginia sorely needed to upgrade, and the addition of Ahmad should help immeasurably when matching up against those teams.
“The Big 12 is such a guard-oriented, play-off-the-dribble kind of league,” noted Huggins. “You go to Oklahoma and all five of them bounce it on you. (Oklahoma coach) Lon (Krueger) is great at finding mismatches and isos and they can all pass the ball. They have skilled guys and I think the Big 12 has become, whether it’s consciously or not, a very skill-oriented league.”
Now four years into it, West Virginia is finally adjusting to the Big 12 style of play. When the Mountaineers were transitioning to the Big 12 back in 2012, they had players more suited for the Big East – a rough and tumble, defensive-oriented league.
But last year, WVU made big strides when Huggins turned over his roster and went to a full-court, trapping defense that produced an NCAA-best 376 steals. It was controlled chaos and it led to 25 victories, another Sweet 16 appearance for its veteran coach and a return to the Top 25 in the final national rankings.
And many of the components from that successful team are back, which should make Ahmad’s transition to Big 12 basketball much easier because he doesn’t have to be the man. All he has to do is fit in with a group of players who already understand how to win tough basketball games.
“Esa is a mature freshman,” said Miles Jr. “He’s kind of quiet, but he’s funny. He’s fitting in well right now; he’s willing to work and we’re just doing what we can to work with each other.”
Huggins says Ahmad’s minutes and production ultimately will be dictated by how well he adjusts on the defensive end of the floor.
“His issues are not going to be offensive,” said Huggins. “His issues are going to be defensively. I try to explain to guys when we recruit them when they ask, ‘What position am I?’ ‘I don’t know what you are, and I really don’t care. I guess it’s who you can guard at the other end. Maybe that’s what you are.’”
Huggins brought up former Mountaineer standout Da’Sean Butler when he was asked to go into more detail about what Ahmad can ultimately bring to the table for West Virginia during his college career.
“What was Da’Sean Butler? Was he a two? Was he a three? Was he a four? He guarded all of those guys – and he could play all of those positions,” Huggins pointed out.
“(Butler) started at point guard for two or three games, so I don’t know what position he was,” the coach continued. “And I think that’s Esa. Now, Esa is not that far ahead right now, but then I played Da’Sean at power forward the first year I had him. Then he transitioned his body and he worked at his skill development on the defensive end to where I could play him on the perimeter.”
That’s the hope for Ahmad - that he can develop his defensive perimeter skills - because he’s got so much ability on the offensive end of the floor right now.
And if Ahmad can develop defensively to Huggins’ satisfaction, that will give the Mountaineers a pretty nice answer when they face teams such as Kansas, Oklahoma and Baylor that have been problematic in the past with their length and athleticism on the wings.
“I think you have to have a very good three-guy in this league,” said Huggins. “(Oklahoma guard) Buddy Hield is really a three for them. The best players in our league are pretty much the small forwards, or I should say the most impactful.”
Huggins is hoping his young small forward can become one of them, too - sooner rather than later.
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