Photo by: Brian Persinger
Bridges Building Himself Into A Key Role For Mountaineers
November 09, 2020 04:45 PM | Men's Basketball, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Before Bob Huggins, you could count on two hands the number of Top 100 basketball recruits West Virginia signed from the 1970s until the mid-2000s.
But since Huggins' arrival in 2007-08, the Mountaineers have more than held their own landing some of the country's top college basketball prospects, including this past year signing the nation's No. 75-rated player Isaiah Cottrell.
Fairmont Senior small forward Jalen Bridges, the nation's No. 73-rated recruit in 2019, was part of the class Huggins brought in two years ago that also included McDonald's All-American Oscar Tshiebwe.
Tshiebwe played extremely well, earning Big 12 All-Newcomer and Second Team honors as a freshman while Bridges opted to take a year off and redshirt to get stronger and work on his game.
How many Top 100 players do that these days?
Or ever?
It's certainly never happened at West Virginia. Those guys usually come to campus with enormous, sometimes unrealistic, expectations from the fans.
Some have fulfilled it, others have not.
You could probably go through the list of the Top 100 players Huggins has signed here since 2008 and come up with a half-dozen or so who probably should have taken the Jalen Bridges route.
It was a decision Jalen and his family made, although Huggins admits he could have probably used him last season - particularly in that Oklahoma loss out in Norman when the Mountaineers would have missed hitting the Monongahela River by dropping a basketball off the Star City bridge.
"Yeah, I think he would have really helped us last year," Huggins said last week. "He was one of our better offensive rebounders at the end of the year (in practice), and he can make shots. He can shoot it from deep which stretches the defense, he's got length and good feet, so he's going to be a good defender."
For those who watched Bridges play at nearby Fairmont Senior High, it was never a question of his talent. The question was always the talent level of the guys he faced.
He led Fairmont Senior to a pair of state titles and averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds while shooting an impressive 50.6% from 3-point range during his senior season. Bridges was a two-time first team all-state choice and was considered West Virginia's No. 1 prep prospect not from Huntington Prep, which recruits players from all over the country.
The list of his top schools is certainly attention-getting - Xavier, Indiana, Alabama, Miami (Florida) and West Virginia.
Bridges also had the option of going to Scotland Campus Prep School in Scotland, Pennsylvania, but once he committed to West Virginia, he made up his mind to come to Morgantown – and sit out his freshman season.
His father, Corey, a standout player on Fairmont Senior's 1996 state championship team, helped with that decision.
"I just felt, mentally, I wasn't ready to make that big jump to the college game, so I just decided to redshirt and my dad was on board with that," Bridges said. "Coach Huggs was on board with it and I just felt like it was a great opportunity to get stronger and learn how to play the game at this level."
Bridges admits there were things he could easily do as a 6-foot-7 wing player in high school that he can't do now in college.
"I've had to work on making a move and taking dribbles into my shot instead of standing there and being a catch-and-shoot guy," Bridges noted. "I feel like I've come a long way in that aspect. Also, before I could just do whatever I wanted inside because I was playing against guys who were 6-foot. I've had to learn to finish through contact, do a few up-and-unders … floaters … just to expand my whole game, basically."
Bridges has also had to tweak a unique release to his shot that once started just above his left hip.
"When I put the ball on the ground it was with my left had so I was just so used to having the ball there and I would bring it from there regardless of if it was catch-and-shoot or not," Bridges explained. "This whole summer my dad and I re-worked my form because it was kind of slow. It would take a little while to get off, but now it went from here (his left side) to here (in front of his face)."
A physically stronger, more mature Jalen Bridges gives West Virginia a pair of competent small forwards with Emmitt Matthews Jr. returning for his junior season.
Huggins was so impressed with Bridges' development last year in practice playing every day against his guys that he might rethink sending some of his future developmental players to prep school.
Why have them go play games in another system when they can come here and learn how to play the Mountaineer way?
That's what Huggins chose to do this year with 6-foot-10, 220-pound shot blocker Seny Ndiaye. Seny is going to learn a lot more going up against Oscar Tshiebwe, Derek Culver and Gabe Osabuohien every day, just like Bridges did last year.
"Seeing (Jalen) develop as a freshman, he learned so much and gained so much knowledge playing against people like me, Oscar, and also guarding guards," Osabuohien said. "He definitely got the experience he needed and I feel like his talent, at his size and what he's able to do, brings so much to the table defensively and offensively by spacing the floor. He's able to shoot and take people off the dribble, and he's a whole complete player that we've added to an already deep roster.
"He's going to fit in perfectly with what we do in every aspect," Osabuohien added. "I expect a lot out of him this year."
Bridges said he gained confidence midway through last season when he began scoring against WVU's 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-10 post players the way he once did against those 6-footers in high school.
"I was basically playing to survive in most of the practices, but then I started to feel more comfortable and with me being comfortable, I was playing harder," he said. "I was trying to score and playing really good defense. I would say at that point is when I realized I belonged here and I can really make something out of this."
If Huggins had it to do over again, he probably wouldn't have redshirted Bridges because he got the extra year anyway with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jalen could conceivably get six years and five full seasons of college basketball if he wants it.
"Knowing what we know now, we wouldn't have (redshirted him) because he's going to get this year back anyway," Huggins said.
But who could pass up six years of free college?
I've got some buddies who swear that college was the best eight years of their lives – and none of them are doctors!
"It's really super-unique," Bridges admitted. "My situation, I redshirted, obviously, so I'm going to be a freshman again and then next year I could be a freshman again, which is kind of weird. The more I think about it … I don't even know how to process it. It's just a lot of time to play for my state."
Teammate Sean McNeil was asked last week to name a player he believes is going to surprise people this year.
He answered Jalen Bridges.
"Jalen's probably put on 10, 15 pounds of muscle, and he's just playing extremely hard," he said. "He's long. He's athletic and he's going to do whatever you ask him to do, so look out for J.B."
There you have it.
Jalen Bridges is a Top 100 recruit who has used the time and resources he's had here at WVU to develop into a Top 100 player. And be careful not to confuse the two, because they are completely different.
But since Huggins' arrival in 2007-08, the Mountaineers have more than held their own landing some of the country's top college basketball prospects, including this past year signing the nation's No. 75-rated player Isaiah Cottrell.
Fairmont Senior small forward Jalen Bridges, the nation's No. 73-rated recruit in 2019, was part of the class Huggins brought in two years ago that also included McDonald's All-American Oscar Tshiebwe.
Tshiebwe played extremely well, earning Big 12 All-Newcomer and Second Team honors as a freshman while Bridges opted to take a year off and redshirt to get stronger and work on his game.
How many Top 100 players do that these days?
Or ever?
It's certainly never happened at West Virginia. Those guys usually come to campus with enormous, sometimes unrealistic, expectations from the fans.
Some have fulfilled it, others have not.
You could probably go through the list of the Top 100 players Huggins has signed here since 2008 and come up with a half-dozen or so who probably should have taken the Jalen Bridges route.
It was a decision Jalen and his family made, although Huggins admits he could have probably used him last season - particularly in that Oklahoma loss out in Norman when the Mountaineers would have missed hitting the Monongahela River by dropping a basketball off the Star City bridge.
"Yeah, I think he would have really helped us last year," Huggins said last week. "He was one of our better offensive rebounders at the end of the year (in practice), and he can make shots. He can shoot it from deep which stretches the defense, he's got length and good feet, so he's going to be a good defender."
For those who watched Bridges play at nearby Fairmont Senior High, it was never a question of his talent. The question was always the talent level of the guys he faced.
He led Fairmont Senior to a pair of state titles and averaged 21.6 points, 6.7 rebounds while shooting an impressive 50.6% from 3-point range during his senior season. Bridges was a two-time first team all-state choice and was considered West Virginia's No. 1 prep prospect not from Huntington Prep, which recruits players from all over the country.
The list of his top schools is certainly attention-getting - Xavier, Indiana, Alabama, Miami (Florida) and West Virginia.
Bridges also had the option of going to Scotland Campus Prep School in Scotland, Pennsylvania, but once he committed to West Virginia, he made up his mind to come to Morgantown – and sit out his freshman season.
His father, Corey, a standout player on Fairmont Senior's 1996 state championship team, helped with that decision.
"I just felt, mentally, I wasn't ready to make that big jump to the college game, so I just decided to redshirt and my dad was on board with that," Bridges said. "Coach Huggs was on board with it and I just felt like it was a great opportunity to get stronger and learn how to play the game at this level."
Bridges admits there were things he could easily do as a 6-foot-7 wing player in high school that he can't do now in college.
"I've had to work on making a move and taking dribbles into my shot instead of standing there and being a catch-and-shoot guy," Bridges noted. "I feel like I've come a long way in that aspect. Also, before I could just do whatever I wanted inside because I was playing against guys who were 6-foot. I've had to learn to finish through contact, do a few up-and-unders … floaters … just to expand my whole game, basically."
Bridges has also had to tweak a unique release to his shot that once started just above his left hip.
"When I put the ball on the ground it was with my left had so I was just so used to having the ball there and I would bring it from there regardless of if it was catch-and-shoot or not," Bridges explained. "This whole summer my dad and I re-worked my form because it was kind of slow. It would take a little while to get off, but now it went from here (his left side) to here (in front of his face)."
A physically stronger, more mature Jalen Bridges gives West Virginia a pair of competent small forwards with Emmitt Matthews Jr. returning for his junior season.
Huggins was so impressed with Bridges' development last year in practice playing every day against his guys that he might rethink sending some of his future developmental players to prep school.
Why have them go play games in another system when they can come here and learn how to play the Mountaineer way?
That's what Huggins chose to do this year with 6-foot-10, 220-pound shot blocker Seny Ndiaye. Seny is going to learn a lot more going up against Oscar Tshiebwe, Derek Culver and Gabe Osabuohien every day, just like Bridges did last year.
"Seeing (Jalen) develop as a freshman, he learned so much and gained so much knowledge playing against people like me, Oscar, and also guarding guards," Osabuohien said. "He definitely got the experience he needed and I feel like his talent, at his size and what he's able to do, brings so much to the table defensively and offensively by spacing the floor. He's able to shoot and take people off the dribble, and he's a whole complete player that we've added to an already deep roster."He's going to fit in perfectly with what we do in every aspect," Osabuohien added. "I expect a lot out of him this year."
Bridges said he gained confidence midway through last season when he began scoring against WVU's 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-10 post players the way he once did against those 6-footers in high school.
"I was basically playing to survive in most of the practices, but then I started to feel more comfortable and with me being comfortable, I was playing harder," he said. "I was trying to score and playing really good defense. I would say at that point is when I realized I belonged here and I can really make something out of this."
If Huggins had it to do over again, he probably wouldn't have redshirted Bridges because he got the extra year anyway with the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jalen could conceivably get six years and five full seasons of college basketball if he wants it.
"Knowing what we know now, we wouldn't have (redshirted him) because he's going to get this year back anyway," Huggins said.
But who could pass up six years of free college?
I've got some buddies who swear that college was the best eight years of their lives – and none of them are doctors!
"It's really super-unique," Bridges admitted. "My situation, I redshirted, obviously, so I'm going to be a freshman again and then next year I could be a freshman again, which is kind of weird. The more I think about it … I don't even know how to process it. It's just a lot of time to play for my state."
Teammate Sean McNeil was asked last week to name a player he believes is going to surprise people this year.
He answered Jalen Bridges.
"Jalen's probably put on 10, 15 pounds of muscle, and he's just playing extremely hard," he said. "He's long. He's athletic and he's going to do whatever you ask him to do, so look out for J.B."
There you have it.
Jalen Bridges is a Top 100 recruit who has used the time and resources he's had here at WVU to develop into a Top 100 player. And be careful not to confuse the two, because they are completely different.
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