Photo by: Scott Weaver
Mountaineers Begin Basketball Activities
July 20, 2020 11:30 AM | Men's Basketball, Blog
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia University men's basketball team is beginning team activities today.
This comes two weeks after the University announced a 14-day postponement when five players and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
Following a monitored, self-isolation period as part of the department's health and safety protocol, the Mountaineers now have the green light to begin individual workouts.
Presently, West Virginia is allowed eight hours a week of individual and team instruction, according to veteran coach Bob Huggins.
Normally by this time, the players would be well into their summer program, which includes open gym where the guys can learn more about each other's games, but the virus has hampered that and the individual skill development they would normally get with the coaching staff.
"I'd be happier if I could have gotten my hands on them a little earlier," Huggins said. "The part we are missing is voluntary. All we were going to have them do is come in three groups of four.
"You'd have a group of four on the floor, a group of four in the weight room and a group of four on the turf running and then rotate them," he explained. "That was when it was voluntary."
Now, many teams in a similar situation to West Virginia are forced to play catchup.
That means Huggins will probably have to keep things simple for his talented newcomer group that now includes 6-foot-10, 225-pound Huntington Prep power forward Seny Ndiaye, who signed with the Mountaineers last week.
However, he will not be able to take part in team activities until he enrolls in school.
Ndiaye is one of five Huntington Prep players to sign with high-major programs, which includes incoming WVU freshman Isaiah Cottrell.
Cottrell, Duke signee Jaemyn Brakefield and Michigan State signee A.J. Hoggard are considered top 100 prospects.
WVU's 2020 class also includes junior college All-American guard Kedrian Johnson, who is now enrolled, and talented freshman forward Taj Thweatt from Wildwood, New Jersey.
Before the Ndiaye announcement, Huggins indicated earlier this spring that this year's incoming group rates among the most talented he's signed at West Virginia.
And that bodes well for a team already stacked with outstanding players.
Forward Oscar Tshiebwe pulled his name out of the NBA Draft and returns for his sophomore season to pair with rising junior forward Derek Culver. Those two combined to average 21.6 points and 17.9 rebounds per game last year and should rank among the best one-two forward combos in the country this season.
Guard Deuce McBride is coming off a fantastic freshman season when he averaged 9.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while handing out 56 assists and generating 35 steals.
He scored a game-high 21 points in a win over then-No. 2-ranked Ohio State in Cleveland and had a game-high 22 in a big home victory over 22nd-ranked Texas Tech.
McBride contributed 12 points off the bench in the Mountaineers' big season-ending win over fourth-ranked Baylor.
Tshiebwe added 16 points and 12 rebounds, but the star of the Baylor game was rising junior forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. who poured in 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
Matthews Jr. finished the season on a strong note and could be primed for a breakout campaign in 2021.
Returning guards Sean McNeil, Taz Sherman and Jordan McCabe and forwards Gabe Osabuohien and Jalen Bridges potentially give Huggins one of the most talented teams he's had at West Virginia.
Some, such as ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, are putting West Virginia among the elite teams in the country this year.
Vitale won't get any arguments from veteran Mountaineer assistant coach Erik Martin.
"I couldn't be more excited about workouts tomorrow," Martin tweeted last night. "It's been four months since I've been with my family/team and this could be the most talented team we've had at WVU in my 13 years here.
"National championship or bust," he concluded.
Huggins is hopeful the country can get a better handle on the virus so he can get his team on the floor later this year.
He said coaches are going to do everything they can to minimize risks to keep the players safe and healthy. The rest is up to them.
"The problem is not what we do with them, the problem is who do they room with and run around with?" he explained. "That's the problem because those people have to get quarantined. They may not have it, but they have to get quarantined for 10 days.
"If you test positive and they say, 'Who have you been around? 'Well, I've been around this guy, this guy, this guy and this guy.' All of those guys are out for 10 days and that's the problem," he continued. "When they are out of our control is when the whole thing goes awry.
"Sooner or later we're going to have to put them together, and they are all going to be tested again," he added. "If everybody is negative, as long as they do what they're supposed to do, we shouldn't have a problem."
Huggins points to the success the NBA is having with its bubble system established in Orlando to complete the 2020 season. Some lessons could be taken from what they are doing, although it's unrealistic to completely remove athletes from social settings on college campuses.
Meanwhile, Huggins anticipates recruiting will be dramatically altered for the time being as the virus continues to surge in certain parts of the country.
"I think it's very real that there will be no (in-person) August-September recruiting," he said. "I think it's very real that they're not going to let kids come in and watch games.
"On one hand, you can't go and watch those kids play and on the other hand they are saying freshmen can transfer and be immediately eligible at another school. Does that make any sense?" he noted.
"So now with those freshman transfers, who is responsible for his APR? The school he left. What happens when you fall below the APR? You lose scholarships. If you have anybody really good they are going to put their name in the NBA Draft and you've got transfers being eligible immediately … you are going to have people sitting there with four and five scholarship players. How is that good for anybody?"
Those are good questions.
Unfortunately, there are far more questions than answers right now.
This comes two weeks after the University announced a 14-day postponement when five players and one staff member tested positive for COVID-19.
Following a monitored, self-isolation period as part of the department's health and safety protocol, the Mountaineers now have the green light to begin individual workouts.
Presently, West Virginia is allowed eight hours a week of individual and team instruction, according to veteran coach Bob Huggins.
Normally by this time, the players would be well into their summer program, which includes open gym where the guys can learn more about each other's games, but the virus has hampered that and the individual skill development they would normally get with the coaching staff.
"I'd be happier if I could have gotten my hands on them a little earlier," Huggins said. "The part we are missing is voluntary. All we were going to have them do is come in three groups of four.
"You'd have a group of four on the floor, a group of four in the weight room and a group of four on the turf running and then rotate them," he explained. "That was when it was voluntary."
Now, many teams in a similar situation to West Virginia are forced to play catchup.
That means Huggins will probably have to keep things simple for his talented newcomer group that now includes 6-foot-10, 225-pound Huntington Prep power forward Seny Ndiaye, who signed with the Mountaineers last week.
However, he will not be able to take part in team activities until he enrolls in school.
Ndiaye is one of five Huntington Prep players to sign with high-major programs, which includes incoming WVU freshman Isaiah Cottrell.
Cottrell, Duke signee Jaemyn Brakefield and Michigan State signee A.J. Hoggard are considered top 100 prospects.
WVU's 2020 class also includes junior college All-American guard Kedrian Johnson, who is now enrolled, and talented freshman forward Taj Thweatt from Wildwood, New Jersey.
Before the Ndiaye announcement, Huggins indicated earlier this spring that this year's incoming group rates among the most talented he's signed at West Virginia.
And that bodes well for a team already stacked with outstanding players.
Forward Oscar Tshiebwe pulled his name out of the NBA Draft and returns for his sophomore season to pair with rising junior forward Derek Culver. Those two combined to average 21.6 points and 17.9 rebounds per game last year and should rank among the best one-two forward combos in the country this season.Guard Deuce McBride is coming off a fantastic freshman season when he averaged 9.5 points and 2.4 rebounds per game while handing out 56 assists and generating 35 steals.
He scored a game-high 21 points in a win over then-No. 2-ranked Ohio State in Cleveland and had a game-high 22 in a big home victory over 22nd-ranked Texas Tech.
McBride contributed 12 points off the bench in the Mountaineers' big season-ending win over fourth-ranked Baylor.
Tshiebwe added 16 points and 12 rebounds, but the star of the Baylor game was rising junior forward Emmitt Matthews Jr. who poured in 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting.
Matthews Jr. finished the season on a strong note and could be primed for a breakout campaign in 2021.
Returning guards Sean McNeil, Taz Sherman and Jordan McCabe and forwards Gabe Osabuohien and Jalen Bridges potentially give Huggins one of the most talented teams he's had at West Virginia.
Some, such as ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale, are putting West Virginia among the elite teams in the country this year.
Vitale won't get any arguments from veteran Mountaineer assistant coach Erik Martin.
"I couldn't be more excited about workouts tomorrow," Martin tweeted last night. "It's been four months since I've been with my family/team and this could be the most talented team we've had at WVU in my 13 years here.
"National championship or bust," he concluded.
I couldn't be more excited about workouts tomorrow. I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. It's been 4 months since I was with my family/team, and this could be the most talented team we've had at WVU in my 13 years here. National Championship or Bust! Let's get it!!!!!
— Erik Martin (@CoachEMartinWVU) July 20, 2020
Huggins is hopeful the country can get a better handle on the virus so he can get his team on the floor later this year.
He said coaches are going to do everything they can to minimize risks to keep the players safe and healthy. The rest is up to them.
"The problem is not what we do with them, the problem is who do they room with and run around with?" he explained. "That's the problem because those people have to get quarantined. They may not have it, but they have to get quarantined for 10 days.
"If you test positive and they say, 'Who have you been around? 'Well, I've been around this guy, this guy, this guy and this guy.' All of those guys are out for 10 days and that's the problem," he continued. "When they are out of our control is when the whole thing goes awry.
"Sooner or later we're going to have to put them together, and they are all going to be tested again," he added. "If everybody is negative, as long as they do what they're supposed to do, we shouldn't have a problem."
Huggins points to the success the NBA is having with its bubble system established in Orlando to complete the 2020 season. Some lessons could be taken from what they are doing, although it's unrealistic to completely remove athletes from social settings on college campuses.
Meanwhile, Huggins anticipates recruiting will be dramatically altered for the time being as the virus continues to surge in certain parts of the country.
"I think it's very real that there will be no (in-person) August-September recruiting," he said. "I think it's very real that they're not going to let kids come in and watch games.
"On one hand, you can't go and watch those kids play and on the other hand they are saying freshmen can transfer and be immediately eligible at another school. Does that make any sense?" he noted.
"So now with those freshman transfers, who is responsible for his APR? The school he left. What happens when you fall below the APR? You lose scholarships. If you have anybody really good they are going to put their name in the NBA Draft and you've got transfers being eligible immediately … you are going to have people sitting there with four and five scholarship players. How is that good for anybody?"
Those are good questions.
Unfortunately, there are far more questions than answers right now.
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
G
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's Basketball
F
/ Men's BasketballTV Highlights: WVU 74, UCF 67
Sunday, February 15
Ross Hodge | UCF Postgame
Sunday, February 15
United Bank Playbook: UCF Preview
Friday, February 13
Ross Hodge | UCF Preview
Thursday, February 12
