Mountaineer Women Tip Off Preseason Practice Wednesday

Photo by: WVU Athletic Communications

October 05, 2021 10:39 AM | Women's Basketball

By: John Antonik

2021-2022 Roster
PLAYER	POS	HT
Isis Beh	F	6-3
Jasmine Carson	G	5-10
JeAnna Cunningham	F	6-4
KK Deans	G	5-8
Blessing Ejiofor	C	6-5
Ari Gray	F	6-0
Jayla Hemingway	G	5-11
Messiah Hunter	F	6-2
Esmery Martinez	F	6-2
Yemiyah Morris	C	6-6
Kari Niblack	F	6-1
JJ Quinerly	G	5-8
Wynter Rogers	G	5-11
Savannah Samuel	G	6-1
Emma Shumate	G	6-1
Madisen Smith	G	5-5

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – For the first time in as long as he can remember, veteran coach Mike Carey says he's working with a full deck of cards when his West Virginia University women's basketball team tips off preseason practice on Wednesday.

He's got 16 scholarship players available this year, far more than he's used to.

"This is probably the deepest team I've had in a while," he admitted Monday afternoon. "We've really brought in some players to help us in the post area. By far, we're going to be deeper in the post than we've been in years."

Six-foot-five Blessing Ejiofor and 6-foot-4 JeAnna Cunningham return, and Carey also dipped into the transfer portal to add 6-foot-6 Yemiyah Morris, a fifth-year senior from Mississippi State. Morris appeared in 19 games last year for the Bulldogs, averaging 3.2 points and 2.6 rebounds while blocking 15 shots.

Those three will give the Mountaineers Texas/Baylor-type size near the rim.

Consequently, that should allow 6-foot-1 senior Kari Niblack to move back to the four spot, with emerging 6-foot-2 junior forward Esmery Martinez sliding out to the three. Martinez is one of the top returning players in the Big 12 after averaging 13.6 points and 11.6 rebounds per game in 2020.

Niblack has been a four-year Mountaineer mainstay who showed averages of 9.1 points and 5.1 rebounds per game in 2020.

"We'll run some four-out, but there will also be some times when we go big with Esmery at the three and run like a triangle inside with them," Carey explained. "When we get into scrimmages, we're going to look at some combinations to see what the best combinations are for us because we do have the size and the numbers to go big this year."

And, he's got more.

Transfer Ari Gray, Xavier's leading scorer last year averaging 13.3 points per game, is an athletic 6-foot senior forward who runs the floor extremely well and is bouncy.

Six-foot-three forward Isis Beh, who originally signed with UNLV out of high school, is coming in from Salt Lake City Community College where she didn't play last year because of COVID-19.

Plus, there's 6-foot-2 freshman forward Messiah Hunter from TPLS Christian Academy by way of Hopewell, Virginia, who was an ESPN 100 recruit rated the nation's 81^st-best player last year.

That's eight quality players to fill three inside positions.

"I like what some of our new players are doing," Carey said. "I can't teach 6-6, and I think (Morris) is doing a good job. I think Ari Gray is doing a good job, and we've got some good, young freshmen.

"I think we can match up against the bigger teams this year," he admitted. "We couldn't do that much last year because of foul trouble and a lack of depth."

Carey anticipates this year's team is going to be more inside-out rather than guard-oriented as its been in the past few years.

Kysre Gondrezick, last year's leading scorer, was the Indiana Fever's No. 1 pick in last spring's WNBA Draft, which means the Mountaineers will have to figure out a way to replace her 19.5 points-per-game scoring average.

Carey said he doesn't want just one guard to try and make it all up.

Junior guard KK Deans averaged 13.7 points and had some big games last year, while senior point guard Madisen Smith also returns to provide a steadying backcourt presence. The Mountaineers were rolling along at 16-3 last season when Smith suffered a leg injury against TCU, causing her to miss the team's next eight games.

West Virginia lost three of those and also fell 73-56 to Georgia Tech in an NCAA Tournament second-round game in San Antonio, Texas, when Smith was severely limited.

A healthy Smith and an experienced Deans give Carey a formidable backcourt tandem in 2022, but again, he's got a lot more than just those two.

Georgia Tech transfer Jasmine Carson made 25 appearances last year and averaged 4.5 points per game, while former Mississippi State transfer Jayla Hemingway played in 23 games, starting eight, and averaged 4.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per contest.

Savannah Samuel, a 6-foot-1 guard from Oregon State, was a player Carey recruited heavily out of Woodstock, Georgia, and when she became available in the portal he jumped at the opportunity to add her to the roster.

"We were already aware of the type of player she was when she came available so we think she can help us too," Carey said. "She's a tall guard who can finish at the rim."

Six-foot-one guard Emma Shumate is West Virginia's most highly touted signee, an ESPN 100 prospect rated the No. 59-best player in the country while playing for her father J.R. Shumate at Newark High in Newark, Ohio, last year. Her prep credentials certainly require a closer look.

Plus, Wynter Rogers, a 5-foot-11 freshman guard from Little Rock, Arkansas, and JJ Quinerly, a 5-foot-8 freshman guard from Norfolk, Virginia, are two other young players who Carey likes.

Added up, that's 16 quality players West Virginia has on its roster this year.

"I have 16 players, and to be honest, it's going to be hard because you want certain people to get a lot of reps and with 16 people you don't want everybody just standing over there getting frustrated," Carey explained.

"I'm a typical coach who complains when he doesn't have numbers and complains when we do have numbers," he added. " It's all about keeping them happy and all of them having a role. If there was ever a year when people need to know their roles it's this year. Not everybody can score a bunch of points or do the same things, and people coming off the bench need to know why they are coming into the game."

Carey admitted he's spent a lot more time during individual workouts this summer working on offense. He said that will continue leading into the team's season opener against St. Francis on Tuesday, Nov. 16.

"I've probably done more offense in workouts now than ever," he said. "I think the game has changed some. You've still got to play defense and rebound, but you've also got to be able to score so I'm looking at ways to open up the floor a little bit more or isolating a little bit more going big on small.

"We've just got to see what the best fit is for this group," Carey added. "My philosophy has always been to put your best players on the floor, whatever position that is."

In addition to St. Francis, the Mountaineers also have early home games at the Coliseum against Kennesaw State and Radford before facing Purdue and either Florida State or BYU in the St. Pete Showcase at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

West Virginia also plays Kentucky in the Big 12/SEC Challenge and will meet South Florida and Michigan State in the West Palm Beach Invitational in West Palm Beach, Florida, making this one of the most challenging schedules the Mountaineers will play in Carey's 21 seasons at West Virginia.