MORGANTOWN — An eventful offseason took a giant step toward its conclusion Thursday for the WVU men’s basketball team.
Through an announcement from the school, forward Sagaba Konate has withdrawn from the 2018 NBA Draft and will play for the Mountaineers his junior season.
Konate’s return gives the Mountaineers three returning starters for next season, along with forwards Esa Ahmad and Wes Harris.
It also gives WVU a rim protector. Konate’s 3.2 blocks per game is the highest average in the nation among returning players.
After a solid sophomore season that saw the Mali, Africa native average 10.8 points and 7.6 rebounds, Konate announced he would enter the draft, but not hire an agent, which gave him the option of returning to school, per NCAA rules.
He was invited to the NBA Draft Combine — held in Chicago last week — and participated in the three-day draft camp in front of NBA scouts and general managers.
“I am glad that I was able to gain feedback and to get experience from being invited to the NBA Draft Combine,” Konate said. “It was a great experience, and I’m ready to get back to work with my teammates at West Virginia.”
Many projections had Konate getting selected in the second round of the draft, which is June 21. Only first-round picks are given a guaranteed two-year contract.
While an elite shot blocker, scouts were taken back by Konate’s size — he was measured at just over 6-foot-6 without shoes at the combine.
WVU head coach Bob Huggins said earlier he had been told that if Konate wasn’t going to be a first-round pick that the forward would return to school.
Konate confirmed that notion Thursday.
As for the rest of the Mountaineers’ offseason, it has been a wild affair.
Along with Konate, Ahmad, too, tested the NBA Draft’ waters, but decided to come back for his senior season.
“We are pleased that Sags will be back in a Mountaineer uniform,” Huggins said. “As with Esa, JC (Jevon Carter) and others in past, Sags went through the process in a systematic and professional manner. The experience and feedback from the NBA Draft Combine will help him in the future.”
WVU forwards Maciej Bender and Teddy Allen announced they were transferring; Bender to Mercer and Allen to Wichita State.
Their transfers and the graduations of Carter and Daxter Miles Jr. opened up a number of possibilities on the recruiting trail.
During the late signing period, the Mountaineers signed junior-college guard Jermaine Haley and former UConn recruit Emmitt Matthews to a class that already included guards Jordan McCabe and Trey Doomes and forwards Derek Culver and Andrew Gordon.
The men’s team also had to replace a strength coach, hiring Shaun Brown to replace Andy Kettler.
The rest of WVU’s offseason is expected to be more peaceful.
Summer classes have begun, as well as summer workouts. WVU coaches are permitted two hours per week with the players.
All that remains is getting the incoming recruits enrolled.
McCabe is already enrolled and is on the official roster. The bulk of the recruiting class is expected to enroll next month.
Konate’s return puts WVU at the NCAA maximum of 13 scholarship players.
Forward Logan Routt, a former walk-on, was put on scholarship for last season, but it is expected he will go back to walk-on status next season. WVU also signed Fairmont Senior standout Taevon Horton, the state’s Player of the Year last season, as a second walk-on for next season.
The Mountaineers were paired against Tennessee on Thursday, for next season’s annual SEC/Big 12 Challenge, which will be played on Jan. 26.
WVU will travel to Knoxville, Tenn. for the game, which will be televised by one of the ESPN networks. The starting time will be announced at a later date.
WVU is 1-4 all-time in the challenge and fell to Kentucky last season.
The Mountaineers are 5-3 all-time against the Volunteers. The most recent meeting was in 2007, a 74-72 loss in the Legends Classic, played in Newark, N.J.
Tennessee finished 26-9 last season and finished tied for the SEC regular-season title. The Volunteers lost to Loyola of Illinois, 63-62, in the second round of the NCAA tournament
If forward Admiral Schofield returns for his senior season — he is currently still testing the NBA Draft process — the Volunteers will return their top seven players from last season and would project to be highly-ranked in next preseason’s poll.
