MORGANTOWN — If Bob Huggins had the opportunity to take any of his West Virginia players back in time to play some hoops, say three decades ago, it would be Esa Ahmad.
“He has an old man’s game,” Huggins said.
Yet after receiving feedback from NBA general managers last season, Ahmad shed weight and appears leaner and more athletic than at any time over his first three seasons with the Mountaineers.
What Ahmad gives No. 13 West Virginia, which opens the season at 9 p.m. Friday against Buffalo, is a disciplined approach, one who is more about the fundamentals of the game than slashing to the rim looking for a dunk every time down the floor.
“Esa sees the game differently,” Huggins continued. “His understanding of how to play the game is better than most, He passes the ball and knows where to pass it. He knows which plays to make at the right time.”
It is a trait, Huggins said, Ahmad likely picked up playing the game with his father, Ibby, while growing up in Cleveland.
“I’m not a downer on AAU, but the negative with AAU is everyone is out there dribbling and running and that’s all that happens,” Huggins said. “That’s not how Esa learned to play the game. He grew up playing with his dad and all of the guys from around there and he was taught how to play the right way.”
It has led to a career that Ahmad said has had its share of ups and downs.
It’s difficult to overlook this point: Since coming to West Virginia in 2015, the Mountaineers have advanced to three NCAA tournaments and three Big 12 tournament championship games.
With 28 wins this season, Ahmad could become the winningest player in school history.
“That would be big for me,” he said. “When I first got here, there were already guys like Dev [Williams] and Jaysean [Paige]. Those guys taught me how to be a winner. They taught me the importance of never taking anything for granted.
“That’s something I would like to start passing on to the younger guys now. I would like to be someone who can show guys how to work and to win.”
Huggins hints that Ahmad has begun to show a greater work ethic this offseason and at times earlier in his career, Ahmad survived partly on God-given abilities.
That is not the way Ahmad wants to be remembered. At Big 12 Media Day, Ahmad spoke about wanting to be remembered as a competitor; as someone who made the most of his opportunities.
“As you get older, you realize how special this game is and what it means to you,” Ahmad said. “You can’t let opportunities to make yourself a better player slip away.”
Maybe for the first time in his college career, Ahmad will be viewed as a main focus of the team instead of simply a piece to the puzzle.
It means Ahmad must become a leader.
“I feel like I’m more mature right now,” Ahmad said. “I look back to the way I was when I first got here. There’s no way that person could picture who I am today.”
Ahmad simply smiles when asked about his four years at West Virginia.
He began as the quiet kid filled with potential and a four-star recruiting ranking that made him popular with fans.
“He’s not an outgoing kind of guy,” Huggins said. “He was kind of hard to recruit, because he never said anything.”
He started 34 games as a freshman and helped the team advance to the Big 12 tournament championship game.
The season ended in a first-round upset against Stephen F. Austin in the NCAA tournament.
Injuries kept him out of three games as a sophomore and last season he was forced to sit the first 16 games after not meeting NCAA eligibility requirements.
West Virginia had risen to No. 2 in the national polls with Ahmad out of the lineup, making him feel uneasy about his return.
“I kind of got thrown into the fire last year. I felt good when I came back, but I didn’t stay consistent,” Ahmad said. “I need to stay consistent this year and help this team win a championship.
“I think [the time off] kind of put me back. I didn’t want to accept that. Those guys had already played 16 games and I kind of put pressure on myself. It was tough.”
It is a different feel now for Ahmad, who recently became a father for the first time to a baby daughter named Dior Nina Ahmad.
After getting feedback from the NBA last summer that told him he needed to become more athletic, Ahmad spent the next few months trimming weight and working on driving to the basket.
Ahmad said his main focus is becoming a better rebounder and leader.
“Everything has been a learning experience for me,” Ahmad said. “All of it has helped me become the man I am today. It’s been a blessing and I would like to be able to pass that feeling on to the younger guys to let them know how to handle situations that will come their way.”
