MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — By simply taking off his hoodie and showing off a West Virginia T-shirt underneath, Tajzmel “Taz” Sherman added his name to the Mountaineers’ roster.
The 6-foot-4 combo guard from Collin College (McKinney, Texas) made his college decision official on his Twitter account Wednesday, the first day of the spring signing period, and then signed his national letter-of-intent.
West Virginia announced the signings of Sherman and shooting guard Sean McNeil, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard, who averaged 29.7 points a game for Sinclair (Dayton, Ohio) Community College. McNeil first committed on Sunday. He shot 43.1 percent from 3-point range last season and will have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
“Sean gives us another physical guard who is a tremendous 3-point shooter,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said in a release. “He brings a physical mentality to the guard position, while also giving us an outstanding rebounder in the backcourt.”
Sherman, who has two seasons of eligibility left, was a high priority for the Mountaineers, who are coming off a 15-21 season and are looking to rebuild a roster that still has two openings, three if center Sagaba Konate leaves for the NBA Draft.
“They’re going to recruit me to play [point guard] a lot more this year, but I can play off-ball as well,” Sherman said during MetroNews Sportsline. “I’m comfortable with both.”
Sherman was fourth in junior college’s upper division, averaging 25.9 points, while shooting 39 percent from 3-point range. He also averaged 4.8 assists and 4.8 rebounds per game and shot 87 percent from the foul line.
“A lot of people say my 3-pointer is my strength, but if teams pressure me, I can use my speed and quickness to get to the rim,” Sherman said. “I can score on all three levels, which makes me special.”
Both players join a recruiting class that already includes five-star forward Oscar Tshiebwe from Kennedy Catholic (Pa.) and Cincinnati Moeller point guard Miles McBride.
WVU now has seven guards on scholarship and could look to add more through recruiting.
Huggins said it opens the door for the Mountaineers to get back to their full-court press next season.
“Taz adds tremendous athleticism to the guard position,” Huggins said. “He is very fast with the ball. His quickness and length will be welcomed as we reintroduce Press Virginia.”
The Mountaineers’ roster has seen its share of turnover, beginning with the dismissals of forwards Esa Ahmad and Wes Harris in February.
Since then, guards Beetle Bolden and Trey Doomes and forwards Andrew Gordon and Lamont West announced their transfers. Bolden has since landed at Alabama and West signed with Missouri State.
Earlier this month, Konate announced he was seeking an evaluation from the NBA that could lead to him entering the draft. He has until April 21 to enter the draft, but could still return to school by the May 29 deadline. Konate also has the option of returning to school after May 29, as long as he is not selected in the draft and terminates all dealings with any professional agent.
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