MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — Both the West Virginia men’s and women’s basketball teams inked a piece of history of sorts on Wednesday.
The WVU women signed four players on the first day of the NCAA’s early-signing period, including guards Emma Shumate (No. 59) and Messiah Hunter (No. 81) who were ranked in the top 100 nationally by ESPN.
That paved the way for a top 25 recruiting class for the Mountaineers, whose class came in nationally at No. 24.
It was the Mountaineers’ highest-ranked class since 2018, when signees Kari Niblack, Madisen Smith and Rochelle Norris came in at No. 18 nationally.
WVU head coach Mike Carey also signed 3-star guards Ja’Naiya “JJ” Quinerly from Lake Taylor (Va.) and Wynter Rogers from Little Rock (Ark.) Christian Academy.
“I am thrilled that Emma, JJ, Messiah and Wynter are joining our program,” Carey said. “They are all high-level players that are skilled, tough and extremely competitive. They make our roster better, and all four have bright futures. I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together. This is a great day for our program.”
Meanwhile, the WVU men signed Ohio guard Seth Wilson, who played his first two seasons of high school ball at Akron’s St. Vincent-St. Mary.
As a freshman, he scored the second-most points in school history.
You may have heard of the guy who scored the most: LeBron James.
Wilson is a 6-foot-1 guard, who was ranked a 3-star prospect by Rivals.com.
He now plays at Lorain (Ohio) High, about an hour north of Akron, where he averaged 13 points and seven rebounds as a junior for coach John Rositano.
“Seth is an outstanding shooter, who comes from a high school with great basketball tradition that has produced many high-level Division I players,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “He gives us great versatility and can play at point guard or move to the wing with his shooting ability. Seth will be a great asset to our backcourt.”
Huggins is also expecting to sign 3-star guard Kobe Johnson from Canton, Ohio.
Johnson is 6-3 and plays at Canton McKinley High School for coach Andy Vlajkovich, who coached WVU forward Derek Culver in high school.
Johnson isn’t expected to sign until later this week, when he has a ceremony at his high school. The early signing period runs until Nov. 18.
Shumate, a 6-1 guard from Newark (Ohio) High School, headlines the women’s recruiting class. She was named the Ohio Capital Conference’s Player of the Year last season.
“I chose WVU because of the people, and when I say the people, I mean all of the people,” she said. “Everyone from the coaching staff and my future teammates to the whole West Virginia community is deeply passionate, and that is something I absolutely loved. The people make West Virginia the place that it is for me, and it is a very special place.”
Hunter, a 6-1 guard from Hopewell, Va., averaged 17.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game at TPLS Christian Academy.
“Messiah is an elite athlete that has a mid-range, pull-up game that is hard to guard,” Carey said. “She elevates so well on her jump shot and has unlimited potential. She has the ability to play multiple positions for us, and I am excited to coach her.”
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