MORGANTOWN, W. Va. — A year ago, the only audience Jalen Bridges had on a basketball court was his West Virginia teammates and coaches during practices.
Sitting out as a redshirt, Bridges wasn’t scouted by opposing coaches. He wasn’t cheered on by fans in the WVU Coliseum or heckled during road games.
It was a year of learning for the Fairmont native and to simply show glimpses of what he may one day become as a player.
“He was one of the most aggressive guys we had,” WVU guard Sean McNeil said. “He would attack the offensive glass. He was going after every ball. He tried to tip-dunk it all the time. He could get way above the rim for rebounds.”
WVU guard Jordan McCabe put Bridges’ potential in another light:
“He works hard and he plays free,” McCabe began. “As a young kid, when I look at our roster right now, if I’m an (NBA) executive, he’s got the most NBA potential on our team.”
Then, as they say, the lights came on and Bridges had to actually become a college player this season.
The grind of a college season is not all tip-dunks and jumping out of the gym.
It’s game-planning, taking care of your body, building confidence and then performing on the big stage the Big 12 provides. Then you wake up and have to do it all over again.
“I think confidence is an issue for everybody at some point,” McCabe said. “For J.B., I talked to him early on and you see those ups and downs. I still go through that myself. As you get older, you’re more prepared to take those things on. Confidence is huge for J.B. and he’s got it right now.”
It’s showing in Bridges’ play down the stretch.
Once thrust into the Mountaineers’ starting lineup in January, after the departure of forward Oscar Tshiebwe, Bridges is showing strong signs heading into March that he belongs there.
How about going eight days and three games without missing a shot? Bridges nearly pulled it off.
He was 3 of 4 from the floor in Saturday’s 65-43 victory against Kansas State, which came after going 2 for 2 against Texas on Feb. 20 and 4 for 4 in a win against TCU last Tuesday.
Bridges had eight points against Kansas State, along with a career-high three blocked shots, four rebounds and a steal.
“I think the word is active,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said of Bridges. “He has become so much more active. He gets his hands on a lot of balls. He gets his hands on a lot of rebounds. He has blocked shots, and that has gradually gotten better and better.”
To expound on that, Huggins said the Mountaineers’ best defensive alignment comes while Bridges is on the floor.
“When he and Gabe (Osabuohien) are in the game together, our front line is very active,” Huggins said. “We are not very big, but we are very active.”
So, what’s next for Bridges?
Well there just happens to be a showdown against No. 2 Baylor on Tuesday, a game that could keep WVU (17-6, 10-4 Big 12) mathematically alive for the conference title with a win.
“He’s rolling right now,” McCabe said. “Our job is to just keep it rolling.”
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