MORGANTOWN — In some other multiverse far, far away there is a top-seeded WVU men’s basketball team getting set to play in the second round of the NCAA tournament with a starting lineup of Deuce McBride, Derek Culver, Teddy Allen, Taz Sherman and Oscar Tshiebwe.
It’s a team that averages 98 points per game, while leading the nation in rebounding, and it’s a beautiful world built on the premise of what is only a wild what-might-have-been on another world is exactly what happens there.
Back in our reality, the Mountaineers are not in that neighborhood, and any thoughts of an NCAA tournament appearance are, at the very least, a year away.
In some sense, though, it is a reminder of the type of talent brought in by Bob Huggins and his WVU coaches over the past five years, as well as some painful reminders of how quickly a good thing can be turned upside down based on circumstances.
Huggins must now find a way to turn around a program that just finished 16-17, lost 15 of its final 18 games and finished last in the Big 12.
There are no easy answers, no magic rabbit to be pulled out of a hat, but one thing remains clear to Huggins: His plan is to have it fixed right away.
“We’re going to win,” Huggins said. “Anyone who doesn’t believe we’re not going to win and get this thing fixed is sadly mistaken.”
So, as we enter an offseason that promises to be interesting, here are the top three questions facing the West Virginia program:
1. Is anyone else leaving?
The thought here this question is really for senior guard Sean McNeil, who has the option of returning for a fifth year of eligibility.
As for the core of WVU’s younger players such as Kobe Johnson, Seth Wilson, Jamel King and James Okonkwo, they appear to be locked in at the moment.
Kedrian Johnson has announced he was returning for his fifth season, which leaves McNeil as the only wild card.
Huggins said McNeil has made it clear he wants to look at his options in professional basketball this summer before making a final decision, so this answer may not come anytime soon.
If McNeil doesn’t return, that leaves WVU’s current roster with nine scholarship players.
That breakdown includes one senior in Johnson and the four sophomores mentioned above.
It also includes two incoming freshmen in Josiah Davis and Josiah Harris, as well as junior college players Fede Federiko and Patrick Suemnick. Federiko is expected to be a sophomore, while Suemenick is expected to be a junior.
Right off the bat, you see a young and inexperienced team for next season.
2. Who else is coming in?
WVU can gain some older players through the transfer portal and two older prospects have popped up.
Utah Valley forward Fardaws Aimaq was the WAC Player of the Year in 2021, when he led the nation in rebounding.
This season, the 6-foot-11 center from Canada, averaged 18.9 points, 13.6 rebounds and connected on 20 3-pointers.
He was invited to the NBA Combine last summer, but later withdrew his name from the draft to return to Utah Valley.
Whether or not Aimaq enters his name into the draft again is up in the air, but he would have up to two seasons of eligibility remaining if he stays in college.
Ledarrius Brewer averaged 14.6 points and 5.3 rebounds this past season at East Tennessee State.
He’s also got some size at 6-5 and has already played in 116 college games and has scored 1,667 points for ETSU and Southeast Missouri State, where he began his college career.
Brewer would have just one season of eligibility remaining.
Two more names to keep an eye on are 7-3, 230-pound high school center Bol Kuir and 6-10 junior-college forward Mohamed Wague.
Kuir is originally from Hurricane, but played his high school ball in Kentucky.
He recently listed WVU as one of his final five schools, but he sat out his senior year of high school, due to eligibility issues after transferring between schools. He averaged 14 points and 13 rebounds as a junior.
Wague averaged 15.1 points and 12.1 rebounds at Harcum (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) Community College, located just outside of Philadelphia. He would have three seasons of eligibility remaining.
3. What’s the first step to get better?
WVU has to get back to being a top defensive team, and there’s no way around this.
The Mountaineers were out-rebounded by 3.8 boards per game, which was last in the Big 12 and opponents shot nearly 45% from the floor.
Johnson’s return at point guard is a key here, because he was wildly considered WVU’s top perimeter defender last season.
Losing Jalen Bridges and Isaiah Cottrell to the transfer portal hurts WVU’s potential, but neither were considered to be defensive-minded players or solid rebounders.
Defending in the Big 12 also has a lot to do with size and strength, which is where guys like Johnson and Wilson can make an impact next season on the perimeter.
Okonkwo is a tad undersized at 6-8, but is said to make up for that with a ton of athleticism.
WVU’s recruiting priority has to be in getting some size and strength underneath and then must find someone to pass and move the ball.
While Johnson is a pesky defender, he averaged just 1.7 assists per game and the Mountaineers were 330th in the nation in that category.
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