MORGANTOWN — There are things to know about WVU guard Erik Stevenson, and they are both obvious and otherwise.
The obvious, Stevenson covered without much prodding within his first three minutes of speaking to the WVU media on Monday.
“I love it here. It’s been a great transition,” he begins. “Obviously, as you guys know, I’ve had to transition a lot in my career.”
That’s an understatement of sorts. The Lacey, Wash. native now calls WVU home, his fourth school in five years.
It began with two years at Wichita State — more on that in a moment — before playing one season back home at the University of Washington, and then he transferred to South Carolina last season.
“I was going to stay there for sure,” Stevenson said of South Carolina. “Bouncing around from place to place, it’s tiring. It’s a long process. It’s a lot of paperwork, buying new things and moving in to new spots.”
His plans changed again in March, when Frank Martin was fired at South Carolina.
“When Frank left, it was a sad day,” Stevenson said.
It opened the door for one more move. Because of the COVID-19 eligibility rules, Stevenson had one more season to play.
He made that move to WVU, in part, because childhood friend Emmitt Matthews Jr. — both grew up minutes apart in Washington — had just transferred back to WVU.
But, he was also familiar with the Mountaineers’ style, having played against WVU in the Cancun Classic as a sophomore at Wichita State.
“I had a good game, but they beat us,” said Stevenson, who had 22 points that night in Mexico. “I think that’s where Huggs got his first look at me and his first taste of how I like to play and operate.”
Stevenson points out that that tournament in Mexico painted an ironic twist to his career. Wichita State played South Carolina in the first round of the tournament, and then WVU in the championship game.
His career now has taken him to both of those schools.
But, Stevenson’s story is about more than his journeys through the transfer portal.
He is a grown man now, a mature 23-year-old who feels he is better because of the different college experiences.
Stevenson is also a talker, one who doesn’t shy away from tough questions about his moves or about his future with the Mountaineers.
“They’ve let me come in right away and insert my personality on the team,” Stevenson said. “It’s been a great fit.”
That personality is to be an extra motivator and someone who isn’t afraid to point out when someone isn’t giving good-enough effort.
“It’s prepared me for my coaching endeavor after college,” he said. “I want to be a Huggs one day.”
To which WVU head coach Bob Huggins is asked if he could one day picture Stevenson as a basketball coach?
“He certainly talks enough,” Huggins replies. “I don’t see why not. He’s been around some really good coaches, so he probably brings some good ideas to the plate.”
Stevenson’s transfer to WVU came less than one week after former guard Sean McNeil announced he was leaving the Mountaineers and entering the portal.
Both players are known for their outside shooting, but Huggins said there was more to bringing Stevenson to Morgantown than just his outside shooting.
“He’s got great toughness,” Huggins said of Stevenson. “If you go back to when we played him at Wichita, he’s the guy who made shots and he made hard shots.
“Defensively, he’s pretty good. He’s just so competitive. He raises the level of our practice, because of his competitiveness.”
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