MORGANTOWN — It’s quite possible that WVU forward Kyah Watson is the strangest puzzle in college hoops.
The senior is already one of the largest parts to the success of the 15th-ranked Mountaineers, who host East Tennessee State (4-4) at 10:30 a.m. Friday in an Education Day game that will see thousands of elementary school students from around the state in attendance.
At the same time, Watson just may also be the Mountaineers’ final piece that has yet to be snapped into place.
How is that possible?
Watson’s stat line so far is filled consistently with rebounds, assists and steals.
She is a crucial piece to WVU’s full-court pressure and just as critical on offense in keeping the ball moving.
What’s missing is Watson being more aggressive in the scoring column, and the Mountaineers (8-1) need it.
“We do,” WVU head coach Mark Kellogg said. “She hasn’t shot it very well, but she was shooting it so well all summer and in the preseason. Kyah can help us more offensively. We need her to help us more offensively.”
There have always been flashes of Watson’s scoring ability in the past, whether it was the 19 points she poured in against Pitt last season or the 14 shots and 15 points she put up against Arizona in the NCAA tournament as a sophomore.
Watson had a stretch of five consecutive games in double figures last season — all against Big 12 opponents — and then that moment faded.
Heading into this season, Watson is the Mountaineers’ leading rebounder (8.0 per game). She also leads the team with 28 steals and is third in assists.
But, while Watson has played the third-most minutes on the team, she’s sixth in shot attempts.
“She turned down a couple of (3-pointers) last week that I wish she would’ve just taken,” Kellogg said.
Kellogg said steps would be taken to build up Watson’s confidence in her outside shot, but there’s more to it than simply showing some clips and having a heart-to-heart talk.
There is an Xs and Os approach on Kellogg’s part, he said, so don’t be surprised if you begin to see a more aggressive Watson today against the Buccaneers.
“It’s on all of us,” Kellogg said. “It’s on the guards to get her more opportunities. It’s on me to force the issue a bit, too.
“I can help her by calling her number more to where now she knows this play is specifically for her and for her to get the shot or make the play.”
The Mountaineers will be coming off their first loss of the season, a 78-73 setback in the title game of the Gulf Coast Showcase against No. 4 Texas.
WVU also beat High Point (N.C.) and Boise State in the first two rounds of the tournament.
“We found out a lot more about our team in those three days,” Kellogg said. “I thought we competed at a really high level (against Texas). It was a good game for us to play. Obviously, the result was not at all what we wanted, but I thought our kids battled. We just have to get a little bit better.”
