MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Teams aren’t going to be leaving West Virginia’s Gabe Osabuohien wide open at the top of the key much longer, and that’s totally fine with him.
In the meantime, Osabuohien is going to continue to prove he’s not the offensive liability the scouting report says he is.
“I just wanted to be more aggressive because them having to guard me will make it harder on everybody,” Osabuohien said. “Coach (Bob) Huggins wants me to work on my midrange jumper and hit that consistently.”
But even if he doesn’t pull up for a shot, Osabuohien has used his 6-foot-7, 235-pound frame to pound the lane and get to the rim. His more aggressive approach offensively led to his first double-figures scoring effort in last Saturday’s blowout loss to Kansas State, followed by nine points Monday night in the Mountaineers’ 97-59 dismantling of Texas.
With 19 total points in the last two games, Osabuohien nearly matched his total of 21 through his first 13 games. He missed WVU’s first three games of the season awaiting NCAA approval for immediate eligibility after transferring from Arkansas.
With the frontcourt of Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe being the focal point of what WVU wants to do on offense, Osabuohien’s emergence as a scoring threat also helps the duo down low. Forcing teams to step out and guard him at the top of the key frees up space for Culver and Tshiebwe in the post.
“It makes it easier for me to get the ball to [Culver] and Oscar, definitely,” Osabuohien said. “Teams are going to start guarding me closer because I’m starting to attack, so that’s better for the team and better for everybody.”
Culver and Tshiebwe each finished with 13 points and combined for 19 rebounds against the Longhorns, and what Osabuohien is doing has not gone unnoticed. According to Tshiebwe, it was only a matter of time.
“He has that game in him,” Tshiebwe said of Osabuohien. “To me, I think he was a little bit scared in the beginning, but now, we push him to do that. If you’re open, then shoot the ball. You’ve gotta attack the rim. You’ve gotta do some different things. He does different things — he might be the best defender on our team — but he’s got some offense, too, and coach has been working with him.”
Huggins said Osabuohien loves being in the gym, which is a trait not everyone has. With the work he’s put in, Osabuohien will be critical to the remainder of West Virginia’s season. When he decided to join the Mountaineers, he wasn’t sure what role he would fill.
That’s becoming clearer by the game.
“My mindset was to come in here, see what the team lacked and just be whatever the team lacked,” Osabuohien said. “Coming off the bench, you see the game and you’re looking to impact the game as soon as you get in. I knew I had this in me — if I need to do it, I will.”
