WEST VIRGINIA Mountaineers - 2015-16 Blue Ribbon's Preview

LOCATION   Morgantown, WV

CONFERENCE   Big 12

LAST SEASON   25-10 (.714)

CONFERENCE RECORD   11-7 (t-4th)
STARTERS RETURNING/LOST   3/2
NICKNAME   Mountaineers

COLORS   Old Gold & Blue
HOMECOURT   WVU Coliseum (14,000)
COACH   Bob Huggins (West Virginia ’77)
RECORD AT SCHOOL 175-101 (8 years) 

CAREER RECORD 765-312 (33 years)
ASSISTANTS
Larry Harrison (Pittsburgh ’78) Erik Martin (Cincinnati ’93) Ron Everhart (Virginia Tech ’85)

WINS (LAST 5 YRS.) 21-19-13-17-25

RPI (LAST 5 YRS.)    21-61-151-92-22
2014-15 FINISH   Lost in NCAA Sweet 16.

BLUE RIBBON ANALYSIS:

BACKCOURT B
FRONTCOURT B+
BENCH/DEPTH A
INTANGIBLES A-

Coach Bob Huggins isn’t necessarily surprised West Virginia won 25 games last season. With a standout like Juwan Staten running the show — “He took pretty good care of the basketball,” Huggins said — and leading the team in scoring (14.2 ppg), a roster that boasted 10 players who averaged at least 13 minutes, and a defense that forced 19.4 turnovers per game, it’s not hard to imagine a 25-win season and a trip to the Sweet 16.

But bring into play the fact WVU won 25 games despite opponents shooting .469 from the eld and .365 from behind the arc, and Huggins definitely registers some surprise.

“If you had ever said we were would win 25 games and give up 47 percent shooting, I would say you are out of your mind,” Huggins said. “I think it was a byproduct of the way we played. We are going to give away some numbers sometimes.”

The Mountaineers want to press and run. If all goes according to design, rivals start coughing up the ball shortly after the opening tip, and West Virginia eases to victory. But that doesn’t happen too often, so West Virginia must hope Plan B takes hold. In that scenario, the constant pressure applied by defenders eventually creates sloppy play, and the Mountaineers take control late. Along the way to that, there are going to be some layups and high-percentage shots surrendered, because even somewhat overmatched opponents can beat the press at times. at can in ate shooting percentages arti cially and create some statistical anomalies, like what the Mountaineers had last season.

“To a degree, our defense has a cumulative e ect,” coach Huggins says. “We want it to wear on [opponents] as the game goes on. We play a lot more people than others do.”

Even though the Mountaineers lose Juwan Staten and Gary Browne from last season’s sizable rotation, Huggins reports the coaching staff still gave just about every available body plenty of minutes during an August exhibition trip to the Bahamas. The goal is to press and run again, and if that results in 25 more wins and a 47 percent success rate for the other guys, so be it.

West Virginia certainly has the depth and talent to make a run at 20-plus wins again. In fact, there may not be a more underrated team in the country than WVU. If the Mountaineers can shoot the ball better from 3-point range (.316, 227 of 719), continue to force abundant turnovers and take better care of the ball themselves, they will be found near the top of the Big 12 standings and be an unwelcome opponent come tournament time.

But Juwan Staten’s production has to be replaced. The combo guard who hooked on with the Sacramento Kings after going undrafted led the Mountaineers in points and assists last season. It’s unlikely one person will be able to replicate Staten’s output, but there are plenty of candidates for improvement throughout the lineup.

One of those most likely to step forward is 6-2 sophomore Jevon Carter (8.1 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.9 spg, 1.8 apg). Carter made only 31.4 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, a function less of an inaccurate eye and more of his not being entirely comfortable with his role. Huggins reports that Carter shot 48 percent from 3 during the trip to the Bahamas, a good sign for the upcoming season.

“He shot it pretty well last year until we moved him to point guard,” coach Huggins said. “Sometimes, he thinks too much.”

That isn’t the problem for 6-3 sophomore Daxter Miles, Jr. (7.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 1.1 spg). His issue is consistency. While he converted 35.7 percent of his 3-point attempts last season, he was more of a binge-or-bust type of shooter.

“He would make a bunch of shots, and then he wouldn’t make any,” coach Huggins said. “We threw a lot of stuff at him last year.”

The deep shot wasn’t a problem for 6-2 senior Jaysean Paige (5.6 ppg, 1.9 rpg, 1.1 spg, .385 3PT), who had a solid first year after arriving from junior college. His challenge moving forward is to get to the basket more and improve on his total of 38 free throws.

“We’re trying to get him to be more versatile,” coach Huggins said. “We want him to attack the rim and rebound a little bit.”

Tarik Phillip (4.1 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.1 apg) proved himself to be a strong defender last season, but his shooting was confined to close to the bucket. If the 6-3 junior wants more time than the 12.9 minutes he averaged in 2014-15, he’ll have to improve his range.

West Virginia suffered a loss in September when 6-0, 160-pound freshman James “Beetle” Bolden tore the ACL and sprained the MCL in his right knee and was lost for the season. Bolden is a scoring point who showed in the Bahamas that he can get his, averaging 10.7 points.

“Beetle’s a great kid, and I know he will put the time in and come back stronger and hungrier than ever,” coach Huggins said in a statement.

A four-star recruit and three-time first-team all-state selection by USA Today, Bolden (19.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 3.9 apg) scored 2,024 career points at Holmes High in Covington, Ky.

Coach Bob Huggins doesn’t hide the reason the Mountaineers brought in 6-2 junior Teyvon Myers from Williston State (N.D.) College. Myers (25.0 ppg) led the NJCAA in scoring and will be looked to for immediate offense. But he had yet to enroll at West Virginia as of late August. If he doesn’t qualify for this season, Myers would redshirt.

The Mountaineers have several interesting frontcourt options, beginning with last season’s second-leading scorer, 6-9, 255-pound junior Devin Williams (11.6 ppg, 8.1 rpg, 1.3 apg). Williams has the potential to score more, but he has to watch his foul problems — he was disqualified five times — and become more interested in getting to the basket when the ball comes to him.

“Without a doubt, he can score more,” Huggins said. “But he has to be more aggressive.”

Attacking wasn’t a problem for 6-7 senior Jonathan Holton (7.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.2 apg, 1.2 spg). He averaged 3.0 offensive boards last season, but also fouled out seven times. So, his first year in D-I was a little uneven, and coach Bob Huggins can pinpoint a reason Jonathan Holton wasn’t as productive as the WVU staff thought he would be.

“We thought he was going to score more a year ago, but he had a hard time finishing inside over size,” coach Huggins said.

It’s easy to look at 6-9, 240-pound junior Nathan Adrian (2.8 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and see someone capable of being a big factor inside. But Nathan Adrian struggled mightily with his shot (.307 FG) last season because of a sore wrist. He underwent surgery during the offseason and is expected to be healthy for the start of practice. He’ll need to be ready, because 6-8 freshman Esa Ahmad (23.3 ppg, 10.2 rpg, 3.6 apg, 2.5 bpg, 1.6 spg), who was chosen Ohio’s co-player of the year by e Associated Press. He’s a potential force who developed a reputation for going hard to the offensive glass. Ahmad played well in the Bahamas, averaging 14.0 points and 7.3 boards.

WVU is excited about 6-9 sophomore Elijah Macon (4.3 ppg, 2.7 rpg), who showed he could handle himself inside. Huggins also expects big things from 6-8 freshman Lamont West (17.8 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 2.6 bpg, 1.7 spg, 1.4 apg), a Cincinnati native who finished his prep career at Miller Grove High in Lithonia, Ga.

“He’s a talented guy, and I like his upside,” coach Huggins said. “I think he’s going to grow a little more. He shoots it well and can make perimeter shots.”

It’s unlikely the Mountaineers will have the services of 6-9 junior Brandon Watkins (1.9 ppg, 1.4 rpg), who tore his ACL last year and had reconstructive surgery during the spring. But they will have 6-7 graduate transfer TyQuane Goard (6.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg in 2013-14), who was dismissed by Marshall last October but stayed in Huntington to complete his degree and hopes to put behind him reports that he was a disruptive force on the undering Herd team. He’s athletic, skilled and can help right away.

Coach Bob Huggins may be confused about how his team won 25 games last season despite allowing rivals to shoot 47 percent from the field, but he doesn’t have any questions about how his team’s press-and-go style impacts opponents over the long haul. WVU will again use its waves of players and great athletic ability to make life difficult for lots of people.

Losing Juwan Staten hurts because of all the things he can do, and it’s important for Carter and Miles to step forward in big ways. They’ll have lots of help, particularly from Bolden, who appears to be a future star. Myers has a scorer’s mentality and resume, and they will help. If the backcourt takes care of the ball, West Virginia will be tough to handle.

There needs to be some scoring boost up front, and that means Williams must be more aggressive, and Holton has to become better at taking it to taller opponents. Ahmad will help, and it will be interesting to see what Goard can do after a year o .

West Virginia may not be at the level of Kansas, Oklahoma and Iowa State, but it is good enough to beat each of them — and plenty more Big 12 opponents. The defense will force a bunch of turnovers that lead to easy baskets, but it’s important for the Mountaineer offense to have some producers in the half court. If that happens, this could be a big year.

Michael Bradley