–Let me start this off by saying hopefully Akok Akok is OK. He collapsed onto the floor in the second half and was tended to by multiple medical personnel surrounding him as he laid on the floor for about 15-20 minutes. They were able to lift him up on a stretcher and transport him but he did seem to be moving. Really, really scary situation. I’m honestly not sure how the team was even able to go back and play basketball after that, but hopefully everything ends up alright.
–It wasn’t always smooth sailing in this one, but West Virginia was able to get out with an 85-78 win. The Mountaineers have some issues to sort out and you could tell that this team is still trying to find its footing on both ends at times, but when it mattered the most players made plays to get it done. The good? West Virginia was at 1.214 points per possession. The bad? They allowed 1.219.
West Virginia started point guard Kerr Kriisa, guard Seth Wilson, forward Josiah Harris, forward Akok Akok and center Jesse Edwards. It’s about what I expected there outside, possibly Kobe Johnson playing in more of a three guard role but the Mountaineers elected to go bigger.
–The Mountaineers were in foul trouble for stretches in this one and some of them were trying to take charges when that just isn’t going to be called this year. The changes to the rules have made it really, really difficult to get a charge called and those are fouls that are basically being given away.
–Let’s just get the cat out of the bag, this team needs RaeQuan Battle if it wants to seriously compete in the Big 12. Scoring is going to be an issue at times for this group without a real alpha at that two spot. Seth Wilson can hit some shots but the Mountaineers need the athleticism and offensive skill set that Battle can bring to the table to go with the other threats they have.
–West Virginia allowed George Mason to shoot 62-percent in the first half and sent them to the line 17 times. This is a scrimmage, but I didn't see the effort that you need to play with on that end of the floor in almost every area. Things were better in the second half, but George Mason still finished the game shooting around 50-percent for the game.
–You saw both the good and the bad with center Jesse Edwards in the first four minutes of the game. The good is that Edwards is certainly more versatile than he’s gotten credit for at times offensively showing the ability to hit an elbow jumper with a silky touch and then put the ball on the floor to get to the basket for a layup. He also flashed the problems his length can cause on the opposite end by challenging some shots and making it difficult to score. But just a little over 3:30 into the first half Edwards had already picked up two fouls and this team quite frankly needs him on the floor. He has played in zone over his career and the switch to man is going to be a challenge at times. Edwards has to play smarter for this team on defense especially when the games start counting. Rebounding was definitely an issue with Edwards off the floor in this one. He especially impressed me in this one with his vision and passing. He does a great job scanning the floor and finding open shooters. Edwards took over this game late on the offensive end and had a significant block on defense. He finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks but fouled out late, challenging a shot. It’s no surprise that Edwards led the team at +13 in this contest.
–Point guard Kerr Kriisa also has great vision but needs to be more assertive on the offensive end. He scored 11 points, but took only 5 shots as he definitely is a pass-first point guard. He only had 3 assists in this one, but shot makers didn’t help him out much. There was a scare when he landed awkwardly on his ankle but was able to get up and return after a quick trip to the locker room.
–Josiah Harris looked much more confident on both ends of the floor and certainly lived up to his billing attacking the glass. It’s hard not to like the motor that he plays with on both ends. He finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds and if he continues on this path it will be huge for this team.
–Quinn Slazinski scored 9 quick points in this game hitting 3-5 from the field and including two from deep over a 7 minute span when the offense struggled and finished with 21 points and 4 rebounds. He is a versatile forward that can stretch the floor and is skilled with the ball as well. He looks the part and should play a big role on this team. I watched tape on him when he committed but was surprised with how well he can handle the ball for his size.
–Ofri Naveh is a little raw in some areas, but West Virginia has found a keeper there. He is extremely athletic and had a couple plays where he stole the show including a dunk where he took off on a dribble drive down the lane and slammed it home. He finished with 9 points and looks more than capable as a piece off the bench for this team moving forward.
–West Virginia was 22-29 from the foul line. Solid start there. Also solid ball movement with 13 assists on 27 made baskets, although as I alluded to earlier that could have been more if players would have been able to hit some open jump shots. Also another positive was only 9 turnovers.
--There's a lot of work left to do but overall a solid debut.
–It wasn’t always smooth sailing in this one, but West Virginia was able to get out with an 85-78 win. The Mountaineers have some issues to sort out and you could tell that this team is still trying to find its footing on both ends at times, but when it mattered the most players made plays to get it done. The good? West Virginia was at 1.214 points per possession. The bad? They allowed 1.219.
West Virginia started point guard Kerr Kriisa, guard Seth Wilson, forward Josiah Harris, forward Akok Akok and center Jesse Edwards. It’s about what I expected there outside, possibly Kobe Johnson playing in more of a three guard role but the Mountaineers elected to go bigger.
–The Mountaineers were in foul trouble for stretches in this one and some of them were trying to take charges when that just isn’t going to be called this year. The changes to the rules have made it really, really difficult to get a charge called and those are fouls that are basically being given away.
–Let’s just get the cat out of the bag, this team needs RaeQuan Battle if it wants to seriously compete in the Big 12. Scoring is going to be an issue at times for this group without a real alpha at that two spot. Seth Wilson can hit some shots but the Mountaineers need the athleticism and offensive skill set that Battle can bring to the table to go with the other threats they have.
–West Virginia allowed George Mason to shoot 62-percent in the first half and sent them to the line 17 times. This is a scrimmage, but I didn't see the effort that you need to play with on that end of the floor in almost every area. Things were better in the second half, but George Mason still finished the game shooting around 50-percent for the game.
–You saw both the good and the bad with center Jesse Edwards in the first four minutes of the game. The good is that Edwards is certainly more versatile than he’s gotten credit for at times offensively showing the ability to hit an elbow jumper with a silky touch and then put the ball on the floor to get to the basket for a layup. He also flashed the problems his length can cause on the opposite end by challenging some shots and making it difficult to score. But just a little over 3:30 into the first half Edwards had already picked up two fouls and this team quite frankly needs him on the floor. He has played in zone over his career and the switch to man is going to be a challenge at times. Edwards has to play smarter for this team on defense especially when the games start counting. Rebounding was definitely an issue with Edwards off the floor in this one. He especially impressed me in this one with his vision and passing. He does a great job scanning the floor and finding open shooters. Edwards took over this game late on the offensive end and had a significant block on defense. He finished with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks but fouled out late, challenging a shot. It’s no surprise that Edwards led the team at +13 in this contest.
–Point guard Kerr Kriisa also has great vision but needs to be more assertive on the offensive end. He scored 11 points, but took only 5 shots as he definitely is a pass-first point guard. He only had 3 assists in this one, but shot makers didn’t help him out much. There was a scare when he landed awkwardly on his ankle but was able to get up and return after a quick trip to the locker room.
–Josiah Harris looked much more confident on both ends of the floor and certainly lived up to his billing attacking the glass. It’s hard not to like the motor that he plays with on both ends. He finished with 12 points and 9 rebounds and if he continues on this path it will be huge for this team.
–Quinn Slazinski scored 9 quick points in this game hitting 3-5 from the field and including two from deep over a 7 minute span when the offense struggled and finished with 21 points and 4 rebounds. He is a versatile forward that can stretch the floor and is skilled with the ball as well. He looks the part and should play a big role on this team. I watched tape on him when he committed but was surprised with how well he can handle the ball for his size.
–Ofri Naveh is a little raw in some areas, but West Virginia has found a keeper there. He is extremely athletic and had a couple plays where he stole the show including a dunk where he took off on a dribble drive down the lane and slammed it home. He finished with 9 points and looks more than capable as a piece off the bench for this team moving forward.
–West Virginia was 22-29 from the foul line. Solid start there. Also solid ball movement with 13 assists on 27 made baskets, although as I alluded to earlier that could have been more if players would have been able to hit some open jump shots. Also another positive was only 9 turnovers.
--There's a lot of work left to do but overall a solid debut.
