West Virginia Basketball: 5 keys for a successful 2018-19 campaign

Sagaba Konate owns the paint

Rim protection is one of the most important facets of a successful defense. Quite simply, having a strong anchor in the paint can be one of the building blocks for an elite defensive unit as a whole. Regardless of whether this is in the form of blocking shots or simply affecting attempts around the rim, an interior defender can mean a lot to an entire defense. In regards to West Virginia basketball, head coach Bob Huggins is returning arguably the best rim-protector in the nation in Sagaba Konate.

A 6-foot-8 nightmare in the paint, Konate makes scoring nearly impossible around the basket. An elite shot-blocker, Konate averaged 3.2 blocks per game (3rd nationally) while also exhibiting a ridiculous block rate of 15.6% (2nd nationally). Additionally, he is a strong rebounder (7.6 boards per game) that can single-handedly dominate the paint. Now entering his junior season, the expectation is that Konate will once again dominate inside this season.

In terms of his importance to the whole team, Konate’s shot-blocking allows guards to be far more aggressive on the perimeter in terms of creating transition opportunities. Even though Daxter Miles Jr. and Jevon Carter are no longer on the team, Konate’s abilities inside will help Coach Huggins create a strong defense without his former cogs on the perimeter.