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

By Lukas Harkins

MORGANTOWN, WV - JANUARY 15: The West Virginia Mountaineers huddle before the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at the WVU Coliseum on January 15, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV - JANUARY 15: The West Virginia Mountaineers huddle before the game against the Kansas Jayhawks at the WVU Coliseum on January 15, 2018 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 18: Bolden #3 of the West Virginia Mountaineers drives. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
SAN DIEGO, CA – MARCH 18: Bolden #3 of the West Virginia Mountaineers drives. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

Depth in the backcourt yields results

While the return of Sagaba Konate obviously raises West Virginia basketball’s floor heading into this season, major questions surround the members of the backcourt. For starters, there is only one proven returning guard on the entire roster and that is James Bolden. A rising junior, Bolden projects as the leader of the backcourt this season given his experience. While appearing in all 37 games for the team last season, he averaged 8.7 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 17.2 minutes per game.

However, he is far from alone in the backcourt. In order to offset the key losses of Miles and Carter this offseason, Coach Huggins did an excellent job securing some strong newcomers. In terms of incoming freshman (one redshirted), Brandon Knapper, Jordan McCabe, and Trey Doomes all seem to be potentially solid contributors in the backcourt. And while this group might not continue “Press Virginia”, they could make up a strong offensive group. Additionally, JUCO transfer Jermaine Haley (more on him in a bit) may add to the backcourt depth.

Furthermore, it is important to note that the Mountaineers struggled at times last season due to a lack of depth in the backcourt. Miles and Carter were great but considering West Virginia’s aggressive defensive system, it was impossible for them to be at their best when playing all 40 minutes night in and night out. And now that there are far more backcourt options on the roster, the team could be better off moving forward. The backcourt clearly is less talented and experienced compared to this past season but the depth could make the team stronger overall.

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