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

Haley’s versatility strengthens the rotation

Of the newcomers joining the team this season, JUCO transfer Jermaine Haley might be the most intriguing. At 6-foot-6 with elite court vision, Haley projects as a wing threat with the ability to lead the team on offense for long stretches at a time. With his playmaking abilities, Haley could potentially function as a lead guard offensively while allowing other guards to be at their best as secondary playmakers and off-ball scorers.

Earlier this offseason, Coach Huggins hinted at the potential of Haley to lead the offense this season. In fact, he compares his skill set to that of Da’Sean Butler, who was a second-team All-American with the Mountaineers a few years back (Charleston Gazette-Mail):

"“I liked it when Da’Sean [Butler] was at point guard. He didn’t like it at all, but I liked it a lot. Talk about being about being able to switch everything. We could switch everything and the smallest guy on the floor was 6-6. I liked that a lot.”"

If Haley is able to impact the game in a similar fashion, even if it not to the same level as Butler, then his potential importance should not be understated. He might not be the most well-known name in West Virginia’s group of newcomers but he could be the most important. In 33 games with Odessa this last season, Haley averaged 10.2 points (54.1% from the field), 3.9 rebounds, and 5.6 assists in 22.5 minutes per game.