NCAA Basketball: 5 players to watch if West Virginia has a mass roster exodus
Jesse Edwards
2022-23 season stats: 14.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg and 2.7 bpg
The biggest offseason pickup for the Mountaineers was Edwards, who was an All-ACC player at Syracuse this past season. After barely producing in his first two years, the 6’11 center from the Netherlands showed his potential as an upperclassman, blocking nearly three shots a game out of the zone defense the Orange plays.
Edwards also was a double-double machine, including a career-high 21 rebounds versus Bryant and 18 points and 16 rebounds against NC State. He’s an effective post-presence and was set to be the focal point for West Virginia and next to Tre Mitchell, could’ve been a quality frontcourt duo in the Big 12.
Next to the point guard position, the center spot is the most coveted in the transfer portal. Even backup bigs from the mid-major ranks have found landing spots at the power conference level. Edwards was one of the top-5 consensus players to enter the portal, rivaled by Michigan transfer and Kansas commit, Hunter Dickinson, at the center position.
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In the first go-around, Edwards picked West Virginia over Gonzaga and Kansas. But with those two teams landing Dickinson and Graham Ike, they likely aren’t going to be in the mix this time around. But teams such as Duke, Kentucky, and Arkansas could be after the former Orange star if he were to enter the portal.