West Virginia Basketball: 2023-24 season preview for the Mountaineers

Key Reserves

Guard – Noah Farrakhan (Senior)

After spending his freshman year as a reserve at East Carolina, Farrakhan developed into a dynamic scorer the last two seasons at Eastern Michigan. Playing with current NBA guard Emoni Bates, Farrakhan averaged 12.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, numbers that were slightly down from his sophomore season, especially as a long-range shooter. Eilert hopes he can bring dynamic offense when he’s on the floor. *Will need a waiver to play this season

Guard – Kobe Johnson (Junior)

Johnson is the only returning Mountaineer who actually started games for West Virginia last year, picking up 4 starts early in the season before getting worked out of the rotation late in the year. He’ll have more chances to contribute this season and is a dynamic guard who can defend all over the court. Johnson did hit a decent clip from the floor last season; can that transition into a full season with legitimate minutes?

Guard – Jeremiah Bembry (Freshman)

Yet another transfer, Bembry actually redshirted last season as a freshman at Florida State and will have his first taste of college ball this year. He projects as a very talented point guard with his athleticism and ability, though his lack of experience means there’ll be growing pains. Bembry should have a solid offensive season, though he might be the only real backup at the point this year.

Forward – Ofri Naveh (Freshman)

A recent addition to the roster, Naveh is a freshman forward from Israel who recently spent the summer playing for Israel in the FIBA U18 European Championship. He’s clearly yet to play college ball and may sit at the back end of the frontcourt rotation, but he’s shown potential as a defender, rebounder, and long-range shooter; we’ll see how that game transitions to the Big 12.

Forward – Akok Akok (Senior)

Akok was a highly-touted recruit who did very little at UConn for three years before spending last season at Georgetown, averaging 6.5 points and 6.2 rebounds per game for the Hoyas. While he hasn’t exactly lived up to expectations, he’s still a very solid frontcourt weapon and could challenge for starting minutes at the 4 for the Mountaineers, especially if he keeps developing as a 3-point shooter and shot blocker.

Forward – Josiah Harris (Sophomore)

Another rare returnee, Harris saw limited chances last season on the Mountaineers’ bench, averaging just 1.8 points in the 17 games in which he saw action. However, Eilert and staff are counting on a big step forward as a sophomore amidst the chance for increased minutes. His lack of experience is concerning, especially as one of the primary backups in the frontcourt, but he’s showed potential.

Forward – Patrick Suemnick (Senior)

Aside from his sophomore year, where he starred at Triton College, a junior college in Illinois, Suemnick simply doesn’t have a ton of experience. He was a bench piece as a freshman at Robert Morris and played a similar role last year with the Mountaineers, averaging 1.4 points and 1.3 rebounds a game. He’s a strong, athletic big man who can cause havoc; he just hasn’t had many chances at the D1 lvel to prove himself.