WVU Men's Basketball Update

Early Poll Projects WVU As Top 25 Team

The Big Lead's Jason McIntyre ranks WVU at #23 in his latest preseason poll.  McIntyre writes "Bob Huggins is going to be a problem for the Big 12 now that he has talent."  By talent, McIntyre must be referring to the addition of Jonathan Holton, Elijah Macon, and Tarik Phillip, along with Juwan Staten's decision to stay for his senior season.

The Big Lead's poll also ranks fellow conference foes Kansas (#6), Texas (#11), and Iowa State (#21). A month ago, McIntyre projected WVU at #21.

It's nice to see some national respect returning to Morgantown.  Future College Hall of Fame Coach Bob Huggins has his team pointed in the right direction.

WVU To Play LSU In Morgantown

The Mountaineers face LSU at home on Thursday, December 4^th, as part of the SEC-Big 12 Showdown.  ESPN will cover the game on one of its networks.

LSU finished last season 20-14 (9-9 in conference play and 4-9 away from Baton Rouge).  They lost to eventual NIT runner-up SMU in the second round of that tournament.

LSU head coach Johnny Jones enters his third year with a 39-26 record and one NIT tournament berth.  The Tigers are similar to WVU in that they are a young team, having graduated only two seniors in 2014.  They are led by senior big man senior Johnny O'Bryant III (15.4 ppg/7.7 rpg) and sophomore forward Jordan Mickey (12.7 ppg/7.9 rpg), respectively.

This should be an interesting matchup between LSU's big men and WVU's Jonathan Holton and Elijah Macon.

Former WVU Guard Eron Harris' Dad Explains "Real Reason" His Son Left WVU

The Indianapolis Star newspaper reported yesterday that Eron Harris transferred from WVU for reasons other than being "homesick."  Harris' father cited "coach compatibility" as the most important factor in his son's decision.  "We respected (West Virginia coach Bob Huggins') coaching style but it probably wasn't the best fit," Eric Harris said.  "Looking for that right fit as far as a coach goes is probably the biggest thing."

Eron Harris received his official release from the WVU basketball team yesterday.  Within a couple of hours, numerous local schools contacted the Lawrence North (IN) high school star, including Butler, Indiana, Purdue, Kentucky, Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame and Ohio State.  New Mexico and UCLA also demonstrated interest.

While his offensive contributions helped WVU to a 17-16 record and an NIT berth, Harris didn't play defense.  It's notable that defensive minded Louisville didn't contact Harris.  Good luck to Harris in his future endeavors.

Rumors Fly Regarding Remi Dibo's "Imminent Transfer"

Numerous websites are reporting that forward Remi Dibo is looking to follow in Eron Harris' footsteps by seeking a transfer.  The rumor may have started with Eron Harris, who tweeted yesterday about his own release and then allegedly tweeted that he hoped Dibo would also be granted a release.

More to follow.

Former Maryland Point Guard Roddy Peters Rumors

Conflicting news surrounds former Maryland backup point guard Roddy Peters.  Numerous websites familiar with the Terps program believe that Peters will visit Morgantown this weekend.  These websites then backed away from this news, citing scheduling conflicts with the WVU coaching staff.

Peters averaged 4 ppg and 2 apg in 15 mpg last season.  Competition for the former Terp's services includes Oregon, Villanova, Georgetown, Virginia, Cincinnati, St Joseph's, and South Florida.  With the notable exception of Oregon, that list of teams plays impressive defense.  None of these schools have contacted Eron Harris.

That's all for now...and as always...

Let's Go, Mountaineers!