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There has been some jostling going in within the Mountaineer basketball program this offseason, not limited to talk about the number of available scholarships and whether or not star shot-blocker Sagaba Konate will return next season. But just in the last few minutes, Chris Anderson at Eers Nation broke perhaps the biggest development of the offseason when he reported that freshman forward Teddy Allen announced that he had been granted his immediate release from the West Virginia basketball program.
— T Sauce (@JussHoopTeddy) May 3, 2018
Allen, former Indiana player of the year, built up a bit of fanfare during his freshman campaign and ultimately earned the moniker “Teddy Buckets”. In his one season in gold and blue, Allen averaged 7 points, 2.7 rebounds and shot at a .467% clip while averaging nearly 12 minutes per game. Allen showed legitimate promise as a scoring forward, as he was frequently able to create off the dribble and score at the bucket despite not possessing great size or quickness.
While it seems like a blow to lose a young player with obvious potential, it isn’t a tremendous surprise. Huggins just inked a new player within the last week in 6’7” JUCO forward Jermaine Haley and will be able to suit up immediately and, perhaps just as big, is the official visit one-time UCONN commit Emmitt Matthews, Jr. is currently taking in on campus in Morgantown. West Virginia, despite Allen’s departure, looks to be in great shape with regard to scholarships going into 2018. Where Allen ends up landing is a mystery, but it looks as though Huggins and his staff are more than prepared to fill his roster spot with capable talent heading into the summer.