Huggins Believes Freshman Class Can Turn Things Around

The 2021-22 season hasn't gone as planned for the West Virginia men's basketball teams as they enter the final two games of the year with a 14-15 record and just a 3-13 record in conference play.

Over the last month or so, head coach Bob Huggins has often wondered if certain players really wanted to be in the program and has even questioned himself if he is playing the right guys. Needless to say, it has been a long season for the future Hall of Fame coach. However, he does have a good feeling about the core of young guys that will be major contributors to getting this thing turned around.

"They're going to be good. They're really going to be good," Huggins said of the freshman class. "I mean, in some instances, they may be better on the floor than some of the older guys in certain things. It's an experience thing and you can't get experience if you don't get any time and seemingly it's harder to win if you're giving too much time to somebody that doesn't have any experience. We try to do the best we can with it. We've got a heck of a freshman class. I think those two guys [Seth Wilson and Kobe Johnson] are very good. I think James [Okonkwo] is really going to shock some people. Jamel [King] really shoots the ball and he's got length for a perimeter guy. They've got the rest of the year and the whole summer to keep getting better. I think they are a great start to fixing this."

With WVU's NCAA Tournament hopes now on life support, there is a sense that guys like Wilson, Johnson, and King will see more minutes down the stretch. James Okonkwo could also see increased playing time, depending on what is in store for the Mountaineers in the postseason. Should the losing streak continue and the Mountaineers end the regular season with a 14-17 record, the only way in to the big dance will be to win the Big 12 Conference tournament. Huggins could go with a more veteran group or let his younger guys play and try to go on a run with them like he did a few years back with Jordan McCabe, Emmitt Matthews Jr., and Derek Culver.

The good thing is, this team will be playing beyond the Big 12 Conference tournament in one way or another. Huggins is all for playing in the NIT or CBI to continue to get more opportunities for this young bunch to build on heading into next season.

"I mean, I'd play all summer if we could. I think that's how you get better. That's why they call rookies, rookies. They've never experienced it. Now, the reality of it is we've got older guys, but they've never played or older guys that played at a much lower level where there's a couple hundred people in the gym. It's been different for them. If we do what we did the other night, I mean we've got a chance to beat anybody."

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