Jackson Fields Expected to Debut Sunday, Giving West Virginia Its Full Roster at Last

West Virginia head basketball coach Ross Hodge delivered some good news during his radio show on Tuesday night, revealing that Troy transfer forward Jackson Fields is in line to make his Mountaineer debut against Mercyhurst.

“I would say barring any last-second setbacks or anything, he’ll play Sunday," Hodge said. "He’s been a full participant today and didn’t sub out much, so it was there.”

If Fields does suit up, it will be the first time this season that the Mountaineers will be at full strength, giving Hodge a number of different lineup combinations to work with.

“It gives you another athlete. It gives you more length. It gives you more depth at either forward position. He can play the five or play the four. Another guy that’s played a lot of basketball and played on an NCAA Tournament team. He’s played in high-stress, high-magnitude moments. Can stretch the floor from that position as well. A very good vocal leader, good intangibles, and is a guy that you can feel his voice when he’s out there. He can move, he can defend, he can switch, he can block shots. He was our leading rebounder in the summer. He was our leading shot blocker in the summer.”

Fields will likely slide into the backup spot behind Brenen Lorient at the four, which will take some minutes away from true freshman DJ Thomas. Fields will also see some time behind Harlan Obioha, and there may be some instances where both Fields and Obioha share the court, giving WVU a chance to go bigger and match length a little better, which is something they obviously were unable to do against Clemson last Friday.

In 34 games last season with the Trojans, Fields averaged 7.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 0.8 blocks, 0.7 assists, and 0.6 steals per game while shooting 48% from the floor and 33% from three-point range.

West Virginia and Mercyhurst will tip the action of at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday on ESPN+.

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