Quick Hits: Stock in Preseason Rankings, Secret Scrimmage, Harlan Obioha's Skillset + More

West Virginia men's basketball coach Ross Hodge met with the media on Thursday afternoon to discuss the progression of his team and preseason rankings.

Thoughts on being picked 11th

“Don’t address it a ton, to be honest. Don’t put a lot of thought into it one way or the other, but in situations over the course of my career, we’ve been picked really low to start the year and finished really high. And then there’s times where we were picked higher in leagues and didn’t finish as high as we got picked. Control what you can control.”

Thoughts on being ranked 67th in preseason KenPom rankings

“Not a lot. KenPom is always going to factor in a little bit of historical data with their preseason rankings. Your adjusted defense from the years in the past will weigh into that, and then if you’ve had Division I transfers, what they did at their previous spots, they factor that in. But if it’s like a freshman or a junior college transfer, they have nothing data-wise to look back on it. You can’t really control it, per se. It’s a barometer of where you’re starting, at least.”

What he’s most looking forward to this season

“You’re looking forward to playing someone else. I think it kind of starts there. These guys have really been playing against each other since June. You take it a step further, whether it’s the exhibition versus Wheeling on the 26th or your opener, crowd is a real thing in college basketball — they impact games, they make a difference.”

Harlan Obioha

“He was a highly recruited football player out of high school, and you can certainly see why, because he can move for a man of his size, and he’s got really soft hands. He’s a really good facilitator. He’s a really good passer. Honestly, we probably need him to be a little more aggressive because his first instinct is to pass even when he has deep position.”

If they structure lineups for secret scrimmage to prepare being without Chance Moore for the first five games

“I think you treat it like you were going to have him, and you just play him like you would play any other normal game throughout the regular season. You’ll have lineup combinations that you’re going to play, whether he’s available or unavailable.”

Thoughts on being picked 11th

Thoughts on being ranked 67th in preseason KenPom rankings

What he’s most looking forward to this season

Harlan Obioha

If they structure lineups for secret scrimmage to prepare being without Chance Moore for the first five games

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