WVU Freshman Forward Changes Mind, Will Stay with Mountaineers

West Virginia will see one of its young pieces return to the program.

West Virginia University guard Evans Barning Jr. | Christopher Hall - West Virginia on SI

Earlier this month, multiple reports surfaced that West Virginia freshman basketball wing Evans Barning Jr. (6'7", 200 lbs) was planning to enter the transfer portal. The portal is now closed, and Barning's name never popped up in the portal, meaning he will stick with the Mountaineers heading into the 2026-27 season.

With Barning returning, this gives West Virginia eight players on the roster with seven on scholarship.

“Evans is a versatile forward with great length and athleticism," Hodge said when Barning signed with the program a year ago. "He’s been well-coached throughout his career and has played with other high-level players. His character and willingness to be coached will allow him to continue to grow as a player here at West Virginia. We are excited to have him join us in Morgantown.”

Barning was lightly recruited coming out of Archbishop Carroll High School in Washington, D.C., largely because he signed with the Mountaineers heading into his senior year. He reclassified to join the program a year early, knowing that this past season would be used as a developmental year. Had he stayed in high school, more schools would have been involved in his recruitment.

In his final year at the prep level, he averaged 10.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. He also played for Team Durant in the Nike EYBL circuit, where he had a 29-point outburst against Bradley Beal Elite, connecting on 78% of his shots from the floor.

What the plan could be for Barning next season

The Mountaineers are still searching for help on the wing and will likely find those pieces within the next week or so. I wouldn't be surprised either if West Virginia goes with a three-guard lineup instead of your traditional two-guard, one wing, two-forwards look. Either way, I'm not sure where Barning will sneak into the rotation, at least early in the season.

My assumption is that they will treat this like his actual freshman campaign, getting him into the game against non-conference foes to get him some experience before moving into a deep bench role once they move into Big 12 play. He has incredible athleticism and bounce, but is still probably a year away from moving into a rotational role off the bench.

West Virginia's current roster

* - walk-on

G: Miles Sadler, Amir Jenkins

G: Finley Bizjack, MJ Feenane*

G/F: Evans Barning Jr.

F: Javan Buchanan

C: Mouhammad Sylla, Aliou Dioum