Miles Sadler and Skylar Forbes earned Big 12 honors after giving WVU a fast start. Freshman Sadler of WVU Men’s Basketball was named Big 12 Freshman of the Week and was named to the Big 12 Starting Five on the men’s side. The Big 12 named senior transfer Forbes of WVU Women’s Basketball to the women’s Big 12 Starting Five. Both are newcomers to WVU, but are poised for big roles for their respective teams after earning Big 12 honors. Read more: Miles Sadler and Skylar Forbes earn Big 12 honors after fast starts for WVU.
Sadler’s debut stands out
Sadler, a Brampton, Ontario native, averaged 20.5 points and 7.5 assists in a 2-0 week for the Mountaineers in his first two college games. He shot 56.7% from the field and had a 3.0 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Related: WVU coasts to victory over Stetson with lights-out shooting
In his debut against Niagara, he had 16 points, nine assists, and three steals. Only two other players in the last 15 seasons have reached those marks in a Division I debut. West Virginia fell behind 16-6 in that game, and Sadler said the focus against Stetson was a better start.
“As one of those people who starts the game off, it’s on me, and it’s on the rest of the starting five to come out and throw the first punch,” Sadler said.
He then had 25 points on 11-of-16 shooting and six assists in the 91-53 win over Stetson. Joson Sanon added 18 off the bench with an incredible game from behind the arc, with a career-high six three-pointers. Sadler said patience on ball screens helped the game slow down for him.
“I feel like I have some of the best shooters in the country,” he said on finding his teammates.
His Big 12 company on the Starting Five includes BYU’s Robert Wright III, who also earned Player of the Week honors, Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov, Arizona State’s Paulius Murauskas, and UCF’s Dior Johnson.
Forbes finds her shot
Forbes, a senior forward who previously played at Marquette, is averaging 19.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game through the Mountaineers’ first three contests. She is shooting 44.7% from the field and 40% from three, with a perfect rate from the free-throw line on five attempts.
Related: WVU goes wire-to-wire to win 81-53 at Georgia Tech
She had eight points and seven rebounds in the opener against Rhode Island. Forbes scored 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting against George Washington, tying a career high. Forbes set a new career high with six three-pointers in that game. She credited her teammates for finding her on pick-and-pops.
“I wouldn’t really have gotten to that without them,” she said.
She followed with 23 points and seven rebounds in a road win at Georgia Tech. Through three games, Forbes has 57 points, tied for second in the Big 12, along with 17 rebounds and 10 made three-pointers.
What the Big 12 honors mean
WVU Men’s Basketball are 2-0, and WVU Women’s Basketball are 3-0. Both teams are getting early production from a new player in a lead role. Sadler is running the offense with 7.5 assists per game, and Forbes is among the conference’s top scorers.
Head coach Mark Kellogg said after the George Washington game that his team is closer to where it wants to be, but there is a “long way to go.” The next tests come quickly. The men host Mercer on Thursday, and the women play Northwestern at the Greenbrier Tipoff on Friday.
Miles Sadler and Skylar Forbes earned Big 12 honors with starts that got noticed, and the next few games will show how well they hold.
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