WVU Men’s Basketball Head Coach Ross Hodge has been hard at work in the transfer portal since the Mountaineers won the College Basketball Crown on April 5. Read more: WVU Basketball: Transfer Portal Update.
After leading a senior-heavy team last season, Hodge is facing another roster overhaul in his first full offseason as head coach of the Mountaineers.
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Having to replace players like Honor Huff and Brenen Lorient won’t be easy, but in the early stages of the portal window, Hodge seems to have already found a handful of quality replacements for next season.
Portal Additions
Finley Bizjack
Hodge’s first pickup out of the transfer portal was Butler transfer Finley Bizjack. The 6-foot-4 guard is coming off his best season of his career after averaging 17.1 points per game off 42.6% from the field for the Bulldogs last season.
Compare that to his sophomore season where he averaged just over 10 points per game, the Texas native proved that he is capable of leading a team on the offensive end. He led the Bulldogs in scoring, as well as free throw percentage with an impressive 85%.
Bizjack is a three-level scorer that is elite off the dribble. He’s capable around the three point line as he shot nearly 35% in that category, but he’s arguably at his best when he’s driving to the paint.
He’s able to use his pivot foot in crafty ways to find angles to shoot over defenders while also keeping his eyes up at the same time for the open teammate. The incoming senior is also good at finishing through contact and punishing defenders if he gets fouled.
After a disappointing season at Butler where the Bulldogs finished 16-16, Bizjack will aim to lead the Mountaineers to the NCAA Tournament, where he should have a strong case to be the team’s leading scorer.
Javan Buchanan
The second portal pickup for the Mountaineers was Boise State transfer Javan Buchanan. A strong, versatile forward, Buchanan is listed at 6’7, 230 pounds.
After playing his first two years in college at Indiana Wesleyan, Buchanan is coming off two-strong years with the Broncos. The Indiana native increased his points, assists, and rebounds per game in his senior year.
He was named Mountain West Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 12.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game.
Hodge praised his versatility and ability to make everyone else around him better after his commitment on April 11.
“Javan is one of those players that everyone loves playing with,” Hodge said. “He has tremendous intangibles and great versatility. Javan makes everyone else better around him and will represent this state in a first-class manner.”
Mouhamed Sylla
Continuing to add to the front court, Hodge signed Georgia Tech transfer Mouhamed Sylla on April 14. The 6’10 center was ranked as the No. 2 center in the transfer portal rankings by 247Sports.
As a freshman last season, Sylla averaged a near double-double with 9.6 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game. He also added just over a block per game.
The athletic big man has a pure knack for rebounding, especially on the defensive end. Last season, he was in the 99th percentile in defensive rebounding, grabbing just over five per game on that side of the floor.
Sylla is still raw on the offensive end, but he clearly makes up for it in effort and impact on defense and on the glass. He’ll also be a consistent lob threat for the Mountaineers at the very least.
Losses
At the time of publication, those are the three additions Hodge has made in the transfer portal. Many outlets have it rated as either the No. 1 class or close to it in terms of portal rankings.
However, it’s still important to be reminded of who opted to enter the transfer portal from WVU.
Freshman Evan Barning was the first to add his name to the portal, with his freshman counterpart Jayden Forsythe joining him shortly after.
One surprising move was DJ Thomas entering the portal as well. The freshman forward played consistently for the Mountaineers and only got better as the season progressed.
Senior Jackson Fields entered the portal as well after not seeing the court nearly at all last season.
Another senior, Jasper Floyd, also entered the portal where he will look to seek a final year of eligibility.
Redshirt freshman Abraham Oyeadier also entered his name in the portal. It’s worth noting that those are the three that have officially confirmed their status in entering the transfer portal.
What’s next
Players have until April 21 to officially enter their name in the portal. After that, the ones that did enter still have time to pick a new school.
With marquee recruits like Miles Sadler set to join the team this upcoming season, there’s no doubt that Hodge keep building his roster with proven talent across the college ranks.
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