Projecting WVU's Starting Five for Next Season
West Virginia could have a completely new starting five next year if Tre Mitchell and Jimmy Bell Jr. opt to not return for a fifth year. However, the belief is that they will return, so at the moment, WVU has just three spots to fill in the starting five as Kedrian Johnson, Erik Stevenson, and Emmitt Matthew Jr. depart.
Yes, we're a long way away from the start of next season and this roster could change drastically during that time, but here is how I see the starting five as of right now.
G Jose Perez
Perez is a much bigger guard than what WVU has had over the last couple of seasons, standing in at 6'5", 220 pounds. He has a knack for scoring the ball and can do it at all three levels but excels at getting downhill. In 30 games with Manhattan in 2021-22, Perez averaged 18.9 points shooting 39% from the field, 25% from three, and 80% from the free throw line.
G Seth Wilson
Wilson may have only averaged a little over four points per game this season, but he provided a spark off the bench in several games. In roughly 13 minutes per game, Wilson shot the three-ball at a 40% clip and knocked down 80% of his free throw attempts. He'll carry a bigger role next season as a high-volume shooter and scorer as Huggins tries to replace the offensive output from Erik Stevenson.
F Josiah Harris or transfer addition
I don't know if Harris is quite ready to move into the starting lineup but I believe we'll see him do so at some point. This could be where WVU looks to add through the transfer portal. If not, maybe they go with Pat Suemnick here OR they opt to go to a three-guard lineup with Joe Toussaint, Wilson, and Perez. I have a feeling Huggins would prefer to have Toussaint coming off the bench though. If it is Harris, he won't be asked to do a whole lot in what will be his first year of receiving serious minutes. Huggins believes that he will be an all-league player eventually.
F Tre Mitchell
In the non-conference portion of the schedule and the first few games of Big 12 play, it looked as if Mitchell was going to be "the guy" for WVU offensively. He hit a bit of a wall midway through the year and was up and down from that point on. I expect he'll iron out those inconsistencies and average somewhere in the neighborhood of 14 points and 7 rebounds per game in his final season.
C Jimmy Bell Jr.
There's a chance Bell doesn't return for another year and even if he does, I don't believe he's a lock to remain in the starting five. James Okonkwo is only going to get better and better and will push him for that spot. Maybe Bell would be able to give better minutes off the bench? Who knows? That said, I would anticipate Bell at least beginning the season in the starting five.
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