WVU Tabbed 'Biggest Winner' of the Transfer Portal by Jeff Goodman

It's been a great offseason for Bob Huggins on the recruiting trail.

To be successful across four decades in college basketball or in any sport for that matter, you have to be willing to adapt. 

From the way the game is played to the type of players you recruit, the style you play, to off-the-floor stuff such as NIL and the transfer portal, the game is constantly evolving. Coaches that are stubborn and "set in their way" either flame out or don't have the level of success they once had.

WVU head coach Bob Huggins admitted publicly that he had no idea how to handle the transfer portal when it first came about. He didn't expect it to be such a big part of the game as it has become. He realized quickly that he and his staff had to do a better job identifying talent in the portal and they have done just that.

Last year, they landed Tre Mitchell (Texas), Erik Stevenson (South Carolina), Joe Toussaint (Iowa), and saw the return of Emmitt Matthews Jr. (Washington). A rather significant improvement from the imports of the previous season and it led to the Mountaineers getting back into the NCAA Tournament. 

This offseason, Huggins has dominated the portal reeling in Kerr Kriisa (PAC 12 assists leader), Jesse Edwards (14.5 ppg, 10.3 rpg, & 2.7 blks), RaeQuan Battle (17.7 ppg), and Omar Silverio (10.7 ppg), joining Jose Perez who sat out this past season. 

According to Jeff Goodman of Stadium, West Virginia has the best portal class in the country.

We asked @GoodmanHoops for his top 5 winners/losers of the transfer portal… what would you change? pic.twitter.com/gssPBLig7B

— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) May 3, 2023

Can this influx of transfers lead West Virginia to a deep run next March? Time will tell. But on paper, the Mountaineers are expected to be a top three or four team in the Big 12 Conference.

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