After four coaches in four seasons, West Virginia basketball finally has retention. Can that turn into success?
The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: West Virginia basketball.
The last few years have been interesting for West Virginia basketball. Legend Bob Huggins was forced to retire, which led to an abysmal season for interim head coach Josh Eilert. They brought in Darian DeVries from Drake to replace him as the new leader of this program, but he dashed to Indiana after just one season. Last year, they brought in Ross Hodge from North Texas, and while it didn’t lead to an NCAA Tournament appearance, they still picked up 21 wins and a College Basketball Crown championship.
Now, in year two, Hodge is looking to add a tournament appearance to his West Virginia basketball resume. He’ll have a much different roster, but a retooled one at that. This is a younger team than in the past, but with a lot of upside. If Brennen Lorient gets eligibility, that’ll be a huge boost as the only real returning contributor from last year, and an efficient scorer as well. Finley Bizjack is the other probable senior starter after continuing to take leaps year after year.
They bring in some high-upside guys like Joson Sanon, who was terrific his freshman year at ASU before a quiet year at St. John’s. Miles Sadler is a top-20 recruit who can immediately change this program as well. Watch out for Mo Sylla, a really raw talent, but one with a ton of defensive upside.
Like any team with a nearly brand-new roster, it might take time for them to gel, so it’ll be interesting to see how the non-conference slate turns out, especially the Players Era field. This should set them up nicely for conference play, where they’ll have tons of experience playing against Power 5 programs in different environments.
This is a proud program looking for a boost after an up-and-down few years. Ross Hodge is absolutely a guy who can do that, and while they might be competing for a Big 12 title in early March, they’re definitely a team that can be sitting comfortably in the tournament field at the time.
Head coach: Ross Hodge (4th season overall, 2nd at West Virginia)
2025-26 record: 21-14 (9-9)
2026 postseason finish: College Basketball Crown Champions
Notable departures:
- Honor Huff (16.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 2.1 APG)
- Chance Moore (10.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.9 APG)
- Jasper Floyd (7.0 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 3.2 APG)
Notable non-conference games:
- vs. Auburn (Nov. 17) – Players Era
- Kansas OR UNLV (Nov. 18) – Players Era
- Houston, Rutgers, Florida, or Notre Dame (Nov. 19) – Players Era
- vs. North Carolina (Nov. 27)
- vs. Virginia Tech (Dec. 5)
- vs. Pitt (Dec. 9)
- vs. Wake Forest (Dec. 19)
Projected Rotation
PG: Martin Somerville (6-3, 185, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 8.0 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 2.4 APG, 1.5 SPG, 33.6 FG%, 79.1 FT% (Florida State)
SG: Finley Bizjack (6-4, 190, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 17.1 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 2.5 APG, 0.7 SPG, 42.6 FG%, 34.9 3P%, 85.0 FT% (Butler)
SF: Joson Sanon (6-5, 200, Jr.)
2025-26 stats: 7.9 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 33.8 FG%, 76.8 FT% (St. John’s)
PF: Brennan Lorient (6-9, 215, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 11.9 PPG, 5.2 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.7 SPG, 1.3 BPG, 54.1 FG%, 35.8 3P%, 70.4 FT%
*Eligibility Pending
C: Mo Sylla (6-10, 230, So.)
2025-26 stats: 9.6 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 0.6 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.2 BPG, 57.9 FG% (Georgia Tech)
6: Miles Sadler (6-0, 170, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 19 ranked recruit
7: Javan Buchanan (6-7, 230, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 12.6 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 1.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 42.3 FG%, 83.6 FT% (Boise State)
8: Seydou Traore (6-6, 220, Sr.)
2025-26 stats: 9.0 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 2.0 APG, 1.2 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 38.6 FG%, 72.7 FT% (Utah)
9: Amir Jenkins (6-2, 180, So.)
2025-26 stats: 3.4 PPG, 2.1 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.6 SPG, 33.6 FG%
10: Amadou Seini (7-1, 250, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 67 ranked recruit
11: Keonte Greybear (6-3, 185, Fr.)
247Sports Composite No. 218 ranked recruit
West Virginia basketball team MVP: Finley Bizjack
Bizjack is a prime example of a player who is patient and values development. Freshman year at Butler, he averaged 4 a game playing just 15 minutes on average. He stuck with it and was rewarded, starting 30 games and boosting his scoring average to 10 a game. Still, he remained patient, and it paid off, bumping that average to 17 a game.
His efficiency dipped a little, just because the support wasn’t great on last year’s Butler team, but if this trend continues, he will be the leader and a top player in the conference.
West Virginia basketball make-or-break player: Miles Sadler
If you go around the scout camps, you won’t find anyone with a bad thing to say about this kid. He is a gifted scorer and was named Player of the Year in the EYBL Scholastic. In addition to his scoring, he’s also a great passer, averaging 8.3 APG during the Chipotle Nationals.
If the highest-rated recruit in West Virginia basketball history can be a star in year one, then this team can beat anyone on any given night. He is that good. However, he’s a freshman, and that comes with growing pains, and that could lead to some quiet games, which is important for a team that’ll likely be near the bubble. Remember his name, though, because you’ll be hearing it a lot this season.
Key statistic: Tempo
If you missed last year for whatever reason and are not sure what Ross Hodge’s style is, it’s a slow tempo and defense. West Virginia had the 4th slowest tempo in college basketball last year. In Ross Hodge’s two seasons at North Texas, he finished 3rd slowest in both years. West Virginia will win if they can slow the game down and try to force difficult shots, and it’s worked for Hodge in the past, and it’ll work again.
With Sylla down low and Lorient or Buchanan complementing him, the frontcourt should be rock solid defensively. Somerville is a good defender, but Bizjack, Sanon, and Sadler are not, so it’ll be interesting to see how Hodge masks them on defense. In general, expect a lot of slower games and defensive grinds from this program. As long as they win, though, there will be no states from the Mountaineer fanbase.
West Virginia basketball 2026-27 projections
Projected conference finish: 10th in the Big 12
Projected postseason ceiling: NCAA Tournament Round of 32 Exit