Honor Huff’s next stop is up in the air, and so is his eligibility.
The veteran guard is no longer headed back to West Virginia basketball for now. Huff has entered the transfer portal while he pursues what he hopes will be a “fifth” year of eligibility through the courts. He has a hearing next week, and if he receives a preliminary injunction, he could end up playing in another uniform.
That possibility comes with a roster wrinkle for the Mountaineers. West Virginia is already full, so bringing Huff back would have required moving someone off the roster. After several months of work since arriving in the summer, that is not an easy decision to make.
A little over a week ago, Hodge was asked about whether Huff could rejoin the program, and he made clear the situation was still too unsettled to map out in any real detail. He said, "He’s still really in, not the infant stages, but it would be premature to…you’d be talking about a lot of hypotheticals, which I know doesn’t make it as fun for you guys.
But I try not to talk in hypotheticals because then it gets to, well, ‘Coach said...’ and you’re talking about something that you don’t know. So I honestly have not put much thought into that situation.
If it became a reality, I think you can cross it. You maybe have some conversations as it leads closer to it.
I am supportive of him for sure.”
Huff’s case is not as straightforward as Brenen Lorient’s or Javan Buchanan’s, and there is still a real chance he does not get the extra year. He transferred from VMI to Chattanooga and sat out a year because of a conference transfer, something he knew could happen, but it still cost him a season.
Even if the eligibility fight works out, fitting Huff into the mix would have created an interesting lineup puzzle for Hodge. Pairing him with Miles Sadler, another undersized guard, might have worked in spots, especially with Sadler as the face of the program right now. But that combination would need to be used carefully, because the roster would lose size in a hurry.
Huff made a big impact in his one season with the Mountaineers. In 35 games last year, he led the team with 16.5 points per game on 35% shooting, while adding 2.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per night.
In Other News...
Sonny Dykes Had A Frustrated Reaction To West Virginia's Win
West Virginias 24-2 win over TCU had the kind of closing sequence that can tilt a game from competitive to lopsided in a hurry. After both teams spent much of the afternoon fighting through stalled possessions, David Afoghos late strip sack and Ben Cutters recovery gave the Mountaineers the kind of defensive break that can put a game out of reach and leave the opponent looking back at all the missed chances.
For Sonny Dykes, the frustration showed up quickly afterward. The TCU coach pointed to the Horned Frogs inability to finish drives, along with turnovers, missed field goals and other failed critical plays, as the difference in a game where his team managed to outgain West Virginia in several statistical categories. From West Virginias perspective, it was another reminder that style points do not matter much when the defense keeps producing the one play that ends the night. [Read more 🡒]
Ross Hodge Made Clear What WVU Still Must Fix Fast
West Virginias 103-66 exhibition win over Glenville State offered a cleaner look at where the Mountaineers are settling in under Ross Hodge, and where the work still needs to continue before the games count. The result moved WVU to 1-1 in preseason play, and Hodge used the postgame to frame the night as more than just a tune-up, touching on the significance of the outing and the way his team handled itself on both ends.
There was also a little bit of the usual October injury watch to sort through, along with some encouraging signs from practice that Hodge has seen from one players rebounding and competitiveness. Even in a lopsided exhibition, those are the kinds of details that matter for a roster trying to sort out its rotation and sharpen its identity before the season gets moving for real. [Read more 🡒]
WVU Defense Reaches A Breaking Point Before Crucial Bye Week
West Virginia has been grinding through eight straight weeks without a break, and the timing of the upcoming bye could hardly be better. Before it gets there, though, the Mountaineers still have one more game to navigate against TCU, with the defense carrying plenty of attention after a stretch that has left Rich Rodriguez wanting a reset far earlier than this point.
Zac Alley has described the units play as inconsistent, and that has made the open date feel less like a luxury than a necessity. The hope now is that the extra time will give West Virginia a chance to regroup, clean up the issues on that side of the ball and head into the final weeks of the regular season with a better answer for the tougher matchups ahead. [Read more 🡒]