Preseason play is done, and West Virginia’s focus now turns fully to Monday’s opener against Niagara. After three exhibitions, Ross Hodge has already given a pretty clear picture of where the rotations stand and which players he trusts most.
The first group looks settled. Miles Sadler, Finley Bizjack, Joson Sanon, Brenen Lorient and Mouhamed Sylla have been the projected starters from the jump, and Hodge has already used that five together in two of the three exhibition games. The only reason they did not open every game as a unit was Sanon sitting out the Glenville State matchup for precautionary reasons.
What stands out with that lineup is how many different ways it can beat a team. The group brings plenty of speed and athleticism, but the bigger edge is how interchangeable it is.
Last season, West Virginia often leaned on players who had one clear job, whether it was Honor Huff knocking down threes, Chance Moore attacking the rim, or Jasper Floyd setting things up. This group is built differently.
Every starter can shoot, and every starter can handle the ball to some degree. At one point, Sylla even secured a long defensive rebound and nearly pushed it up himself.
He looks far more comfortable with the ball than Harlan Obioha, who fit more of the classic, stay-near-the-rim center mold.
The second unit is loaded enough that Hodge can keep the pressure on without much of a dip. Martin Somerville, Seydou Traore, Javan Buchanan and Amadou Seini all have starter-caliber traits, and Hodge made it clear after the game that he views almost everyone in the rotation as a starter in some sense. That kind of depth is a major difference from a year ago.
Somerville could end up being one of the better backup guards in the Big 12. Traore brings defense that belongs among the league’s best.
Buchanan contributes across the board, while Seini gives West Virginia a huge body who can rebound and move surprisingly well for his size. With that kind of bench, Hodge may be able to roll through line changes without sacrificing much.
Greybear is the name hovering on the edge of the rotation. There’s a real appreciation for his game, but the question is whether there will be enough minutes once the games start getting more serious, even in the non-conference slate.
He should get chances early against lower-level opponents, and if he takes advantage of those opportunities, he could carve out a role, especially with Amir Jenkins out. He looks like a rotation candidate while Jenkins is sidelined, though that is not set in stone.
Aliou Dioum sits in the final group, and he is the only one there with a real shot to matter down the line. A highly recruited four-star center out of Bella Vista Prep, he played alongside Miles Sadler and Amadou Seini, but he still has work to do before he earns minutes.
He could see the floor this season, but next year feels more realistic. Max Olejasz, Jalani McKoy and MJ Feenane round out that group.
In Other News...
Ross Hodge Sent An Early Message To West Virginias Young Frontcourt
The first real teaching moment of the Ross Hodge era arrived quickly for West Virginias young frontcourt. In an exhibition against Wheeling, freshman Aliou Dioum was whistled for a technical foul after hanging on the rim following a dunk, and Hodge made sure the message was delivered immediately on the floor. It was the kind of correction that can get lost in a preseason tuneup, but for a staff trying to establish standards early, it clearly mattered.
Dioum stayed in the game and still made his presence felt, finishing with seven points, two rebounds and two blocks in seven minutes. Even in a non-competitive setting, Hodge treated the sequence as a reminder that habits count, especially for a group of young bigs learning how to operate within the details. For West Virginia, it was a small moment with a larger purpose, the sort of baseline expectation that can define how the frontcourt develops from here. [Read more 🡒]
WVUs Defensive Ceiling Looks Shakier Than Fans Wanted To Admit
West Virginias defensive profile has become harder to gloss over as the Big 12 schedule has worn on. A look at the Pro Football Focus grades and snap counts shows a unit with only a few players grading above 70, which is a pretty thin margin for error when the games get tighter and the competition gets more explosive. The struggles in that four-game stretch in conference play exposed how quickly things can slip when the back end is under pressure.
Geimere Latimer has been one of the steadier pieces, piling up a heavy snap load and holding up well overall. But the broader picture still points to a defense that has had trouble finding enough reliable play at safety, and that has left the passing game vulnerable in ways West Virginia could not afford. The question now is not whether the Mountaineers have some individual pieces to build around, but whether the ceiling of the unit is lower than many hoped heading into the season. [Read more 🡒]
Zach Frazier Is Giving West Virginia Fans A New NFL Bragging Right
Zach Frazier is quickly turning his rookie season into a point of pride for West Virginia fans, and not just because he landed in Pittsburgh. The former Mountaineers center, who started 46 games in Morgantown before the Steelers took him 51st overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, stepped right into the starting job and has looked every bit like a long-term answer in the middle of the line.
His early rise has only sharpened the spotlight on what comes next. Pro Football Focus has graded Frazier as the top center in the NFL through seven weeks, and with head coach Mike McCarthy offering high praise, he is already in position to become one of the leagues more interesting young offensive linemen. The timing matters, too, because Frazier is eligible for a contract extension this offseason. [Read more 🡒]