West Virginia’s frontcourt picture has changed fast, and one of the biggest reasons is Amadou Seini.
The Mountaineers spent Ross Hodges’ first season dealing with size concerns, but that issue looks a lot different now after the work they put in on the recruiting trail and in the transfer portal this summer. Seini, a later addition who spent much of the year flying under the radar, became a priority once WVU’s staff kept close tabs on him through its Bella Vista Prep connections.
That familiarity paid off when Seini delivered on the biggest stage. In the Chipotle Nationals Championship game against Montverde Academy, he put up 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked two shots. The game before that, in the semifinals, he posted 15 points and 18 rebounds in a double-double that turned heads.
Creighton made a late push, but West Virginia had a real edge in this recruitment through Miles Sadler, Aliou Dioum and Seini’s relationship with WVU assistant Yusuf Ali.
Sadler talked this week on MetroNews’ Sportsline about what makes Seini such a unique presence.
“He’s really made in a lab. I don’t understand how someone at that size can move the way that he does and run the way that he does.
He really just doesn’t get tired. I knew it for about a year now, so I’m glad that you guys are now getting to see it.
I’m sure it will be on display all year.”
The center spot is still Mouhamed Sylla’s to lose. The Georgia Tech transfer is locked into the starting job even though he has only 16 games under his belt, and his high school pedigree plus the promise he showed before a season-ending injury point to a player who can anchor the position for a long time.
After Sylla, the Mountaineers are leaning on two freshmen who split time in the front court at Bella Vista Prep: Seini and Dioum. Dioum brings a different look, more of a wiry, bouncy, Energizer bunny type who can stretch the floor and knock down shots from deep. Seini, though, is the more physically ready of the two right now.
He still has plenty of development ahead of him, but his size and strength give him a chance to impact the paint sooner. For West Virginia, the encouraging part is simple: he runs the floor well and, as Sadler put it, “doesn’t get tired.” That is a far cry from a big man who labors up and down the court, and it should make him a fit for the way the Mountaineers want to play.
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