Could Osabuohien End up as One of the Mountaineer Greats?

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – It is known by now that WVU forward Gabe Osabuohien is one of the most valuable players on this year’s basketball team.

By just looking at his stats, you wouldn’t think he is.

In the first six games of the season, Osabuohien is averaging 4.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, 0.7 blocks and 1.6 charges drawn per game.

Gabe Osabuohien records his 10th charge drawn in the 2021-22 season.

His second of the night. #WVU

— Ethan Bock (@ethanbock_) November 27, 2021

But if you watch the games, you know how much impact Osabuohien has had since he joined the team back in the 2019-20 season. The Canadian native gives offenses nightmares throughout the game with his aggression and hustle. Big 12 players in the past have been asked who is the toughest player in the conference to score on. They said Osabuohien.

Could Osabuohien end up as one of the all-time greats when it’s all said and done?

“He could end up being remembered as a very valuable player,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. “‘Great’ is a stretch. He makes things happen.”

Osabuohien and Huggins both agreed that they wish he was at West Virginia since the start of his colligate career. The 6-foot-7 forward started at Arkansas, playing his freshman and sophomore seasons for Mike Anderson. Once Anderson left for St. John’s, Osabuohien entered the transfer portal.

An SEC coach told Huggins that Osabuohien is his type of player. Boy, was that SEC coach right.

“I’ve tried to have somebody like that, it’s hard to find guys like that,” Huggins said. “He doesn’t care about scoring really. He changes the game.”

Osabuohien doesn’t impact the game on the box score, he impacts the game in the win column. That’s all Osabuohien wants to do.

Win.

(Top Photo: Dale Sparks)