Ross Hodge Evaluates Miles Sadler’s WVU Basketball Debut

Freshman guard Miles Sadler officially made his regular season debut for WVU in the Mountaineers’ 91-46 win over Niagara Monday.

Sadler finished with 16 points, nine assists and three steals. While head coach Ross H0dge saw the good in Sadler’s first outing, he also saw areas to improve.

“He played good his first real college game, but he can play a lot better and he knows that. And there were just the small little detail plays that I’m sure he would want back,” Hodge said in his postgame press conference.

“But again, his humility and his willingness to open himself up to being coached and wanting that, that’s why his ceiling is, you know, what it is. But the thing you really appreciate about him is his competitive spirit. He’s not afraid in those moments.”

Sadler’s nine assists were the most eye-popping stat of the night, as he maintained full control of the offense with his minutes. Hodge commended his ability to create plays with the ball in his hands, which can open opportunities for others.

“He’s a gifted passer. You know, he’s a willing passer. His ability to get in tight spaces collapses a defense naturally… And then you combine that with his speed and he doesn’t need an action or even a ball screen necessarily to get by people,” Hodge said.

“So that’s a luxury when you don’t have to do something for him to be able to get by. Where he’ll continue to grow is when he gets deep. You know, he either needs to kind of keep his dribble alive or come to stops because you can get swallowed up a little bit.

Hodge told Sadler before he even committed to WVU that he needed to expand his range as a three-point shooter. While he went just 1-6 from three on the night, Hodge is confident in Sadler’s ability to shoot, which can create dilemmas for defenses.

“He can shoot the ball at range. He continued to get better at it. And yeah, it just makes it where, as a defense, you have to decide, are we going to live with this? Are we going to try to put two on him and make him get the ball out of his hands early? … He’ll continue to get better and continue to work. And that’s what I love about him,” Hodge said.

WVU will play again on Friday night when it hosts Stetson at 7 p.m. ET at Hope Coliseum.

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