Slazinski Should Start Good News for WVU Basketball

WVU interim head coach Josh Eilert received his second commitment in the last two weeks from the transfer portal on Thursday afternoon with Iona/St. John’s forward Quinn Slazinski. Slazinski’s commitment should begin the good news that’s to come for West Virginia in the coming days and weeks.

Let’s first take a look at what West Virginia is getting in Slazinski. Slazinski is a 6-foot-9 forward that can handle the ball and create movement out on the perimeter. Slazinski isn’t the most reliable from three but can spread the floor out. Expect Slazinski to give West Virginia veteran minutes at the forward position. As of right now, Slazinski has one year of eligibility but could receive two years if a medical redshirt clears after just playing seven games last season.

West Virginia now has 10 players with three spots to fill. WVU’s coaching staff is gaining momentum with 2023 Israeli forward Ofri Naveh. Naveh is currently in the championship round with his team and will complete his recruitment afterward. West Virginia and Naveh completed a Zoom call last weekend and there’s serious consideration there.

Naveh (6-foot-7) averaged 8.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.5 steals in four games during the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Naveh most recently played for Maccabi Playtika Tel Aviv’s U18 team in the spring. During his recruitment, Naveh has heard from Butler, Marquette, Overtime Elite, Wake Forest and others.

West Virginia has contacted various transfer portal recruits that have snuck through the cracks. There are still Power-5 level players in the transfer portal that can make an impact and are still ones that will enter this summer. WVU’s coaching staff is also still recruiting Jose Perez to exit the portal and return to Morgantown. Gonzaga and Michigan have emerged as the top candidates two weeks into his recruitment. Perez is scheduled to visit Ann Arbor next week.

It may have seemed like the basketball program would struggle to find pieces this late into the offseason but the coaching staff has shown that there are many ways to recruit the game in 2023. Slazinski joins Florida State transfer Jeremiah Bembry to commit under Eilert’s tenure and won’t be the last this offseason.