What to Look For in WVU Basketball Gold-Blue Debut Scrimmage

Friday night marks the first time that the 2022-23 West Virginia men’s basketball team will play in-front of the public. The Mountaineers will open the coliseum doors for the Gold-Blue Debut starting at 7 p.m. Even though it is an inter squad scrimmage, there’s many questions about this new team that Bob Huggins and his staff have brought in over the offseason.

After retooling a whole new roster and a schedule that’s no joke, West Virginia has many questions to answer.

Where Will the Scoring Come from?

West Virginia will have a whole new offense this season as guard Kedrian Johnson is the only returning starter. Huggins and his staff brought in three transfers who have shown in the past that they can score in double figures.

Erik Stevenson / G / 11.6 PTS on 37% FG

Emmitt Matthews / F / 11.7 PTS on 43% FG

Tre Mitchell / F / 8.7 PTS on 48% FG

**all stats from 2021-22

Stevenson and Matthews proved at their respective schools last season that they can contribute scoring to a team. Matthews, who played at West Virginia first from 2018-21, worked on his shooting motion while at Washington with assistant Quincy Pondexter. Mitchell, a Texas transfer, averaged 17.7 points his freshman year at UMass, so he has proven as well that he can lead a team in scoring.

Outside of that trio, guards Joe Toussaint and Kedrian Johnson will need to step up offensively for WVU and knock down a few buckets a night.

Who Can be an X-Factor?

Big man Jimmy Bell and Toussaint are my x-factors for the 2022-23 season. Bell has worked his butt off in the gym, working up to four times a day and losing a great amount of weight. Huggins has praised Bell for being a force inside the paint. Toussaint comes to WVU from Iowa where he recorded a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio. The New York native should help bring the toughness back to West Virginia that was missing last season.

Layup / Rebounding Problems Fixed from Last Year?

Last season West Virginia was one of the worst paint shooting and rebounding teams in the country. The Mountaineers ranked 328th in two-point shot attempts and 312th in rebounding. WVU’s coaching staff went out and got Mitchell, Bell and Mohamed Wague to help fix that problem. Mitchell shot 48 percent at Texas while Bell shot 59 percent and Wague shot 65 percent in JUCO.