WVU Basketball Enters Jon Rothstein’s Preseason Top 45

College basketball analyst Jon Rothstein placed WVU at No. 34 in his preseason “Rothstein 45” rankings in an article Monday.

Rothstein has consistently been favorable toward this year’s WVU squad, calling WVU a “Big 12 sleeper,” earlier this summer.

The ranking comes in lieu of the announcement that forward Brenen Lorient will return to the team after Judge Charlotte Sweeney of the U.S. District Court of Colorado granted a preliminary injunction, giving high school Class of 2022 athletes a fifth year of eligibility.

The 6-foot-9 forward was an impact player for WVU last year, averaging 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. He also led the team in blocks last year with 45.

Earlier this offseason, 247 Sports ranked WVU No. 10 in its overall recruiting class rankings.

The rankings include all committed players, both transfers and freshman. WVU is also ranked No. 16 among transfer classes and No. 13 in high school recruiting.

In Hodge’s first year, West Virginia finished the season at 18-14 with a 9-10 Big 12 record, including 0-1 in the conference tournament. The Mountaineers finished with three straight wins, culminating in a College Basketball Crown Championship.

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