WVU Basketball Has New Challenge in Transfer Portal Recruiting

WVU basketball has done a great job this offseason in the transfer portal, with the recruiting databases ranking the Mountaineers at the top. West Virginia’s coaching staff now has a new challenge as they wrap up the transfer portal stage in the offseason.

It seems that the starting five for West Virginia is set. The challenge will be who can you find from the transfer portal to come off the bench. There’s always the opportunity to boost the bench and create more depth but where does WVU start?

WVSN’s Current Projected Rotation for WVU:

G: Kerr Kriisa, Joe Toussaint, Kobe Johnson

G: RaeQuan Battle, Omar Silverio, Seth Wilson

G/F: Jose Perez, Josiah Harris

F: Tre Mitchell, Patrick Suemnick

C: Jesse Edwards, Mohamed Wague, James Okonkwo

West Virginia has signed Manhattan transfer Omar Silverio as well as getting a return commitment from guard Joe Toussaint. The program now waits till the transfer portal entry deadline to see if anyone else departs from the team. The deadline to enter is Thursday, May 11. WVU has lost three players to the portal this offseason with Jimmy Bell, Jamel King and Josiah Davis.

WVU’s bench depth was exposed come conference play as the younger players couldn’t consistently play at their best. Toussaint was the most consistent player off the bench as a four-year senior. For the underclassmen, some showed signs of changing the game but couldn’t do it every night.

This is where it can get tricky. Where can WVU look in the portal to add to the depth? Most players in the transfer portal are looking for more playing time, whether that’s transferring up or down. There are players in the transfer portal that would gladly transfer to WVU and work their way up. The challenge will be for West Virginia’s staff to find those players.

West Virginia currently has one transfer visit scheduled for this upcoming week as RJ Sunahara enters Morgantown starting on Wednesday. Sunahara is transferring from Nova Southeastern (D-II) after helping lead the Sharks to an undefeated 36-0 season. Sunahara is also the reigning NABC D-II Player of the Year. The 6-foot-8 forward is the son of WVU volleyball head coach Reed Sunahara and the brother of former WVU football player, Rex.

Being a Player of the Year in Division-II, Sunahara has the talent to transfer all the way up to the Big 12. Sunahara is currently wrapping up a visit to Georgia and will visit Notre Dame on Monday and Tuesday.

Can Sunahara be that player that is the finishing touch to an impressive offseason by West Virginia?