WVU Basketball to Open Season Without Key Forward

Ross Hodge will be without a key player as WVU basketball opens the season next week.

Hodge told CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein that Troy transfer Jackson Fields will miss at least a few weeks due to a thumb injury.

Fields started 33 of 34 games played last season, averaging 7.9 points per game, the most out of his three seasons at Troy. He also had his best seasons in rebounds per game at 4.8.

Standing at 6-foot-8 and 210 pounds, Troy often played Fields in the low post. Sixty-six percent of his field goal attempts came from inside the three-point line last season.

On top of helping Troy win the Sun Belt Conference Championship with 10 points, he added seven points and seven rebounds against the Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Fields’ experience as a champion and a postseason contributor made him an attractive recruit for Hodge.

“Jackson brings with him NCAA Tournament and championship experience,” Hodge said in a release on April 15. “He is a versatile player who happens to be an incredible person. He also continues to improve which speaks to his character and work ethic.”

Find more coverage of Jackson Fields and the WVU men’s basketball team at WV Sports Now.