WVU’s Jalen Bridges Shows Promise, Inexperience in First Starts

West Virginia men’s basketball redshirt freshman Jalen Bridges waited a long time for his moment to finally arrive — longer certainly than most four-star recruits.

Bridges sat out all of last season then came off the bench in WVU’s first 10 games this season before the 6-foot-7 native of Fairmont, West Virginia made the first start of his college career last Saturday at Oklahoma.

“Leading up to the game I kind of had nerves, I was kind of overthinking it,” Bridges said after the game. “As soon as we arrived at the gym my teammates told me, ‘just play your game, be aggressive, there’s nothing to fear, you’re meant to be here’. I got my jitters out probably in the first 30 seconds.”

If Bridges did have any nerves while making his first start, they did not show on the court, especially early. Against the Sooners, Bridges was WVU’s most productive player in the first half as he led the team with 11 first-half points, including three made 3-pointers.

“Basically, as soon as I got out there and I hit that first one, it really just opened up everything for me,” Bridges said. “I wasn’t nervous at all, it was just like I’m playing in practice. That was a hard-fought game and that’s how every day in practice is.”

While the Mountaineers eventually did fall to the Sooners, 75-71, Bridges finished with 19 points, tied for the team-high. He also had three rebounds, an assist and a steal as well as five made threes.

The reason Bridges’ long-awaited moment had finally come was that WVU’s frontcourt had been devastated in the week leading up to the game. First, true freshman Isaiah Cottrell suffered a season-ending knee injury and then sophomore big man Oscar Tshiebwe stepped away from the program, apparently with the intention to transfer.

“I wish it could’ve been under better circumstances, but you always have to be ready to produce,” Bridges said. “As soon as I saw that first [shit] go in, it was just a green light from there.”

While Bridges’ promise was on display in his first start, his inexperience came out in the second. Against Oklahoma State on Monday, Bridges played 12 minutes, scoring just five points on 1 of 5 shooting.

The redshirt-freshman picked up three fouls in the first half, severely limiting his opportunities. After picking up a fourth foul with 11:15 left to play, WVU coach Bob Huggins subbed him out and Bridges did not see the floor again in the dramatic 87-84 victory.

With neither Cottrell nor Tshiebwe coming back this season, Bridges’ ability to play at one of the forward spots will be important to take some pressure off of star big man Derek Culver and the sometime foul-prone Gabe Osabuohien.

WVU’s next game will be at home against the No. 4 Texas Longhorns, where Bridges is expected to start yet again. Tipoff will come at 1 p.m. Saturday in the WVU Coliseum and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.