After an abysmal Big 12 performance last season, West Virginia’s coaching staff needed to recruit well through the transfer portal to be competitive for next season. They did just that.

As of May 5, WVU ranks 12th nationally in EvanMiya.comit is transfer portal add rankings. The Mountaineers rank second in the Big 12, just behind Texas Tech which is coming off a great week in the portal.

“We are looking for guys who can score. We want to be able to score the ball,” WVU head coach Bob Huggins said. WV MetroNews back in april. “Historically, West Virginia basketball has been about teams that can score the ball. We definitely broke that tradition a year ago. We need guys that can score.

West Virginia signed three players through the transfer portal in Erik Stevenson (USC), Joe Toussaint (Iowa) and Emmitt Matthews Jr. (UW). Both Stevenson and Matthews are averaging double digits in points, while Toussaint is averaging 4.3 points off the bench for Iowa.

The coaching staff has adjusted from last offseason to this offseason. They wanted guys who know what it’s like to play at the Power-5 level. Each player brings a different skill to West Virginia. Stevenson gives the team the score, Toussaint brings the defense and doesn’t run the ball much, and Matthews brings leadership and familiarity back to WVU.

by EvanMiya.com Evan Miyakawa classifies Toussaint as a 5-star transfer, while Stevenson and Matthews are 4-star transfers.

West Virginia has filled all of its spots on the roster for the 2022-23 season. Huggins let it be known that they weren’t against the idea of ​​adding another transfer from the portal. WV Sports Now will keep up to date with the latest news from the recruitment and transfer portal during the offseason.