Zachary Lyon:
Future150 Regional Analyst. Covering high and middle school basketball: NC, SC & VA
Morgantown, WV (Future150) -- The Big Dance is finally here and while everyone would like to cut down the nets, there can only be one champion. That being said, there is always the chance that the next season could be better than the last. With that in mind, Future150 would like to introduce "The Next Step", a segment dedicated to breaking down each program's recruiting class as they bow out of the tournament; because there's always next season.
West Virginia was another victim of an early upset during day two of the NCAA Tournament. After saying good bye to major contributor Jaysean Paige, what's the next step for the Mountaineers?
Bob Huggins has a strong four man recruiting class heading to Morgantown consisting of Chase Harler, Brandon Knapper, Maciej Bender, and Sagaba Konate.
The strongest point of this recruiting class may be the frontcourt with Bender being a versatile four-man that can score at all three levels and is a decent interior defender. On the other hand, Konate is a bit undersized for the center position at 6'8 but makes up for it with strength weighing in at around 250 pounds. Konate is a very strong finisher around the rim, and cleans the glass on both ends of the floor.
In the backcourt you get two lead guards with Harler and Knapper who are both capable of running a team and getting the opposing backcourt in foul trouble with their abilities of penetrating the lane and drawing contact.
Even though West Virginia got bounced early this March, they should have a chance to make some major noise next season in both the Big 12 and the NCAA Tournament.
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