Morgantown, West Virginia – Following the departure of Jalen Bridges and Isaiah Cottrell from the West Virginia Mountaineers, former WVU forward Emmitt Matthews, Jr., who transferred to Washington University last season, weighed in on the decisions by his two former teammates.
A West Virginia fan posted the following message on social media: “Just let me get this out one last time Mountaineer Nation. The fact that these five players (Miles “Deuce” McBride, Emmitt Matthews, Jr., Gabe Osabuohien, Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe) could have all possibly been playing together, let alone on the court at the same time leaves me at a loss. I don’t think anyone would of been able to beat them.”
In response, Matthews replied by saying,”Life is crazy, no doubt we would’ve done something special.”
Life is crazy, no doubt we would’ve done something special. https://t.co/C5aSXXU6Pe
— Emmitt Matthews Jr. (@THEDOOSKIE) March 20, 2022
Matthews also added, “That’s what the internet does. Everybody has their own reasons as to why they leave/stay. You guys just try to paint a picture of our lives without knowing how it’s actually going.”
That’s what the internet does, everybody has their own reasons as to why they leave/stay. You guys just try to paint a picture of our lives without knowing how it’s actually going lol
— Emmitt Matthews Jr. (@THEDOOSKIE) March 20, 2022
If all of the members of the former West Virginia basketball team would have remained on the team, the Mountaineers would have been an absolute powerhouse. Imagine the five aforementioned players in addition to Taz Sherman, Sean McNeil, Jalen Bridges and Isaiah Cottrell. This would have been a team that would have competed for a national championship.
What could have been!
Instead, the Mountaineers are left with Seth Wilson, James Okonkwo, Jamel King, Kobe Johnson, Kedrian Johnson and three true freshmen (Josiah Harris, Josiah Davis and Pat Suemnick).
Bob Huggins has a lot of work to do to get his roster back to the level that he had a few years ago. Replacing perhaps his most talented group of players ever in a changing world of collegiate sports will be nearly impossible for an old-school coach like Huggins.
