Morgantown, West Virginia – Junior Isaac McKneely, the 6’4 guard from Poca, West Virginia, is skyrocketing up the high school basketball recruit rankings. McKneely, a four star prospect, is currently the 50th ranked overall player and 9th ranked shooting guard in the 2022 class.
In a recent interview with StockRisers, McKneely was asked about the schools currently recruiting him and was specifically asked about West Virginia University. What was legendary head coach Bob Huggins’ pitch to him about why he should stay home and play for the Mountaineers?
McKneely was very open and honest, saying, “They’re telling me that nothing is like playing in front of your home state. They think I would be the hero in Morgantown. I’ve been in contact with the coaches for a while now. They think I would look good in the gold and blue.”
This, of course, is all very true. As shown in our cover photo of this article, McKneely looks outstanding in the old gold and blue, and he would instantly become a Coliseum crowd favorite. In addition, there simply isn’t anything better than playing in front of and for your home state, particularly in West Virginia.
While Isaac McKneely will go on to have an incredible college career wherever he chooses to go, he will simply not be appreciated more anywhere else than he will be at home at West Virginia. For an elite home state player to choose the Mountaineers over all of the major programs in the country – he currently has offers from Indiana, Virginia, NC State, Ohio State, Illinois, Louisville, Marshall, Maryland, Purdue, Penn State, Virginia Tech and Wake Forest and has recently heard from Duke and North Carolina – would make him not just another elite recruit at West Virginia University but an immediate hero, a legend, a player that a whole state would support and cheer on.
Make no mistake about it, it’s imperative for Bob Huggins to convince Isaac McKneely to stay home and come play for the West Virginia Mountaineers. Although Huggins doesn’t value keeping in-state talent in West Virginia like Neal Brown does, this is a player that Huggins just can’t miss on.
While other schools will provide him with an outstanding opportunity on the floor and in the classroom, no other school can offer perhaps the most important, valuable piece that Bob Huggins and staff can – staying home and trying to win a national championship for your home state. Even though every school in the country will be after him and promising him the world, they simply cannot offer more than what West Virginia University can.
