Morgantown, West Virginia – The West Virginia Mountaineers already have one of the top transfer classes in college basketball, having landed Jose Perez, Omar Silverio and Jesse Edwarsds, but Bob Huggins and his staff are far from done.
The Mountaineers had Iowa State transfer Caleb Grill in for a visit and Pitt transfer John Hugley was scheduled to visit before canceling, but the team struck out on both of those players. Earlier today, Grill committed to Missouri and Hugley chose to continue his collegiate career at Oklahoma.
With that said, West Virginia will start from scratch and once again scour the transfer portal for the best available talent to round out their roster. Here are the players that the Mountaineers’ coaching staff should focus their attention on:
Jaylon Tyson | G | Texas Tech
Class: Sophomore (two years of eligibility)
HT/WT: 6’6, 210
Hometown: Plano, Texas
Stats: Averaged 10.7 points, 6.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals and 1.3 assists, 58.3% FG, 40.2% 3PT
Outlook: Tyson, a 6’7 wing, is a experienced Big 12 player who would fit perfectly with West Virginia’s current roster. CBS Sports ranked him as the 9th best overall player in the transfer portal. Kerr Kriisa was ranked 7th and Jesse Edwards was 8th.
CBS Sports had the following to say about Tyson: “Tyson is the epitome of an all-around player and one of the most underrated two-way wings in the sport, shooting 53.8% from the field and 40.2% from three point range. He also ranked as Texas Tech’s best defender, according to evanmiya.com, while collecting 1.4 steals per contest. The former Top 40 prospect began his career at Texas but played sparingly before showing this past season why he was so highly regarded as a prospect.”
Although it’s unclear if Tyson and West Virginia have been in touch or not, Tyson and Jay Kuntz, West Virginia’s Director of Recruiting, recently followed each other on social media, which is typically a sure sign that there’s mutual interest.
Avery Anderson | G | Oklahoma State
Class: Senior (1 year of eligibility)
HT/WT: 6’3, 210
Hometown: Justin, Texas
Stats: 11.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists per game, 39.0% FG, 18% 3PT
Outlook: Avery Anderson is one of the most experienced, talented players available in the transfer portal and he has a ton of experience playing in the Big 12.
In an interview with 247 Sports’ Brandon Jenkins, Anderson said the following about potentially visiting West Virginia: “It’s funny that they have called because they feel I have always played well against them. They say that their gym is a home gym for me. It is a good opportunity because I would be playing for a Hall of Fame coach. They have an NBA staff and I would get better over there.”
Two seasons ago, in both team’s season finale, Anderson went off at the Coliseum, scoring a career-high 31 points on 11-14 from the field, 1-2 from three point range and 8-10 from the foul line.
If West Virginia can get him on campus for a visit, the Mountaineers have a real chance to land him.
David Jones | F | St. John’s
Class: Junior (2 years of eligibility)
HT/WT: 6’6, 210
Hometown: Scott Depot, WV
Stats: 13.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists per game, 39.0% FG, 29.4% 3PT
Outlook: Jones played high school basketball at Teays Valley Christian School in Scott Depot, West Virginia, so he has ties to the state, and he has been very successful at a high level. He’s currently the 50th best player in the transfer portal, according to On3.com and would fill a big hole left by Emmitt Matthews, Jr.
