West Virginia

What players could return for West Virginia next season?

Published

11 months ago

March 22, 2025

What players could return for West Virginia next season?

West Virginia is likely to face major roster turnover once again, as Darian DeVries left for Indiana and two from this year’s team have already entered the transfer portal.

The Mountaineers will also lose five seniors to eligibility, making only three scholarship players who saw the court this season as well as two others who redshirted.

Sencire Harris

Sencire Harris is one of the mainstays from this year’s team, starting all 32 games for the Mountaineers.

Harris, known for his tenacity on defense, was able to be the leading force behind WVU’s defense this year. Harris was named to the All-Big 12 Defensive Team, while he played 27 minutes per game, averaging 5.9 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Harris’ athleticism and upside make him a quality candidate to return next season. Also, his experience in the Big 12 and being able to continue to develop offensively provides a lot of upside for a new coach. Harris has two years of eligibility remaining.

Amani Hansberry

Amani Hansberry is another key part of this past season’s team, starting 24 games and playing in 31. Hansberry played the five position but has the ability to play the four due to his athleticism and ability to stretch the floor.

Hansberry averaged 9.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game this year, shooting 42.9 percent from the field. Hansberry scored more than 15 points nine times this season and also had four double-doubles.

Hansberry also has multiple years of eligibility remaining making him a useful target to keep around, as he was a sophomore this past season.

KJ Tenner

It’s not often there is a true freshman guard who has real experience in the Big 12, but that’s exactly what KJ Tenner brings to the table.

Tenner was thrust into the lineup at different points throughout the season in what was an up-and-down first season with the Mountaineers. Tenner averaged 2.4 points per game this year, but the talent is certainly there.

Tenner was named Mr. Basketball in Class 4A in the state of Tennessee prior to coming to WVU, and he showed his ability to be viable on both ends of the floor at times this season. Tenner also has three years of eligibility remaining.

Harris Elezovic

Harris Elezovic was supposed to be out of eligibility, but due to the recent NJCAAA ruling allowing extra eligibility. Elezovic was in his first year at WVU, and was used mostly to help with depth at the five position.

He played in 13 games, playing more than seven minutes just once. He’s probably not a guy hoping to be relied upon to produce, but depth is not a bad thing, especially for a team that has limited size on the roster.

Ofri Naveh

Ofri Naveh is in an interesting spot because he played one season for WVU, before redshirting this past season.

In 2023-2024, Naveh averaged 14 minutes per game, scoring 2.6 points per game and grabbing 2.5 rebounds per game. Naveh is originally from Israel and came to WVU when the Mountaineers had lots of roster openings prior to that season.

Abraham Oyeadier

Abraham Oyeadier is another redshirt player from this past season, originally from Ghana. He averaged 10.7 points, 11.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game at AOSS Academy in California prior to coming to WVU.

West Virginia is losing Eduardo Andre to eligibility, and they don’t have much size left in their lineup or on their team.

———-

• Talk about it with West Virginia fans on The Blue Lot.

• SUBSCRIBE today to stay up on the latest on Mountaineer sports and recruiting.

• Get all of our WVU videos on YouTube by subscribing to the WVSports.com Channel

• Follow us on Twitter: @WVSportsDotCom, @rivalskeenan, @wesleyshoe

•Like us on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok

Source link

West Virginia

Delegate Larry Kump, master of various catch phrases, has died – WV MetroNews

Published

5 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Delegate Larry Kump of Berkeley County has died, state officials announced. Kump was 78 years old.

Larry Kump

Kump, a Republican, served in the House from 2010 to 2014, again from 2018 to 2020 and finally 2022 to the present. He had announced plans to run again in the coming electoral cycle.

“As a battle-tested and liberty minded Christian and Constitutional Conservative, my consecrated action principles of good governance remains solid and steadfast,” he wrote to supporters in January.

He had been serving in the ongoing legislative session, but had been absent in recent weeks.

The daily prayer in the House of Delegates this past Wednesday included an expression of concern for Kump: “A special prayer for Delegate Larry Kump. Lord, you know where he is in the hospital now, and I pray right now that you would send your angels there to touch him, to be with him.”

Gov. Patrick Morrisey announced Kump’s death on social media, calling Kump “a devoted public servant who dedicated many years of his life to improving West Virginia.

“Delegate Kump served with a deep commitment to the principles he believed would strengthen our communities and protect our freedoms.

“On behalf of the First Lady and myself, we extend our condolences to Larry’s family, friends, former colleagues, and all those who had the privilege of knowing and serving alongside him. His legacy of service and his love for our state will never be forgotten.”

Secretary of State Kris Warner also posted condolences to Kump’s family. “Larry was a conservative Christian and a true Mountaineer! He will be sadly missed by his friends and colleagues,” Warner posted.

The West Virginia Democratic Party also put out a statement to offer condolences, saying Kump’s work reflected a lifelong commitment to accountability, public policy, and the effective administration of government.

“Delegate Larry Kump devoted his life to his family, his community, and to his state. He brought experience, independence and thoughtfulness to his role, and he never lost sight of the people he served,” said Mike Pushkin, the Democratic Party chairman who is also a delegate from Kanawha County.

Kump was known for his turns of phrase, for example kicking off his comments on the House floor with “Great googly moogly” for emphasis. He often described his adoration for his “beloved and bodacious wife Cheryl.”

He regularly concluded interactions and written communications this way: “Meanwhile, and for sure and for certain, may God bless you all real good!”

Source link

West Virginia

Vape Safety Act of 2026 passes W.Va. House, tightening oversight and licensing for shops

Published

17 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Vape Safety Act of 2026 passes W.Va. House, tightening oversight and licensing for shops

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — The Vape Safety Act of 2026 passed in the West Virginia House of Delegates on Friday, aiming to crack down on what lead sponsor of the bill Del. David McCormick, R-Monongalia, said are the bad actors in the vape shop world.

“They’re very lightly regulated,” McCormick said. “Here’s something that is becoming a blight on our landscape out here in our neighborhoods and towns. They’re all over the state and they need some oversight.”

McCormick said the bill will also strengthen licensing as to who can run the shops.

A key part of the legislation that passed the House by a vote of 88-5 is an FDA registry, requiring all the products sold in the shops to be approved at the federal level.

“Make sure that something doesn’t have 30 times the nicotine in it that it’s supposed to, which has happened, and get a 12-year-old kid addicted to nicotine,” McCormick. “That’s buying something that looks like Pokémon.”

Cracking down on the marketing strategies vape shops use is also included in the bill. It has gained support from both sides of the aisle.

“You walk into them and they have you know it looks fun and all the flavors and all the things,” Del. Hollis Lewis, D-Kanawha said. “So when teens go in there, it’s geared towards teens. So I think some regulation is important.”

Other provisions include vape shops not being allowed within 300 feet of schools, libraries or churches.

“I would deem these things almost attractive nuisance for kids and teenagers,” Lewis said. “What we want to do in this piece of legislation, we want to ultimately, above anything else, is protect our children and to get rid of bad actors to make sure that we know what’s being sold in the shop and we know who’s selling it.”

Source link

West Virginia

BYU Cougars at West Virginia Mountaineers odds, picks and predictions

Published

1 day ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

BYU Cougars at West Virginia Mountaineers odds, picks and predictions

The No. 23 BYU Cougars (20-8, 8-7 Big 12) visit the West Virginia Mountaineers (16-12, 7-8) Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. ET (FOX) tip from WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s NCAA basketball odds around the BYU vs. West Virginia odds and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions for the best bets.

BYU has dropped 2 of its last 3 games after falling 97-84 against UCF on Tuesday, failing to cover as a 13.5-point home favorite with the Over (162.5) hitting. F AJ Dybantsa led all scorers with 29 points and G Robert Wright III added 20 as only 3 Cougars players scored in double figures in the upset loss.

West Virginia has dropped 3 games in a row after falling 91-84 in overtime against Oklahoma State on Tuesday, failing to cover as a 1.5-point road underdog with the Over (143.5) hitting. G Honor Huff scored a game-high 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting from 3, while the Mountaineers overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to force OT before running out of gas.

– Rankings: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

Watch NCAA basketball on Fubo!

BYU at West Virginia odds

Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated 10:20 a.m. ET.

Moneyline (ML): BYU -135 (bet $135 to win $100) | West Virginia +110 (bet $100 to win $110)
Against the spread (ATS): BYU -1.5 (-115) | West Virginia +1.5 (-105)
Over/Under (O/U): 142.5 (O: -110 | U: -110)

BYU at West Virginia picks and predictions

Prediction

BYU 81, West Virginia 74

PASS.

There is better value on the Cougars to cover the spread.

BET BYU -1.5 (-115).

A win all but guarantees a cover for the Cougars in this matchup with such a slim spread. They have covered in 2 of their last 3 and 3 of their last 5, including back-to-back road games.

Neither side has played particularly well recently, with both teams being 4-6 straight up (SU) and 3-7 ATS over their last 10 games. This matchup will give Dybantsa, the nation’s leading scorer (25.1 points per game) who earned USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week honors last week, an opportunity to take over the game.

BET OVER 142.5 (-110).

The Mountaineers have scored at least 74 points in 2 of their last 4 games while allowing 67 or more in 3 of their last 5.

The Cougars have hit the Over in 7 of their last 10 games. They have scored 79 or more points in 4 of their last 5, including 90 or more twice in that span. They have scored 82 or more points in 7 of their last 10 and have allowed at least 86 in 6 of their last 9.

For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW.

Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

College sports coverage from USA TODAY Sports Media Group:

Alabama / Auburn / Clemson / Colorado / Duke / Florida / Florida State / Georgia / Iowa / Kentucky / LSU / Michigan / Michigan State / Nebraska / North Carolina / Notre Dame / Ohio State / Oklahoma / Oregon / Penn State / Tennessee / Texas / Texas A&M / UCLA / USC / Washington / Wisconsin / College Sports Wire / High School / Recruiting

Source link