West Virginia

Newly Committed Jimmy Bell Jr. Brings Size and Toughness to West Virginia

Published

3 years ago

April 18, 2022

Newly Committed Jimmy Bell Jr. Brings Size and Toughness to West Virginia

As West Virginia will get one other huge man to decide to the basketball program, the shortage of huge males has seemingly modified during the last week. On Sunday night time, JUCO huge man Jimmy Bell Jr. dedicated to West Virginia.

Earlier than Mohamed Wague dedicated to the Mountaineers on Monday, WVU solely had one huge man in James Okonkwo standing at 6-foot-8 on the roster. Now the teaching workers has added two 6-foot-10 bigs in Wague (210 kilos) and Bell (280 kilos).

Bell comes from Moberly Space CC the place he posted 9.3 factors, 9.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per sport. The Michigan native involves Morgantown with two years of eligibility, so he has time to develop below Bob Huggins. Through the recruitment for Bell, Huggins informed the large man what he wants.

“Getting the ball on the block, [he] desires a man he can throw it right down to,” Bell Jr. informed WV Sports activities Now. “He’s very assured that I’m the man to do it.”

Throughout his solely season in JUCO play, Bell shot 59 p.c from the sector. Bell additionally performed two seasons at St. Louis, averaging 3.1 factors and a pair of.6 rebounds on 49 p.c capturing. Bell has confirmed that he can shoot properly from the sector. Final season, the Mountaineers struggled within the paint offensively and defensively. WVU completed 352nd within the nation in defensive rebounding and 328th in two-point makes an attempt. With the addition of Bell, his 59 p.c capturing from the sector and his 9.1 rebounds per sport can actually assist the void that wanted to be addressed through the offseason.

You can not deny the scale of Bell; 6-foot-10 and 280 kilos isn’t any joke. Bell will be capable to dimension up the Large 12 facilities and management the paint in opposition to these which are smaller than him. Final season, the staff relied on Isaiah Cottrell, who was coming off an Achilles damage, to play powerful down low. That didn’t appear to work as Cottrell spent a while gaining his confidence again in making contact with the opposite gamers.

Bell is motivated to carry again the toughness that West Virginia basketball is all about.

“I’m trying ahead to bringing bully ball, toughness, and profitable again to Motown,” Bell informed WV Sports activities Now. “I can’t wait to see and play in entrance of the entire followers. LET’S RIDE!!!”

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West Virginia

KenPom predicts how West Virginia will fare in Big 12 play

Published

2 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Press Room

KenPom predicts how West Virginia will fare in Big 12 play

West Virginia has closed out the non-conference portion of their schedule and is now onto Big 12 play.

KenPomery, an advanced statistical website for college basketball, uses efficiency to measure how good a team is. KenPom also predicts how the Mountaineers will do in Big 12 play and the percentage chance they give WVU to win each game.

Overall, KenPom projects West Virginia to go 9-11 in conference play, having them finish the regular season with an 18-13 record. They also give WVU at least a 40 percent chance to win 12 of their 20 games against Big 12 opponents.

December/January

The first month of conference play shapes up to be the hardest for the Mountaineers. Out of the 11 losses KenPom projects, five of them come in the first month of conference play. Two games against Houston, a trip to Kansas, and a home date against Iowa State make the first month of the year very challenging.

There are plenty of close games as KenPom gives WVU a 51 percent chance to beat Arizona at home, a 48 percent chance to beat Colorado on the road, and then a 54 percent chance to beat Kansas State on the road.

In WVU’s four projected wins, their average margin of victory is 4.3 points. In their five projected losses, the average margin of defeat is 6.6 points.

February

In February, West Virginia has eight games, and KenPom projects the Mountaineers going 4-4 during the month.

Their wins include home dates against Utah, BYU, Cincinnati, and TCU. All their projected losses that month come on the road.

The average margin of victory in the month is 4.8 points, while the average margin of defeat is 6.5 points. During February, West Virginia has a three-game stretch, which includes a road game against Baylor (ranked 18th by KenPom), a home date against Cincinnati (ranked 21st), and then a trip back to Texas to face Texas Tech (ranked 13th). This also all comes in a week, spanning from Feb. 15-22.

March

The month of March is a quick three-game stretch before the Big 12 Tournament begins. However, two of the games take place in the state of Utah, as WVU faces BYU and Utah, both on the road.

The Mountaineers are projected to lose both games, with an average margin of defeat of 3.5 points. Their win over UCF, they’re projected to win by eight points.

Overall

Out of WVU’s 10 home games, they are projected to go 8-2, with the losses coming to Iowa State (ranked fifth) and Houston (ranked fourth).

Out of WVU’s 10 away games, they are projected to go 1-9, with the lone win coming on the road against Kansas State (ranked 90th).

All Big 12 teams are ranked 104th or better, and out of the 16 teams, 14 are ranked inside the top 76. Nine teams are ranked inside the top 48, and WVU’s current ranking of 48th by KenPom is ranked ninth in the league.

The Big 12’s overall rating is +17.19, according to KenPom. That ranks third out of all conferences as the SEC (+20.10) is first, and the Big Ten (+17.39) is second.

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West Virginia

Transfer WR Henry in contact with West Virginia

Published

11 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Press Room

Transfer WR Henry in contact with West Virginia

Western Illinois wide receiver Matthew Henry has been in contact with West Virginia and is working on setting up an official visit to Morgantown.

Henry, 6-foot-1, 175-pounds, is coming off a season with the Leathernecks where he hauled in 64 passes for 1,211 yards and 6 touchdowns.

He previously spent two years at DII Livingston where he was productive with 66 catches for 840 yards over two seasons.

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West Virginia

2024 fall turkey harvest up 17% in West Virginia

Published

20 hours ago

December 27, 2024

Press Room

2024 fall turkey harvest up 17% in West Virginia

The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (WVDNR) announced that hunters harvested 17 percent more fall turkeys in 2024 compared to last year.

“West Virginia is truly a top destination for turkey hunting, and our thriving turkey populations are a testament to the success of sustainable wildlife management,” WVDNR Director Brett McMillion said. “These efforts ensure that hunters, whether seasoned or just starting out, can continue to enjoy abundant opportunities for years to come. We encourage everyone to experience the incredible hunting opportunities our state has to offer by purchasing a 2025 license and planning a trip in the new year.”

According to preliminary hunting data from the WVDNR’s electronic licensing and game checking system, fall turkey hunters harvested 1,130 birds in 2024 compared to 967 birds in 2023. The fall 2024 harvest was also 17 percent above the five-year average of 968 birds and similar to the 10-year average of 1,132 birds. Although fewer counties have a two-week season this year due to a lower spring harvest, the fall harvest was consistent with long-term averages.

Click here to download West Virginia’s 2025 fall turkey harvest numbers by county.

Fall turkey harvest numbers are influenced by hunter participation, but also depend on the current year’s brood production and mast conditions. This year’s brood survey results were 4.5 percent above last year’s and 5.1 percent above the five-year average, indicating that the 2024 harvest might be slightly above last year’s harvest.

Five out of six districts reported increased fall turkey harvest compared to last year. District 3 had the highest harvest with 289 birds, followed by District 1 with 191, District 4 with 180, District 2 with 169, District 5 with 160 and District 6 with 141.

Counties with the most harvests were Randolph County with 77, Nicholas with 66, Greenbrier with 57, Pocahontas with 53 and Mason with 41. All of these counties except Mason County had a four-week season.

All hunters 15 and older are required to have a valid West Virginia hunting license and valid form of identification while hunting, which can be purchased at license agents across the state or online at WVhunt.com.