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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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West Virginia is losing Eduardo Andre to eligibility, and they don’t have much size left in their lineup or on their team.
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INSTITUTE, W.Va. — The Institute Fire Department has called a precautionary shelter-in-place for those living in close proximity to the Catalyst Refiners plant.
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According to Kanawha County Emergency Manager C.W. Sigman said there was an incident involving an acid-based material at around 9:30 .am. Wednesday.
According to Sigman, most of the material which was spilled was inside a building and it largely contained and the shelter-in-place is precautionary.
Emergency crews are on the scene treating multiple patents at the plant. The extent of injuries is not known.
A media briefing has been scheduled for 2 p.m.
CAMC/Vandalia confirmed they were preparing for patients as is WVU Medicine Thomas Hospital where they’ve activated their Incident Command Center.
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The plant is located between Institute and Nitro. The roadway is shut down on 1st Ave S in Institute from New Goff Mountain Rd to Kilowatt Rd.
The shelter-in-place is for a one-mile radius of the plant and includes the West Virginia State University campus.
The shelter-in-place put into effect for St. Albans was lifted at 10:30 a.m.
CHARLESTON, W.Va (WCHS) — The West Virginia PSC held a public comment hearing on Tuesday regarding West Virginia American Water taking over Lincoln Lincoln Public Service District.
Only one person spoke out sharing what they’d like to see done if West Virginia American Water acquires the Lincoln PSD.
“If the company wants to get to folks who really need water, they should be looking at areas where drilling well is nearly impossible, like mine, which is actually closer to the lines than some of the places they mention in their filing. My neighbors and I live closer to the main water lines than the proposed Sugar Tree Road extension or the one and a half miles out to the campground that they plan on serving,” a Lincoln PSD customer shared during the meeting.
Lincoln PSD issued a boil water advisory on January 26th, and it wasn’t lifted until March 31st, leaving some customers not able to use what was coming out of their faucets.
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Just last year, the Lincoln County Commission voted to move forward with the dissolution of the Lincoln PSD, but, in September, the district filed a petition to stop the sale to West Virginia American Water. Soon after in November, PSC staff submitted a request asking the applicants to give specific financial information.
West Virginia American Water issued the following statement at Tuesday’s meeting:
“West Virginia American Water has been working collaboratively with the Lincoln County Commission and the Lincoln County Public Service District Board regarding the possible acquisition of the Lincoln County Public Service District. The proposal would involve the purchase of the 2,532-customer system. We appreciate the opportunity for public input and look forward to continuing to work through the Public Service Commission’s review process.”
Lincoln PSD customers received a letter in the mail this week stating that the system violated drinking water monitoring requirements. The utility noted what was done to correct the situation and added that customers are not at risk.
Customers were also alerted Tuesday night of a boil water notice tonight due to a recent inspection concluding that the utility is not currently meeting the minimum disinfection requirements for surface water facilities.
One of the best quarterbacks in recent memory to come through West Virginia, Will Grier, is approaching his eighth year in the NFL, which is quite the accomplishment for a backup. According to multiple reports early Tuesday morning, Grier is headed home, signing a free agent deal with the Carolina Panthers.
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Grier was selected in the third round (100th overall) by the Panthers in 2019 and, at the time, was viewed as someone who could potentially be the future face of the franchise. That plan got messed up pretty early as Ron Rivera was fired during his rookie season, ultimately replaced by Matt Rhule. That offseason, the Panthers decided to cut ties with Cam Newton and bring in Teddy Bridgewater, giving Carolina a completely different direction at quarterback.
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Following his second season with the Panthers, Grier was let go and began bouncing around the league. He spent time with the Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and then back to the Cowboys in 2024 and 2025.
Although he has only played in two regular season games in his career, Grier is widely viewed as a tremendous veteran quarterback who can bring depth to a room and serve as an extra voice for the starter to lean on. In this case, he and former Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett will fill that role for Bryce Young.
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Where Grier ranks among WVU QBs in the NFL
Nov 23, 2018; Morgantown, WV, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Will Grier (7) celebrates during the second quarter against the Oklahoma Sooners at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images | Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Statistically, he’s not going to catch anyone unless he somehow gets thrown into a starting role at some point, but as far as longevity goes, he’s been able to stick around in the NFL longer than most former Mountaineer quarterbacks.
Geno Smith (still active) is entering his 14th year in the league, and Jeff Hostetler made it 13 years. Those are the only two WVU quarterbacks who played longer. Marc Bulger played eight years, so as long as he makes it through this season and plays in 2027, he’ll surpass him. The others? Charles Seabright (six years), Oliver Luck (four years), Pat White (one year), and Fred Wyant (one year).
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Grier will forever be remembered as one of the best to ever suit up for the Old Gold and Blue, tossing for 7,354 yards and 71 touchdowns in just two seasons in Dana Holgorsen’s offense. Following the 2018 season, he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, marking the highest finish for a Mountaineer since Steve Slaton in 2006.
