2023–24 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team

2023–24 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball
ConferenceBig 12 Conference
Record9–23 (4–14 Big 12)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaWVU Coliseum
Seasons
2023–24 Big 12 men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3т Houston 15 – 3   .833 32 – 5   .865
No. 8 Iowa State † 13 – 5   .722 29 – 8   .784
No. 16 Baylor 11 – 7   .611 24 – 11   .686
Texas Tech 11 – 7   .611 23 – 11   .676
BYU 10 – 8   .556 23 – 11   .676
No. 19 Kansas 10 – 8   .556 23 – 11   .676
Texas 9 – 9   .500 21 – 13   .618
TCU 9 – 9   .500 21 – 13   .618
Oklahoma 8 – 10   .444 20 – 12   .625
Kansas State 8 – 10   .444 19 – 15   .559
Cincinnati 7 – 11   .389 22 – 15   .595
UCF 7 – 11   .389 17 – 16   .515
Oklahoma State 4 – 14   .222 12 – 20   .375
West Virginia 4 – 14   .222 9 – 23   .281
† 2024 Big 12 tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2023–24 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team represented West Virginia University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Mountaineers were coached by interim head coach Josh Eilert, and played their home games at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, West Virginia as members of the Big 12 Conference. Following the dismissal of longtime head coach Bob Huggins in the offseason, the Mountaineers finished the season with a 9–23 record (4–14 in Big 12 play), their worst record since the 2001–02 season.

Previous season

The Mountaineers finished the 2022–23 season 19–15, 7–11 in Big 12 Play to finish in eighth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tournament to Kansas. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 9 seed in the South region, where they were defeated by Maryland in the First Round.

Offseason

Coaching change

On June 16, 2023, head coach Bob Huggins was arrested in Pittsburgh and charged with driving while under the influence of alcohol.[1] Police officers reported that they found him in an SUV that was blocking traffic, with the driver's door ajar and with a "flat and shredded tire". Bags of empty beer containers were found in the vehicle. A breath test determined his blood alcohol content to be 0.21%, more than two times the legal limit of 0.08%. Officers asked Huggins what city he was in, and did not get a clear response, with Huggins making mention of Columbus, Ohio a few times.[2] The next day, Huggins released a statement announcing his resignation from West Virginia. In the statement, he also announced his retirement.[3]

On June 24, 2023, assistant coach Josh Eilert was promoted to interim head coach after Huggins resigned.[4][5][6]

Departures

Name Pos. Number Height Weight Previous School Hometown Reason for Leaving
Kedrian Johnson 0 G 6'3" 185 GS Senior Dallas, TX Graduated
Emmitt Matthews Jr. 1 F 6'7" 215 GS Senior Tacoma, WA Graduated
Tre Mitchell 3 C 6'9" 225 Senior Pittsburgh, PA Graduate transferred to Kentucky
Jamel King 4 F 6'7" 190 Sophomore Uniontown, AL Transferred to Kennesaw State
Joe Toussaint 5 G 6'0" 190 Senior Bronx, NY Graduate transferred to Texas Tech
Erik Stevenson 10 G 6'4" 205 GS Senior Lacey, WA Graduated
Mohamed Wague 11 F 6'10" 225 Sophomore Bronx, NY Transferred to Alabama
Josiah Davis 12 G 6'3" 190 Freshman Kitchener, ON Transferred to Tennessee Tech
Jimmy Bell Jr. 15 F 6'10" 295 Senior Saginaw, MI Graduate transferred to Mississippi State
James Oknokwo 32 F 6'8" 230 Sophomore Maidenhead, England Transferred to North Carolina

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Noah Farrakhan 1 G 6'2" 162 Junior Hillside, NJ Eastern Michigan
Kerr Kriisa 3 G 6'3" 190 Senior Tartu, Estonia Arizona
Jeremiah Bembry 5 F 6'6" 185 RS Freshman Brooklyn, NY Florida State
Jesse Edwards 7 C 6'11" 230 GS Senior Amsterdam, Netherlands Syracuse
Quinn Slazinski 11 F 6'9" 215 GS Senior Houston, TX Iona
Akok Akok 13 F 6'9" 205 GS Senior Manchester, NH Georgetown
RaeQuan Battle 21 G 6'5" 190 Senior Tulalip, WA Montana State

Recruiting classes

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Ofri Naveh
PF 		Israel N/A 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jul 28, 2023 
Star ratings: Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2023–24 West Virginia Mountaineers men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Noah Farrakhan 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Jr Eastern Michigan Hillside, NJ
G 2 Kobe Johnson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Canton HS Canton, OH
G 3 Kerr Kriisa 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Arizona Tartu, Estonia
F 5 Jeremiah Bembry 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Fr Florida State Brooklyn, NY
C 7 Jesse Edwards 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS Syracuse Amsterdam, Netherlands
F 9 Ofri Naveh 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr   Neot Golan, Israel
F 11 Quinn Slazinski 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS Iona Houston, TX
F 13 Akok Akok 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) GS Georgetown Manchester, NH
G 14 Seth Wilson 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Lorain HS Lorain, OH
G 21 RaeQuan Battle 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Montana State Tulalip, WA
F 22 Josiah Harris 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) So Richmond Heights HS Canton, OH
F 24 Patrick Suemnick 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Triton College Green Bay, WI
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 27, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		George Mason
Charity Exhibition 		W 85–78  –
  21 – Tied   9 – Harris   3 – Tied  WVU Coliseum (9,437)
Morgantown, WV
Non-conference regular season
November 6, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Missouri State W 67–59  1–0
  18 – Slazinski   13 – Edwards   4 – Johnson  WVU Coliseum (9,691)
Morgantown, WV
November 10, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Monmouth L 65–73  1–1
  16 – Edwards   13 – Edwards   4 – Slazinski  WVU Coliseum (10,473)
Morgantown, WV
November 14, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Jacksonville State W 70–57  2–1
  19 – Tied   7 – Slazinski   5 – Johnson  WVU Coliseum (9,218)
Morgantown, WV
November 20, 2023*
6:00 p.m., FS1 		vs. SMU
Fort Myers Tip-Off semifinals 		L 58–70  2–2
  18 – Edwards   9 – Edwards   4 – Wilson  Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500)
Fort Myers, FL
November 22, 2023*
6:00 p.m., FS1 		vs. No. 24 Virginia
Fort Myers Tip-Off consolation 		L 54–56  2–3
  17 – Tied   9 – Edwards   6 – Johnson  Suncoast Credit Union Arena (3,500)
Fort Myers, FL
November 26, 2023*
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Bellarmine W 62–58  3–3
  17 – Edwards   14 – Edwards   3 – Slazinski  WVU Coliseum (9,181)
Morgantown, WV
December 1, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		St. John's
Big East–Big 12 Battle 		L 73–79  3–4
  19 – Slazinski   8 – Harris   3 – Naveh  WVU Coliseum (10,781)
Morgantown, WV
December 6, 2023*
9:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Pittsburgh
Backyard Brawl 		L 63–80  3–5
  22 – Slazinski   9 – Edwards   4 – Johnson  WVU Coliseum (12,301)
Morgantown, WV
December 9, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Drexel W 66–60  4–5
  16 – Edwards   6 – Slazinski   6 – Johnson  WVU Coliseum (9,414)
Morgantown, WV
December 16, 2023*
6:30 p.m., ESPNU 		vs. UMass
Basketball Hall of Fame Classic 		L 79–87  4–6
  20 – Tied   6 – Harris   7 – Kriisa  MassMutual Center (4,264)
Springfield, MA
December 20, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Radford L 65–66  4–7
  29 – Battle   7 – Tied   6 – Kriisa  WVU Coliseum (9,019)
Morgantown, WV
December 23, 2023*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Toledo W 91–81  5–7
  29 – Battle   12 – Akok   10 – Kriisa  WVU Coliseum (10,693)
Morgantown, WV
December 30, 2023*
7:00 p.m., FOX 		vs. Ohio State
Legends of Basketball Showcase 		L 75–78 OT 5–8
  24 – Battle   10 – Battle   4 – Kriisa  Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (12,211)
Cleveland, OH
Big 12 regular season
January 6, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 3 Houston L 55–89  5–9
(0–1) 		 12 – Suemnick   6 – Harris   3 – Harris  Fertitta Center (7,387)
Houston, TX
January 9, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Kansas State L 67–81  5–10
(0–2) 		 21 – Battle   4 – Suemnick   5 – Kriisa  WVU Coliseum (10,063)
Morgantown, WV
January 13, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 25 Texas W 76–73  6–10
(1–2) 		 16 – Suemnick   7 – Farrakhan   3 – Johnson  WVU Coliseum (11,565)
Morgantown, WV
January 17, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at No. 15 Oklahoma L 63–77  6–11
(1–3) 		 14 – Farrakhan   7 – Suemnick   4 – Kriisa  Lloyd Noble Center (6,835)
Norman, OK
January 20, 2024
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 3 Kansas W 91–85  7–11
(2–3) 		 23 – Battle   9 – Battle   6 – Farrakhan  WVU Coliseum (11,565)
Morgantown, WV
January 23, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at UCF L 59–72  7–12
(2–4) 		 15 – Harris   8 – Harris   5 – Kriisa  Addition Financial Arena (8,882)
Orlando, FL
January 27, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Oklahoma State L 66–70  7–13
(2–5) 		 21 – Kriisa   7 – Farrakhan   5 – Johnson  Gallagher-Iba Arena (6,889)
Stillwater, OK
January 31, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Cincinnati
rivalry 		W 69–65  8–13
(3–5) 		 25 – Edwards   10 – Edwards   7 – Kriisa  WVU Coliseum (10,349)
Morgantown, WV
February 3, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 22 BYU L 73–86  8–14
(3–6) 		 23 – Kriisa   7 – Edwards   4 – Kriisa  WVU Coliseum (11,753)
Morgantown, WV
February 10, 2024
3:00 p.m., LHN 		at Texas L 58–94  8–15
(3–7) 		 17 – Edwards   9 – Edwards   4 – Kriisa  Moody Center (10,073)
Austin, TX
February 12, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at TCU L 65–81  8–16
(3–8) 		 21 – Battle   5 – Tied   5 – Slazinski  Schollmaier Arena (5,694)
Fort Worth, TX
February 17, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		No. 12 Baylor L 81–94  8–17
(3–9) 		 25 – Battle   9 – Edwards   6 – Kriisa  WVU Coliseum (12,558)
Morgantown, WV
February 20, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		UCF W 77–67  9–17
(4–9) 		 24 – Battle   10 – Edwards   7 – Kriisa  WVU Coliseum (9,569)
Morgantown, WV
February 24, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at No. 6 Iowa State L 64–71  9–18
(4–10) 		 12 – Tied   8 – Edwards   3 – Tied  Hilton Coliseum (14,267)
Ames, IA
February 26, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN2 		at Kansas State L 90–94 OT 9–19
(4–11) 		 28 – Battle   7 – Edwards   6 – Kriisa  Bramlage Coliseum (8,813)
Manhattan, KS
March 2, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Texas Tech L 70–81  9–20
(4–12) 		 18 – Edwards   8 – Edwards   4 – Kriisa  WVU Coliseum (11,313)
Morgantown, WV
March 6, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		TCU L 81–93  9–21
(4–13) 		 36 – Edwards   13 – Edwards   9 – Kriisa  WVU Coliseum (9,674)
Morgantown, WV
March 9, 2024
2:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Cincinnati
rivalry 		L 56–92  9–22
(4–14) 		 12 – Farrakhan   4 – Battle   4 – Slazinski  Fifth Third Arena (11,914)
Cincinnati, OH
Big 12 tournament
March 12, 2024
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		(14) vs. (11) Cincinnati
First Round/rivalry 		L 85–90  9–23
  14 – Battle   7 – Slazinski   4 – Slazinski  T-Mobile Center (9,404)
Kansas City, MO
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[7]

References

  1. ^ Jenkins, Jeff (2023-06-17). "Huggins arrested in Pittsburgh on DUI charge; University reviewing incident". WV MetroNews. Retrieved 2023-06-17.
  2. ^ Borzello, Jeff; Thamel, Pete (17 June 2023). "West Virginia's Huggins arrested on DUI charge". ESPN.com.
  3. ^ Thamel, Pete (18 June 2023). "Huggins resigns as WVU coach in wake of arrest". ESPN.com.
  4. ^ Henderson, Cydney. "West Virginia names Josh Eilert interim men's basketball coach after Bob Huggins resigns". USA Today. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  5. ^ "REPORT: Josh Eilert to be Named Interim Head Coach". Sports Illustrated. 24 June 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  6. ^ Norlander, Matt. "West Virginia names assistant Josh Eilert interim head coach for 2023-24 after Bob Huggins' resignation". CBS Sports. Retrieved 25 June 2023.
  7. ^ "2023–24 Men's Basketball Schedule". wvusports.com. Retrieved August 28, 2023.