West Virginia Basketball Adds Talent, Focuses On Culture

The West Virginia basketball program is in the midst of an almost complete roster rebuild.

Currently, only a pair of scholarship players remain from last season’s team in fifth-year senior guard Noah Farrakhan and sophomore forward Ofri Naveh. And prior to this weekend, there were only two other players added to the roster in senior forward Tucker DeVries, a two-time Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year, and incoming freshman guard KJ Tenner from Memphis.

So, that means that there are still a lot of missing pieces when it comes to putting together the puzzle of what the final roster will look like for the Mountaineers next year.

But the basketball program took a step forward in that area by adding a pair of young and talented pieces from the transfer portal from Illinois in guard Sencire Harris and forward Amani Hansberry.

Both players were former top 100 recruits in their respective classes and give the Mountaineers high-upside transfer additions with three years of eligibility remaining in their careers. That matters because the hope is that they help to be a big part in building the culture in the program moving forward.

That has been a focus for head coach Darian DeVries since he took the job and landing high upside talented young pieces that have multiple years left can help to maintain that.

“We will not sacrifice anything from a culture standpoint in any way shape or form in terms of filling a roster. We’re going to find the right guys to be here,” he said.

Getting immediate help is critical, but finding those players who can step in and contribute for several years is important as it will allow that culture to build and take less stress of the coaches to essentially try to build a new team every single year with one-year transfer portal options.

There is already a tie with both players to the program as well as associate head coach Chester Frazier recruited them to Illinois in the first place. So, that familiarity was key, and it wasn’t any type of surprise that the Mountaineers moved quickly on both when they entered the transfer portal this past week.

West Virginia hosted both players on official visits to campus over the weekend and that was enough to secure their commitment giving the Mountaineers a nice jolt in their current roster construction.

Harris, 6-foot-4, 170-pounds, spent two years with the Illini basketball program but entered the transfer portal in mid-April after spending last season redshirting. That decision was made in order to work on adding strength to his frame and to develop his overall game.

But Harris proved productive during his first year with Illinois as he played in all 33 games and even started seven of those while averaging 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. He also shot 43-percent from the field and 31-percent from three during that campaign. Known as a defensive specialist, the Ohio native possesses excellent length and plays the game with a high energy level that fits what head coach Darian DeVries wants.

A native of Canton, Ohio, Harris averaged 20.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3.8 steals as a senior for St. Vincent-St. Mary. He led his team to consecutive Ohio Division II state championships. He was rated as the No. 64th best player in the country in the class of 2022 according to Rivals.com.

Hansberry, 6-foot-8, 240-pounds, spent only one season with the Illini where he appeared in 19 games while averaging 2.4 points and 2.1 rebounds in just seven minutes per contest. He shot 45-percent from the field and has a strong pedigree considering he was a consensus four-star prospect out of high school.

A skilled big, Hansberry has excellent mobility and is a crafty finisher around the rim. He scored eight points against Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament this past season.

Hansberry was rated as the No. 83rd rated player nationally by Rivals.com in the 2023 recruiting class and was named the 2023 Gatorade Maryland Player of the Year as a senior after averaging 15.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists at Mount Saint Joseph High School.

Now, both players are going to have to realize their potential to maximize their additions over the next few years but the Mountaineers checked off both talent and potential longevity with one blow.