Mountaineers coach Josh Eilert has been no stranger to lineup changes this season, but not all rotations are created equal.
WVU opened up the season with several unavailable players for reasons spanning from NCAA transfer rules to shocking injuries. Therefore, consistency simply has not been a luxury in Eilert’s tool belt.
Even now, the Mountaineers struggle to compete in the Big 12, so, despite having similar roster availability from game to game, changes to the starting lineup are not uncommon. In fact, only one starting lineup accounts for more than one of WVU’s eight wins.
With this inconsistency in mind, these are WVU’s three starting fives with the most success, based strictly on win percentage. Lineups are obviously not made equal in terms of winning opportunities, and not all wins hold the same weight, but in the clear-cut realm of success, these are Josh Eilert’s most successful rotations.
This also does not take into account strength of schedule, as competition has stepped up since the beginning of Big 12 play.
3. G: Kerr Kriisa, G: Kobe Johnson, G: RaeQuan Battle, F: Patrick Suemnick, C: Akok Akok
Total record: 1-2
Most recent appearance: Jan. 27 vs. Oklahoma State
Filled to the brim with previously unavailable players, this starting five earned just one win together in three games. That win, though, was against the mighty Kansas Jayhawks, who were then ranked No. 3 in the AP Top 25.
The five starters shot 8-for-15 from three against Kansas and accounted for 70 of the team’s 91 points. Leading the scoring charge was 6-foot-5 senior RaeQuan Battle, who scored 23 points, followed closely by 6-foot-8 junior forward Patrick Suemnick’s 20 points.
The Mountaineers’ three-guard lineup quickly became a staple after Battle, Kriisa, and Noah Farrakhan were made available mid-season. The rotation has seen many forms and is nowhere near perfect, but the depth is definitely something WVU would have liked the luxury of sooner.
2. G: Kerr Kriisa, G: Kobe Johnson, G: RaeQuan Battle, F: Josiah Harris, F: Patrick Suemnick
Total record: 1-1
Most recent appearance: Jan. 17 vs. Oklahoma
One of the various lineups formed during the absence of Jesse Edwards, the Suemnick-led starting five earned a ranked win over the No. 25 Texas Longhorns, 76-73. After a win in its first appearance, Eilert brought the lineup to Norman, Okla., but the Mountaineers fell 77-63.
In both games with this starting five, Eilert actually made use of forward Quinn Slazinski guard Noah Farrakhan more than starting sophomore wing Josiah Harris. Harris played 16 minutes against Texas and made his only field goal attempt of the night while grabbing three boards and a steal. Against Oklahoma, Harris shot three-of-four from the field, knocking down two three-pointers for eight points in the game.
1. G: Kobe Johnson, F: Ofri Naveh, F: Josiah Harris, F: Quinn Slazinski, C: Jesse Edwards
Total record: 3-3
Most recent appearance: Dec. 9 vs. Drexel
Rounding out the list is the lineup featured in the most non-conference games this year. The minutes distribution during the lineups six-game stretch was pretty packed, with the Mountaineers never playing more than nine players during this period and lacking more than two key contributors off the bench.
Kobe Johnson, who is the only player on all three of the mentioned starting fives, averaged 34.8 minutes per game in the lineups six appearances, which stands significantly higher than the 23 minutes per game he averaged excluding those games.
Johnson was the lone guard in this starting lineup, as Seth Wilson split minutes with him off the bench due to the Mountaineers’ now plentiful guard depth being cut heavily by since overturned NCAA regulations.
Similarly, freshman Ofri Naveh found himself averaging nearly 29 minutes per game in this starting lineup. In 16 other appearances this season, Naveh averaged just over nine minutes per game. Naveh scored 35 of his season total 63 points while in this lineup.
In addition, while this lineup is the most successful by winning percentage, out of the three lineups listed, it was also used against some of the easier competition on the Mountaineers’ schedule in non-conference play.
Photo by Aaron Parker, Blue Gold Sports
