COMMENTARY
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Last year’s trek into the depths of a coal mine was memorable, but Jevon Carter preferred West Virginia’s more recent team-building exercise, a five-day trip to the Bahamas.
“The sun was out, and we weren’t underground the whole time,” he said.
If anything, those hours in a cramped mine made players even more appreciative of last week’s excursion to Atlantis. Between boating, snorkeling and pool play, the Mountaineers won three exhibition games handily and forced 45 turnovers per contest.
“I got a good feel for our team,” said Carter, a sophomore who spent the bulk of his minutes working at point guard. Whether that continues into the regular season—as opposed to Carter playing his more natural position of two guard—will depend on Tarik Phillip’s ability to limit turnovers and the progress of freshman Beetle Bolden.
“(Carter’s) our best shooter, so we’ve got to make sure he gets shots,” said coach Bob Huggins. “He’s going to have to play some point. We’ve just got to get him more comfortable.”
Through the 10 additional team practices afford WVU this season, Carter saw big potential from four-star freshman Esa Ahmad. The 6-foot-8 four-star recruit averaged 14 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 55 percent from the floor in 20 minutes of action
“Esa, he’s got that all-around game,” Carter said. “If you need him to play big he can play big, and if you need him to play the wing he can play the wing. He rebounds, he plays aggressive, he listens, he just does whatever you need him to do.”
Defensively, West Virginia’s full-court press produced ridiculous turnover stats, though some of that came from suffocating inferior opponents. Ahmad fouled out once but committed only three fouls in the other two games combined.
“When we got (Ahmad) to the right spot, he was pretty good,” Huggins said. “He’s got a great feel for basketball. He anticipates the game more than some other guys do. I don’t know if it’s innate, but some guys have a better aptitude to learn. He made some really good plays.”
OK, so Ahmad made only 10-of-21 free throws, and WVU’s team total wasn’t much better: 44-of-86 for 51 percent. Plus the Mountaineers were sloppy in transition and gave back too many of the turnovers they created.
Yet, by the time West Virginia tips off the regular season against Northern Kentucky on Nov. 13, the blowouts in the Bahamas won’t be of much consequence—at least not tangibly. Their importance, as Carter noted while wearing a March Madness cap, exists more for building rapport among a roster of diverse personalities.
“I learned that we all get along,” he said, highlighting a lesson that could be a building block for next March.