MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — West Virginia’s men’s basketball program has received mostly welcomed news over the first month of this offseason.
Having added Arizona guard Kerr Kriisa by way of the NCAA Transfer Portal, the Mountaineers took another step in solidifying their backcourt last week when Joe Toussaint announced his intention to return to Morgantown for a fifth and final season of college basketball.
On Wednesday, Tre Mitchell followed suit, bolstering West Virginia’s front court and giving the Mountaineers another proven and experienced player for next season.
In a social media video, Mitchell announced his intention to spend next season with the Mountaineers, which will mark his fifth and final campaign in college basketball. He concluded the video with a message that read, “Mountaineer Nation, Let’s Run It Back.”
A 6-foot-9 native of Pittsburgh who played his first two seasons at Massachusetts and one at Texas, Mitchell averaged 11.7 points and a team-best 5.5 rebounds in his first season at West Virginia. Both of Mitchell’s double-doubles were in Big 12 Conference play, and he led the squad with an average of 30 minutes played.
Mitchell, one of eight new additions to the Mountaineers’ roster last season, shot 47 percent, better than 36 percent from the three-point line and nearly 79 percent on free throws.
Mitchell’s versatility and ability to play close to or away from the basket were assets to the Mountaineers. His 36 threes were the second-best mark of any WVU player last season.
A former Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year honoree, Mitchell averaged 17.7 points and 7.2 rebounds with the Minutemen in his welcoming to college basketball.
The following season, Mitchell averaged a career-best 18.8 points and 7.2 boards, while shooting nearly 52 percent. However, Massachusetts played only 15 games, two of which Mitchell missed as a result of a shoulder injury.
He then tried his hand at Texas, where Mitchell started 17 games and played in 24, compiling averages of 8.7 points and four rebounds. However, he did not finish the season with the Longhorns and ultimately sought a third home before opting to remain in the Big 12.