Breaking down WVU's player personnel

WVU comes to Houston as a virtual unknown. Their nucleus of Battle, Slazinski, and Farrakhan have only played together for three games and are still figuring each other out. All three are scorers that WVU runs actions for. Check out all of GoCoogs’ WVU preview: Scouting Report | Personnel Report | Interview

the daily #154 | 1/5/2024 | Archives

WVU Personnel (Red Indicates Probable Starters)

#21 RaeQuan Battle / 6’5” 5th-Montana State / 27ppg, 6rpg.

Long/Athletic Guard – exceptional three-level scorer;
Head of the Snake;
VOLUME scorer. If he touches it, he’s probably going to shoot it (0.67apg);
Great at drawing fouls (averages nine free throw attempts per game);
Capable of making very difficult shots off the dribble (he likes to drive left on the dribble pull-up);
Can make the three from NBA range.

#11 Quinn Slazinski / 6’9” 5th-Iona / 16ppg, 5rpg.

Definition of a “stretch forward.” Solid three-level scorer;
Good at driving to the basket;
Likes to shoot the three in their secondary break as the trailer. He leads the team in threes made (27 on the season);
Really good at taking advantage of mismatches on offense;
Being used a lot in the mid-range post-up;
Local guy (5A State Champion at Westbury Christian School as a sophomore before transferring to Huntington Prep in West Virginia, which has produced many NBA players).

#1 Noah Farrakhan / 6’1” Sr.-Eastern Michigan / 16ppg, 4rpg.

Fast point guard- Very good three-level scorer;
Great at changing the speed of his dribble and finishing in the paint;
Capable of making extremely difficult mid-range jump shots;
Solid three-point shooter, but prefers the mid-range or attacking the basket (80% of his shot attempts are mid-range or at the rim);
Pesky defender.

#3 Kerr Kriisa / 6’3” Sr.-Arizona / 10ppg, 3rpg, 7apg.

Confident/Cocky elite three-point shooter (83% of his shot attempts are from three);
Really good passer. Loves the lob to their athletic guards and bigs (28 assists in 4 games);
Solid shooter from the mid-range, dribble pull-up;
Sometimes tries to do too much (averages 3 TOs per game).

#13 Akok Akok (Reyak) / 6’10” 5th-Georgetown / 4ppg, 5rpg, 1bpg.

Very long/athletic forward- Great rebounder and shot blocker;
Active rebounder on the offensive end. Great at put-backs;
Capable of making the three, but prefers to shoot closer to the rim;
Great rim-runner in transition.

#24 Patrick Suemnick / 6’8” Sr.-Triton College / 3ppg, 2rpg.

Back up post player;
Great motor;
Likes the short hook shot with either hand;
Used often in the pick and roll.

#9 Ofri Naveh / 6’6” Fr. / 5ppg, 4rpg.

Long forward;
Three-level scorer;
Great three-point shooter from the corner.

#22 Josiah Harris / 6’7” So. / 6ppg, 5rpg.

Long/athletic forward;
Great motor;
Capable three-point shooter, but poor 3pt% at only 20%;
Aggressive rebounder.

#14 Seth Wilson / 6’2” Jr. / 5ppg, 2rpg.

Back up point guard;
Solid three-point shooter.

#2 Kobe Johnson / 6’3” Jr. / 8ppg, 3rpg.

Capable three-level scorer;
Not a great outside shooter (20% 3pt%);
Not bad at getting to the rim and drawing fouls.
Great from the FT line, shooting 86%

#7 Jesse Edwards / 6’11” 5th/Syracuse / 15ppg, 9rpg, 2bpg.

Injured (Fractured right wrist);
Best post player;
Expected to miss a couple more weeks.

Keys to Victory

Ignore their record. This is not the same team as three weeks ago. Over the past three games, they have added 3-4 future professional basketball players to their roster. Houston has a better team, but they will need to come in focused on how to slow down some of the offensive threats that West Virginia provides.
RaeQuan Battle is the “Head of the Snake.” He will likely shoot the ball if he touches it. Whoever has the challenge of guarding him must always know where he is. He is a legitimate three-level threat, and help-side defense will be needed if he gets past the initial defender. He dislikes passing, so the UH defense can send an extra guy to double him when needed.
Defensive transition. 27% of their shot attempts come in transition. Farrakhan loves to attack the basket in transition. Battle and Kiirsa aim to shoot the three in the corners in transition. Akok is rim-running in transition. Slazinsky is trailing for the three in transition. The Coogs will have to communicate while getting back on defense.
Dominate the glass. With Edwards injured, the Mountaineers struggle to rebound, especially when Akok is on the bench. This should be a huge advantage for Houston!
Win all hustle plays. The tougher team likely wins this match-up. The Coogs must be the first on the floor for a loose ball, take charges, rebound, and defend. If they do these things, they should be 1-0 in the new Big 12!