Since a 2nd round loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament, West Virginia’s roster has already seen a bit of a shake-up. Emmitt Matthews Jr. and Jordan McCabe have entered the transfer portal while Sean McNeil, Taz Sherman, and Miles McBride have entered their name into the 2021 NBA Draft.
Just about every year, WVU has underclassmen entering the draft to get evaluated by the NBA to see which areas they need to improve on to become a draftable player. Jevon Carter, Sagaba Konate, and Oscar Tshiebwe all filed paperwork to enter the draft, then once they received their feedback opted to return to school. McNeil, Sherman, and McBride have all stated that although they have declared for the draft, they will leave open the option to return to school. Those who have not entered yet, such as Derek Culver, have until May 30th to file paperwork. Players will be able to withdraw their names from the draft and return to school up until July 19th at 5 p.m. EST, so sit tight, it might be a while before decisions are made.
Prior to the start of the season, WVU head coach Bob Huggins told reporters that McBride was the name that scouts wanted to hear about the most and this was while Tshiebwe, a McDonald’s All-American, was still on the roster.
“From a standpoint of calls and interest from people at the next level, he’s the first name out of their mouth which I know shocks some of you, but that’s the first name out of their mouth,” Huggins said.
After a stellar season in which McBride averaged 15.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists, the talented sophomore is likely to receive the most interest from the NBA of the three Mountaineers who have declared. With that said, it seems like the overall consensus is that he would be a 2nd round pick, so returning to school is still very much a possibility.
Taz Sherman also had a tremendous season averaging 13.4 points, 1.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 40% from the field and 34% from three-point land. If things were normal, there wouldn’t be any talk of him debating about returning as his eligibility would be exhausted. However, the NCAA is giving all players one extra year due to the pandemic, and coming back for a third season could turn Sherman from a fringe NBA prospect into a player that’s cemented as a future NBA draft pick.
For Sean McNeil, declaring wasn’t that much of a surprise. A junior that has a ton of experience and really shoots the ball is exactly what NBA scouts are looking for. McNeil had five 20-point games this season, including in the team’s 2nd round loss to Syracuse in the NCAA Tournament where he hit seven three-pointers on his way to 23 points. He finished the season averaging 12.2 points per game and shot 88% from the free-throw line, 40% from the field, and 38% from beyond the arc.
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