Looking past the stars; the real skinny on WVU’s latest basketball recruit Seth Wilson
If you’re like many diehard WVU recruiting fans, you rush to your nearest computer when you hear of a new signee. You pull up Google and plug in the name of the newest Mountaineer.
How many stars did he or she earn from analysts? What other schools offered him or her?
Well, in regard to Seth Wilson, who signed with WVU and Bob Huggins on Wednesday, Rivals deemed him a three-star recruit with offers from Akron, Bradley, Kent State, Ohio, Penn State and Valparaiso. The 247 Sports site likewise had him at three stars. ESPN, though, gave him that coveted fourth star.
Still skeptical? Well, read on.
First a little backstory. Wilson committed to WVU way back in September of 2019. He’d just transferred to his home of Lorain, Ohio, after playing for St. Vincent-St. Mary in Akron, where WVU started recruiting the guard.
Wilson, 6-3 and 200 pounds, started on two SVSM teams that reached OHSSAA state championship games, winning the Division II crown in 2018 before a run to the D-I final. He scored the second-most points as a freshman in school history there.
Behind only LeBron James.
With Lorain last season, he averaged 13 points and seven rebounds on a Titans team that went 17-9 and made the regional semifinal. He was named all-Lake Erie League first team and all-Lorain County first-team.
Which concludes the nuts and bolts part of the blog.
The scoop? WVU’s coaches love Wilson. And the guard’s current coach, John Rositano, said WVU fans will soon love him as well.
See, this is a classic Huggins recruit. Find the gem. Find the player who will respond to tough love. Mold him.
“He’s 6-3, about 200 to 205 pounds,” Rositano said on Thursday. “Great body, a Big 12 body. He loves basketball. And he has the ability to shoot.”
The Mountaineers, of course, need shooters.
“Seth has been a tremendous player for us, and I don’t see why he can’t be a tremendous player for WVU,” Rositano said.
In a release, Huggins said Wilson gives WVU “great versatility” to play point guard or wing and will be “a great asset to our backcourt.”
The skinny on Wilson, though, is he’s a big, strong physical point guard a la Gary Browne or Juwan Staten – only taller. Wilson is both fast and strong with the ability to finish at the rim.
“He looks like a safety in football,” Rositano said. “He’s put together. When he drives, guys just bounce off him.”
Which is a perfect Huggins recruit, no?
Rositano said Wilson is a good friend of current WVU guard Miles McBride. Rositano has connections because his daughter Abby attended the Morgantown school and loved it. The coach has been to Mountaineer practices. He knows the culture.
And here’s the kicker:
“People on campus will love Seth,” Rositano said. “He’s an honor roll student. He always has a smile on his face. He’s a good speaker. It’s a perfect fit.”
Rositano, by the way, said Wilson distributes the ball well. (“If guys are open, he’ll get them the ball,” said the coach.) Last season, four Titans averaged double digits. This season, Wilson may have to score more. Which, apparently, is no problem.
“He’s smart,” Rositano said. “He has a high basketball IQ. And he has great range as a shooter. He’ll stand three or four feet behind the arc in high school and shoot it. It’s like he’s out there just playing HORSE.”
In sum?
“I don’t know how many stars he was given,” Rositano said, “but Seth is top-notch. The people there will love him.”
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Mitch Vingle covered sports in West Virginia for 38 years. Follow Mitch on Twitter at @MitchVingle and be sure to check out the rest of Wheelhouse Creative’s website for your marketing and advertising needs. If interested, call us at 304-905-6005.
