West Virginia’s roster took a hit at guard on Monday. Word is out that Bob Huggins has had a few players leave his program already, with the defections of guards Jabarie Hinds and Aaron Brown along with forward Volodymyr Gerun.
Hinds is the one loss that hurts the Mountaineers. The 5-11 sophomore averaged 7.4 points and 1.8 rebounds to go with 1.6 assists in 22.8 minutes per game last season. His production was sporadic at the end of the year for the 13-19 squad, scoring in double figures only once in WVU’s last nine games after registering seven double-figure scoring games in the previous 11 contests.
Bob Huggins starting to clean house a bit. Three guys transferring from West Va. -- Aaron Brown, Volodymyr Gerun and Jabarie Hinds.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) April 1, 2013
Brown, also a sophomore, averaged 1.9 points and 0.9 rebounds for WVU, with the 6-10 Gerun capping his one-year run in Morgantown averaging 1.3 points and 0.7 rebounds.
You’d have to wonder how much of Hinds’ decision was affected by the play of freshman guard Eron Harris, who averaged 9.8 points and 2.3 rebounds this season. Dayton transfer Juwan Staten also showed his worth in his first season with the team, averaging 7.6 points and a team-leading 3.3 assists in 27.7 minutes.
Losing Brown and Gerun seems like a playing time issue. Hinds is a loss that can be healed with the addition of a guard, but their 2013 class doesn’t have one. Though the backcourt of Harris and Staten can shoulder the load for the time being.
Though WVU will need someone to step up and be the scorer next season. No one on their 2012-13 roster averaged more than Harris and their second-leading scorer, Deniz Kilicli, has exhausted his eligibility.
Follow David Harten on Twitter at @David_Harten