MORGANTOWN — Considering Erik Stevenson didn’t set foot on the WVU campus for the first time until this summer, it’s maybe fitting that introductions are still in order.
He is a self-driven young man in his final season of eligibility with the WVU men’s basketball team.
Stevenson hails from the state of Washington and grew up playing sports with fellow WVU teammate Emmitt Matthews Jr.
He knows his way around the transfer portal, having began his career at Wichita State, before taking other pit stops at Washington and South Carolina.
He plays defense, isn’t afraid to shoot the ball and would like to one day be a college basketball coach.
And, oh yeah, the kid can talk.
Not just rah, rah taking-it-one-day-at-a-time stuff, either.
We’re talking actual emotion and true-to-the-heart words that Stevenson speaks.
Microphones and TV cameras pointed at him do not scare him one bit.
Maybe that’s a result of moving around and growing up during his journey, or maybe Stevenson has always been one not afraid to speak his mind.
In truth, it does not matter, because he’s insightful, honest and witty.
“I don’t have the stat sheet, but I know we had 10 assists against 19 turnovers, which is terrible,” Stevenson said after WVU’s 73-57 victory over Bowling Green last week in a charity exhibition. “I’m not one to beat around the bush, so we’ve got to clean that up. If we do that against our schedule, we’re not going to win games.”
That was, basically, Stevenson’s opening remark after the exhibition, but he just kept getting better.
We’ll get into more of Stevenson’s thoughts in a second, but it is here we must point out this WVU program desperately needs someone just like him.
Honestly, the Mountaineers could have used him last season, too, and not just for Stevenson’s straight-forward style on the court, but for what he’s able to say off it.
When WVU went into a funk last season and began losing games, you would’ve hoped the leaders of the team — we’re strictly talking players here — would come out and explain what happened and speak to the feelings and emotions the team was going through, as well as give an honest opinion of whether or not things could be fixed.
Not that athletes should be forced to talk to the media, I get that, but real leaders should understand part of their role is to speak to those who go out of their way to support them through the media.
Yet, last season’s top player — Taz Sherman — rarely came out to speak when things got bad. Gabe Osabuohien came out every now and then and Malik Curry spoke a lot, but not really until the end of the season, when his play began to take an upswing.
For the most part, we were stuck hearing from younger players — many of whom transferred after the season — and what could they really say?
This is where Stevenson could make his biggest impact on this program.
To be clear, what he says does not draw attention to himself, like Deion Sanders back in the day. Nor is it controversial or just plain stupid, which is what you get from Kyrie Irving.
It’s just good, honest basketball talk, and WVU fans are going to fall in love with Stevenson sooner rather than later.
“I know I had more than two,” Stevenson said when told about a discrepancy in his rebound stats. “I remember that, but I don’t remember 10 of them.
“I think the most rebounds I’ve ever had is eight, maybe, in college. That was lucky. I’ll take the 10.”
Stevenson also told the story of how he’s a basketball junkie in terms of watching film and numerous games on TV.
He’s seen WVU’s upset of top-seeded Kentucky back in the 2010 NCAA tournament many times.
“I’m a little bit crazy, because I’m always watching hoops and this program has never been pretty,” Stevenson said. “Even when they beat Kentucky with all of those draft picks, that game wasn’t pretty. Kentucky just sucked. They sucked in that game.”
And that’s the thing about Stevenson, you don’t have to ask him what’s on his mind, because he’ll likely tell you anyway.
If these Mountaineers hit a rough patch like last season or if they find a way to win some big games maybe they weren’t supposed to win, the hope in either case is Stevenson is sitting in that press conference afterward.
Because what he’ll say will make sense, will be from the heart and honest, and, for the WVU fans, should be like must-see TV.
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