MORGANTOWN — The idea today, where it concerns WVU athletics, was to give you a glimpse of the future.
Now, we’re not above making bold predictions – especially in July, when no one is paying attention – but we’re not also going to waste your time with the obvious.
To be sure, there is a ton to look forward to for the upcoming 2026-27 school year, and with that comes a bunch of new names on WVU rosters you didn’t see last year.
Most of those names you can’t wait to see, whether that’s running back Cam Cook or men’s hoops point guard Miles Sadler. We could take just those two guys and elaborate on their potential, throw some stats at you and call it a day.
That would be the obvious. Nothing new would be learned by the end.
Here’s your bold prediction: WVU athletics – as an entire body – will be vastly improved compared to 2025-26. Football, better. Men’s basketball, better. Women’s basketball, better. Baseball? Not sure how WVU head coach Steve Sabins improves after leading the Mountaineers to the national semifinals, but let me tell you, he has signed a guy that may just blow the lid off when it comes to anticipation.
Think you can’t wait to see Sadler and Cook in action. Just wait until you get a glimpse of what first baseman Colin Coonradt can do.
And that is what we are here for today. If WVU is going to make a push to become some type of all-around force as an athletic department, it’s going to take a heck of a lot more than just Cook and Sadler to do so.
You’re going to want to know these names, too.
Colin Coonradt
The incoming junior actually began his college career at Iowa – he’s a Cedar Falls native – before enrolling at Johnson County (Kan.) Community College this past season.
First, let’s begin with the season the Cavaliers had. They finished 67-3, won the junior college national title, and at one point, had a 41-game winning streak.
Now, let me tell you what the 6-foot-1, 205-pound Coonradt did. He batted .430 with 33 multiple-hit games. Get this: He slugged 37 home runs and collected 109 RBIs. His on-base percentage was .567.
Those numbers are just in one season. That’s no combination.
And when you think back to this past college baseball season, wasn’t WVU’s lack of pop in the lineup the biggest complaint?
Gavin Kelly got hot late in the year and began to hit home runs in bunches. He finished with 19, which tied the school’s single-year mark.
Coonradt could potentially obliterate it. When you potentially throw him in the batting order right after Kelly, that could be something never seen in Morgantown.
For those wondering, his 37-homer season is tied for ninth-best – at any level – in college baseball history. Former Texas standout Ivan Melendez – nicknamed the Hispanic Titanic, still the best nickname I’ve ever heard – set a Big 12 record with 32 dingers in 2022.
Prediction: Coonradt may not reach that total, but 25 isn’t out of the picture.
Hawa Doumbouya, Khyala Ngodu
They are the new sizable tandem you’ll find inside Hope Coliseum next season with the WVU women’s basketball team.
Let’s begin with this: Doumbouya stands 6-7. Ngodu is listed at 6-3.
In terms of anticipation, Ngodu – a UCF transfer – has more experience and better stats. Doumbouya is still a project in the works. She’s averaged just four minutes per game in two seasons of action at Maryland and VCU.
Here’s why they matter: They are going to completely change how the Mountaineers look and play in the post this season.
“It’s kind of nice to have some teammates you can just throw lobs to,” WVU guard Gia Cooke said. “We haven’t had that before.”
And you’re going to see some possible history. WVU has had just four players, well actually Georgeann Wells did it three of the four times, finish with at least 100 blocked shots in a season. Either Ngodu or maybe even Doumbouya could add their name to that list.
“We had a couple possessions the other day in practice where I think we had three straight possessions with a blocked shot,” WVU head coach Mark Kellogg said. “I hadn’t seen that a whole lot. We didn’t block a ton of shots so far in my three years, so I think we’ll see a little bit more of some rim protection.”
Why they are important: The Big 12 will still be dominated by center Audi Crooks, who transferred from Iowa State to Oklahoma State. Crooks may not be the biggest name out there. That title belongs to Texas Tech center Stephanie Okechukwu, who at 7-1, is about to become the tallest women’s basketball player in the sport’s history
Mouhamed Sylla
Sadler may be the most anticipated freshman to take the floor for the WVU men’s hoops team since, who? Oscar Tshiebwe? Devin Evbanks? Chris Brooks?
Sylla and his 6-10, 240-pound frame is the one who just may be able to help head coach Ross Hodge endear himself to the WVU fan base this season.
Once ranked as the 18th-best high school prospect in 2025, Sylla – when healthy – could wind up being WVU’s most productive true center since Warren Baker in the 1970s.
He began his freshman season at Georgia Tech last season with five double-doubles over his first six games. Injuries limited him to just 16 games.
Prediction: The combination of Sadler, Sylla and Butler transfer Finley Bizjack will make the WVU men’s hoops team the most-improved program compared to last season.
