Hodge: Don’t judge Sadler based on one game
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MORGANTOWN - The fairy tale beginning for Miles Sadler would be if he walked out of the Xfinity Center in College Park, Md. on Sunday evening with 25 points and nine assists in his hip pocket.
It's quite possible, though, the WVU freshman point guard's first college experience goes in another direction, as the Mountaineers travel to Maryland for their first exhibition game this season.
In either case, don't expect WVU men's basketball coach Ross Hodge to have much of a reaction.
"That would be judging it solely on the outcome," Hodge said. "I am interested in seeing, not only him, but our team and how they respond to mistakes and how they respond when things aren't going well. Simply judging him (by one game), it would be too early and unfair either way."
If Sadler - one of WVU's highest-ranked recruits in program history - is able to put on a good showing, outside expectations for a program that hasn't played in the NCAA tournament since 2023 could skyrocket.
Hodge simply won't feed into those expectations based on one game.
It's a lesson Hodge said he learned from his years spent as an assistant coach with Larry Eustachy. In fact, the two recently got together and Eustachy brought up the story of Jamaal Tinsley, who was a high school product out of Brooklyn, N.Y. who became one of the Big 12's top players at Iowa State before moving on to an 11-year career in the NBA.
"Jamaal Tinsley was a Rucker Park legend and one of the best college point guards to ever play," Hodge began. "His first real game at Iowa State was playing Drake, and (Eustachy) told Jamaal, 'Hey, this is going to be the hardest game you've ever played in.' Jamaal Tinsley had never heard of Drake before, he was a New York legend. Jamaal had 11 turnovers in that game."
The moral: The beginning is only one point of reference in a story and there are still plenty of blank pages remaining to fill.
"Jamaal ended up being one of the best; you could make an argument that he was the best college point guard to play," Hodge said. "I mean, he went 15-1 and 14-2 (in the Big 12) in his two years.
"But, if you judged him by that one game - I think they lost to Drake or barely beat them - you can't put too much on one player and one performance."
To that degree, the Mountaineers will have 12 players - six freshmen and six transfers - who will be making their first impressions on WVU fans against Maryland, which is in its second season with head coach Buzz Williams and is coming off a 12-21 season.
The Terps already have an exhibition victory, an 85-70 win against Georgia Tech, in which 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward Pharrel Payne finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Maryland also has its own star freshman guard in Kaden House - the son of former NBA player Eddie House - who was also a top-50 recruit out of the state of Arizona, just like Sadler.
"They have a really good blend of experienced guards and youthful talent," Hodge said. "Payne is a load. He can hurt you in a lot of different areas."
As for the Mountaineers, there is a curiosity on how a more athletic lineup will look on the court. In Hodge's first season, WVU relied on the offense of guard Honor Huff and its defense to make things work.
A season later, WVU appears to have more depth on the offensive end with transfers Mouhamed Sylla and Joson Sanon to run alongside Sadler. Brenen Lorient also returns after averaging 11.9 points and 5.2 rebounds with the Mountaineers last season.
"This group is really bought in, from what I've seen," said WVU forward Javan Buchanan, a transfer from Boise State. "I think we can be really deep. I think everyone has the potential to play. In terms of who can play, anyone we have on the court has some real talent."
NOTES
** Hodge said every WVU player except for Amir Jenkins will be healthy and available for the exhibition game. Jenkins is still rehabbing from two shoulder surgeries in the offseason.
** WVU was picked tied for eighth place on Thursday in the annual Big 12 coaches’ preseason poll. The Mountaineers were tied with Cincinnati, which is in its first season with former WVU assistant coach Jerrod Calhoun. Arizona received 12 first-place votes and was picked to win the conference.