MORGANTOWN — The practice videos posted by WVU show the smoothness that comes with freshman point guard Miles Sadler.
It’s seen in a cross-over move to the left side, only to bring it back to the right side for a lay-up. Another shows Sadler stopping on a dime and stepping back to knock down a 3-pointer.
All of it is fluid, natural and even somewhat calming in a way, like water rolling down a West Virginia creek.
“He’s got an incredible feel for the game,” WVU guard Finley Bizjack. “He makes plays sometimes that make you go, ‘Wow.’ It’s just special stuff like that.”
All early signs – Ross Hodge’s Mountaineers have only been together for about a month and the first game is still five months away – point to Sadler living up to his lofty recruiting credentials.
Those credentials, at least when it comes to WVU hoops, are historical. National recruiting services all have Sadler inside the top 25 nationally in the incoming Class of 2026.
The five stars next to his name puts Sadler in the same conversation with former WVU players Oscar Tshiebwe, Devin Ebanks, Jonathan Hargett and former McDonald’s All-American Chris Brooks, as to who is WVU’s most heralded prep recruit in the national rankings era?
From Brooks to Tshiebwe, that covers 32 years worth of incoming freshman classes, an average of one top-ranked national recruit signing at WVU every eight years. That’s not exactly a pace John Calipari would brag about.
It also shows why expectations are sky high for Sadler, which is where Hodge comes into the story. The WVU coach does not downplay Sadler’s potential. He doesn’t say, “Guys, look he’s only a freshman. Let’s give him some time.”
“He’s confident, a very confident player, but his humility and humbleness is also what makes him special,” Hodge said. “His willingness to be coached, he endears himself to his teammates, which makes it easy to pull for him.”
The aspect of time is a big deal to Hodge and how he wants Sadler to progress. Time is also what he would like to get out there to WVU’s fan base on their own expectations for the point guard from Brampton, Ontario.
“A lot of times, the intentions around these young players, whether it’s expectations, I don’t think anyone means harm about any of that stuff,” Hodge said. “The reality is to ultimately get to where we’re trying to go, and even as an individual, where a very talented player may be trying to get to.”
The end point for WVU this season is getting back to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2023 and advancing past the opening round for the first time since 2021. The ultimate end goal for Sadler is to one day hear his name called during the NBA Draft.
Hodge’s point is both goals can happen together, as long as the focus remains on the current time.
“Really, you just try and strip it down,” Hodge said. “OK, let’s have a really good weight-room session this morning. Let’s have a good practice, get treatment, go to class, get your work in. If you can encourage young players to control what they can control, because you can get caught up in it. You can kind of get going down a path of what might happen and what could happen and you don’t know what’s going to happen.
“Whether it’s a great player who is going to one day play in the NBA, well, to play in the NBA, you have to have a really good practice today. We can’t beat anybody in the Big 12 (in July). There’s no sense in even (worrying about the other stuff now), so let’s just have a really good practice. That’s my message to him and to any talented player with expectations, you know, pressure is a privilege and he’s earned the right to have those expectations, but the reality is none of that will be accomplished in one day.”
One day will be stacked on another. More practices. More workouts. Yes, the anticipation to see Sadler in action may be at an all-time high, but for now, Hodge said the guard has work to do.
“He knows he’s got to get a lot better,” Hodge said. “He’s not coming in here like he has all the answers and he’s got it all figured out. He’s talented and competitive, but his willingness to be coached and to be a great teammate is probably what has jumped out.
“Those characteristics usually allow talented players and talented people to get better at a rapid rate.”
