West Virginia men’s basketball picked up one of the best players in the transfer portal on Sunday when Syracuse transfer center Jesse Edwards announced his decision to commit to the Mountaineers.
Edwards was widely considered to be one of the best basketball players available in the transfer portal this offseason including being ranked as ESPN’s No. 3 overall player.
The native of Amsterdam spent the last four years with the Orange, playing 95 games including making 56 starts over the past two seasons. This year, he experienced a breakout season, totaling 14.5 points, 10.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists.
Edwards shot 59.2% from the field while also making 72.9% of his shots from the foul line, a career-high for the 6-foot-11 center. He also recorded 14 double-doubles this year including a 27-point, 20-rebound performance against Wake Forest. He earned All-ACC honors for his efforts this season.
This past season, the Mountaineers went 19-15 including 7-11 in Big 12 play. They would be a No. 9 seed in the NCAA Tournament, losing their first-round matchup to the No. 8 Maryland Terrapins.
With the Mountaineers, Edwards will replace center Tre Mitchell who was one of the program’s leading scorers this past season. In 34 games played and 32 starts, Mitchell averaged 11.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
Country roads, mountains and Huggs’ Truck #committed pic.twitter.com/PuP2Q34XJG
— Jesse Edwards (@jesse_edwards14) April 16, 2023