Unreasonable Doubt - A WVU Basketball Podcast

The Portal Giveth with Mountaineer Paul

·30 min·3 clips

In nine days, WVU basketball went from one portal addition to five, including the nation's three-point leader.

["The episode opens with host Josh Witt summarizing WVU's busy nine days in the transfer portal, moving from one commit to five portal additions and one high school recruit.", "Witt introduces the four new portal commits joining Obi Oha: Brennan Laureate, Jasper Floyd, Jackson Fields, and Honor Huff, noting Huff led Division I in three-pointers.", "All portal commits have one year of eligibility left, while high school recruit DeAndre Thomas has four years.", "First-time guest Melnir Paul, host of Locked On West Virginia, joins to discuss the offseason.", "Paul shares his initial reaction to the Ross Hodge hire, accepting it after hoping for other candidates like Rick Pitino.", "He notes Hodge is hitting the portal harder than expected, bringing in long, defensive-minded players who can shoot.", "Paul discusses potential holdovers from last year's roster, suggesting players like Abraham and Jaden Stone were practice players and unlikely to stay.", "He reveals behind-the-scenes NIL issues from last season, where a player's brother felt promises weren't met, impacting roster construction.", "Paul explains Hodge's strategy of targeting older portal players with one year left, as it avoids retention concerns and focuses on annual rebuilds.", "He compares this to FAU's unicorn model but notes it's rare in today's game.", "Expectations for Hodge's first season are set as a borderline tournament team, unlikely to replicate Darren DeVries' big wins from last year.", "Paul predicts the team might start slower and gain steam, with chemistry possibly aided by North Texas transfers.", "The conversation shifts to the portal era's challenges, with WVU having four coaches in less than two years.", "NIL budgets are discussed, with Paul mentioning Honor Huff's $1 million deal and Iowa's $6.8 million projection.", "He notes WVU's offers are competitive but selective, with many portal offers being smoke screens.", "Paul shares his personal story of a 13-year heroin addiction, homelessness, and multiple rehab stints before starting his YouTube channel during recovery.", "He credits Coos and Mark Rogers for helping him enter broadcasting, now streaming daily with up to 7,000 live viewers.", "Pros and cons of live streaming are discussed, including trolls and financial hurdles, but Paul highlights it as a life-changing pursuit.", "The episode ends with a lighthearted ranking of Mountain Dew flavors, from OG to Sweet Lightning.", "Witt thanks Paul and promotes related WVU sports content under the Smoking Musket umbrella."]

As heard by us

WVU's roster rebuild gets a clear, name-by-name pass.

The episode follows the fast-moving roster picture around Ross Hodge and staff, noting that one portal addition has become five portal ads plus one committed high school recruit.

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Why you'd press play

Press play if you want the latest WVU portal names without the rumor haze.

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